"Nobody is going to be buying a house this winter so I’ll just wait until spring, right?" Wrong! While spring is the typical real estate “season’, winter is actually a great time to consider listing your home.
We posted on this a while back but now is a great time for a refresher on a few reasons why we recommend not completely ruling out the possibility of listing in winter.
1. Less competition. Simply put, fewer homes are on the market in winter. But lots of people still need to move in winter! Job transfers, growing families, or other changes in life circumstances mean there’s typically still a healthy demand for homes year-round. With less competition, you’ll likely get more eyes looking at your home both online and in person. Plus, the perfect buyer may be out there!
In addition, listing during the spring real-estate market brings a lot of competition and comparison shopping for buyers so listing while there are fewer homes on the market may actually help secure a higher asking price.
2. Uncle Sam. Or, more specifically, the tax returns that Uncle Sam requires every winter. Many buyers use their tax returns to beef up their down payment on a home purchase, so having your house available when those buyers are ready to buy makes sense.
3. Cozy features. Your home may have features that a cold Iowa winter can highlight. Your home’s fireplace or heated floors, or the street’s beautiful snow covered pine trees all become a lot more noticeable (and attractive) to a buyer looking in January instead of July. As your realtor, I can help you emphasize all the cozy features your home has to offer. Even if you don’t have any obvious wintery selling points, you can take advantage of the holiday decorating season and have your home showing in top-notch form.
4. Get ahead of the market yourself! Listing your home over the winter can get the whole process started earlier, so you can find your next home. Negotiating the sale of your home and purchase of your new home earlier in the year gives you an edge over other potential buyers that haven’t started the processes sooner. Your offer on your next house could be more desirable than a similar offer that’s still subject to the sale of a house.
5. Time, time, time. It’s hard to imagine, but spring will be here soon enough, and with spring and summer come lots more activities. That means you’ll likely be trying to juggle showings, and eventually packing up your entire house’s contents, around getting to soccer practice or graduation parties or summer cook-outs. There’s simply more time to do get it all done in the winter.
If you’re considering a move in the next year, I’d love the opportunity to meet with you and help you determine the best time to list your house.
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