Sell Now or Wait Until Spring
It is officially fall! This time of year, we get LOTS of inquiries from homeowners about whether this is a good time to SELL NOW OR WAIT UNTIL SPRING. There is a common MYTH that selling a home in fall or winter months is a bad idea and many potential sellers wait until spring to put their houses on the market. This is a big mistake!
NEWS FLASH. Homes are sold ALL YEAR LONG!
Yes. There are advantages to selling your home in the spring and summer months. Those markets are typically hot. But fall and winter have their advantages as well!
AND 
Here are the top reasons that fall and winter months are a great time to sell.
1. Less Competition
Most people put their homes on the market in the spring and summer months. Driving around your local neighborhoods during the spring, you will see LOTS of for sale signs. One of the advantages of listing in the fall or winter is there is less competition. Less homes to choose from means that potential buyers are more likely to look at your home. The more potential buyers that see your home, the more likely you will receive an offer and get the maximum amount of money for your home. It’s the simple law of supply and demand. Take advantage of it!
2. You get the Serious Buyers
One of the disadvantages of spring and summer, is that there are a lot of what we realtors call, “looky loos” out there. Many curious people who are out and about on a beautiful spring day may wander into an open house with no intentions to buy. Well, in the fall and winter months, you don’t get these “Looky Loos”, you get serious buyers. Homes are bought and sold 365 days a year, and although some buyers slow down their search during these months, the serious buyers who NEED to buy do not. Many people relocate during the fall and winter and need to find a house! January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transferees cannot wait until spring to buy, you need to be on the market during the holidays to capture that market!
The fall and winter months is also a great way for potential buyers to get a feel for the neighborhood. Some buyers like to come after school to see the school busses. Are there kids my children can play with? Is this a good trick-or-treating neighborhood? Are there light displays for the holidays? These things are important to some buyers and looking during the fall and winter months will help them decide if a neighborhood is right for them.
3. The Process will be quicker
During the spring and summer markets, everyone is busy..from the stagers and photographers, to lenders, attorneys, home inspectors and other vendors involved in the real estate transaction. During the fall and winter months, there are fewer real estate transactions which means mortgage lenders have less loans to process, home inspectors have fewer inspections, attorneys have less closings….you get the picture. It can be maddening for buyers and sellers to not get answers to home inspections, for example, in a reasonable amount of time. The entire process should be quicker and less stressful for you.
4. Mortgage Rates Are Low
I’m sure it’s not a surprise to you that mortgage rates have been record-breaking superficially low. You are probably also aware that interest rates are likely to increase soon. Since mortgage rates are so low right now, buyers are able to afford more house. If mortgage rates increase over the fall and winter months while you’re waiting for the spring market, you might eliminate buyers from being able to buy your house! Less demand for your home will mean less money. Take advantage and sell your home while the rates are still low.
5. The Best Agents Can Sell in Any Market
A great agent can make suggestions and give some of their tips on how to sell a home during the fall or winter months. A great real estate agent will know how to adapt to the current season and market their listing to reflect that. A great agent will use their creativity and appeal to the emotions of the buyer. All agents are NOT alike. Interview your realtor. Find out what they do and ask for results!
6. Get a FREE home staging consultation and staged home as fall promotion
If you list your home for sale with the Bullard Realty Group, we will offer not only a free staging consultation but a staged home as well! Up to $3000 dollar value. A staged home makes the professional photography look amazing, which elicits more showings, more quickly and likely bring multiple offers which means more money in your pocket. Offer ends December 1st.
7. Get a FREE market snapshot of your neighborhood!
Don’t rely on online home valuations (like Trulia, Zillow, Redfin, etc) or (gasp) tax records to find out the value of your home. These are almost NEVER accurate. We love these online tools and think they’re great for learning about neighborhoods, crime and they’re super fun. But these tools often produce numbers that are way off. They’re a great starting point, but don’t rely on them to price your home. Pricing your home correctly is the MOST important decision you can make when selling your home. Allow the Bullard Realty Group to give you a free market snapshot of your neighborhood AND/ or a detailed analysis of your home!