The holiday season is clearly not the busiest time of the year for the real estate market but this does not mean you cannot sell a home during the early winter months. In fact, there are certain advantages to listing your home this time of year. The primary one being there are far fewer other homes on the market.
Most home sellers decide not to list during the holidays because they believe it will not be worthwhile or they just do not want to deal with having the home ready for showing while also celebrating the holidays. This reduces the available homes in your area and gives your house a much better chance of standing out.
Another advantage to putting your house on the market during the holiday months is you have a more focused pool of buyers. Even though there will be far fewer people shopping for homes around Thanksgiving and Christmas, those who are shopping tend to be more serious buyers. This means that if you can do a few things to make your home stand out, you have a much better chance to sell during the winter months.
Here are four important tips to help you sell your home during the holiday months:
Use a full time realtor: This rule actually applies to all times of the year but especially during the holidays. Make sure your real estate agent (or agency) is actually working during the winter months and not taking the month of December off for a vacation to Cancun. It will be far easier to sell your home if your realtor is doing regular showings and other active marketing.
Do all the basics: Do not forget that whatever time of year, you need to make sure your home is in good condition both inside and out. Make sure all the small stuff is taken care of and all the best staging practices are adhered to. You also want to put a high priority on curb appeal this time of year.
Keep the holiday theme: Listing your home during the holiday months does not mean you have to deprive your family of the opportunity to get into the spirit of the season. Most homebuyers will be more attracted to your home if you have at least some holiday décor.
Make your home interior warm and inviting: The holiday season is the perfect time to spice up the inside of the home for showings. Put on some light holiday music and have some cookies and hot chocolate set out for your guests. Also, remember to keep the heat cranked up. The more inviting your home is the more time prospective buyers will spend inside. When buyers feel like spending a lot of time inside a home, it should not be long before one (or more) of them decides to put in an offer.
For more information about steps you can take to prepare your home for sale, please contact your local real estate agent for experienced, professional advice.
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