When to List Your Home on the Market for the Best Deal
3 min readThe hot real estate market may have you in the mood to sell. If you can control the timing of your listing, you can get more traffic and get the house moving quickly. Avoid listing your house when folks can’t visualize themselves outside. August in Arizona and February in Minnesota are not ideal.
Aim For Spring
Experts recommend that late spring is an ideal time to list your home. If possible, aim to list the property toward the end of the workweek so your house shows up high on the lists of new homes.
Make sure that the home is ready for showings before you list it. The majority of the showings your property gets will come through in the first week. You want to be ready to go when the listing hits the internet.
Plan for the Holidays
If you can’t sell in the spring, consider planning for the holidays with a few touches. For those selling while living in the home, use basic holiday decor and scents to make the home feel accessible to all buyers. Cinnamon works for the winter holidays and daffodils on the counter will charm viewers around Easter. Make sure you hang a flag for the 4th of July.
The ability to see themselves in your home will make a huge impact on their connection with and longing for your home. Your region may have specific holidays that can also be featured in your staging. Discuss your questions with the best realtor in Beaumont TX to make sure that your home has a great deal of draw.
Don’t Let Your Home Linger
The longer your home lingers on the market, the less likely you are to get your listing price. If you live in San Francisco, hanging around on the market won’t hurt, but that market is nearly always hot. Be ready to drop the price, make changes per the comments you get or offer bonuses to the buyer.
If your home is close to being paid off, you can also offer seller financing. Of course, this only works if you
- have a paid off or nearly paid off the mortgage
- don’t need a lump sum payout to buy another property
- trust the buyer to make the payments
Seller financing can be risky. Evicting a non-paying renter is challenging, but foreclosing on a non-paying buyer can be a legal nightmare. If you have to have the payments on your home, enter into this agreement with great care.
Pull the Listing and Try Again
If your house hasn’t sold in six months, you will want to pull the listing and try again. Review why you felt you needed to sell and consider what you could do to stay. If you need smaller payments, can you refinance? If you need more space, can you add on to the house?
For those who need to downsize due to age, consider bringing in a caretaker or a roommate. You could
- enjoy some company
- get some help with yardwork
- earn a small monthly income or help with utilities
- stay in your home
If you need to move for work, you may be able to rent out the house or set up a home office and work remotely. For those in dire financial straits, it may be time to talk to your lender about a short sale.
Selling your home can be a very anxious time. Do your best to get your home ready for showing before the photos are taken and get in the habit of regular tidying so you can easily show the house without fuss.