Yes, the real estate market as a whole slows during the winter: home sales pull back overall because less people want to move during the winter. It is normal and good that most homeowners desire to wait to put their home on the market and move during ‘more favorable weather’ months of spring, as well as other considerations (kids in school and other seasonal commitments). How does it affect my plan to sell my home? The winter months are a huge advantage to anyone who can gain from a boost of online traffic to sell their home. Picture this: you have a home very common for your area, valued at a common price-point for your area, of which there are multiples and multiples of buyers and it will be relatively easy to sell in a seller’s market. (Nothing is ever easy, right?)
My advice to you, is wait and be picky about the timing that works the best for your family overall: winter/spring/summer. It is good to consult with a great real estate agent that can help you sort out if there are some other factors that you’re not considering and should consider in your planning. The second scenario: your home is already on the market now and you are considering taking it off the market because ‘winter is coming’. Let’s take a look at some assumptions. Your home didn’t sell yet for some reason, so it is logical to assume it is a ‘trickier sale’ than the average or common home in your area. Maybe there is something that makes it special and it needs a special buyer to appreciate its unique advantages? I’m not kidding around, that is real. Well, you already have your pictures taken and your marketing is already working hard for you. What is the advantage of removing it from the market? What do you think happens to online traffic when it starts to snow outside? Blizzard even? Well, spoiler alert: online traffic goes ‘through the roof’. I hope you didn’t just remove your home from the market, just as thousands of new eyeballs are poking around attempting to stave off their boredom. Conclusion: Winter is an incredible advantage to selling a home that has unique features that the majority of buyers would not necessarily see the full value in. It is natural to think that you should not have your home up for sale in the winter. It is unnatural to know what helpful and unique advantage the winter months offer: thus underscoring the importance the choice of a great real estate agent, especially one that is gifted at online marketing.
The winter months are a huge advantage to anyone who can gain from a boost of online traffic to sell their home.
