Best Time To Sell Your Home

by | May 27, 2014

Written by Andrew Goodman

Best Time To Sell Your HomeQuestion: When is the best time to sell your home?

Most agents will recommend listing your property during the spring season. Spring is a good time of year for sellers who are looking to sell a single-family home for several reasons, though the school calendar tends to be the leading motivator for market activity.

Buyers with children tend to move during their children’s summer vacation so they do not have to worry about their children missing time at school or switching schools in the middle of the school year.

The spring is also ideal for buyers moving so they have ample time to register their children for the upcoming school year.

Properties tend to show better in the spring too.

The spring helps lawns and gardens look good, improving the overall curb appeal of the home and helping the seller maximize his or her return on the sale.

And let’s face it: We are typically in a better mood when the weather is nice, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. That could certainly help the property give off a good vibe.

In the metropolitan Washington area, the spring market tends to be the ideal time to sell. We do see properties sell every month of the year. Townhomes and condominiums sell all year round. Buyers that do not have to deal with timing constraints (such as the timing of the school calendar) will buy in all four seasons, which is why we typically see sales at a steady pace throughout the year for those properties.

One thing I recommend against: Listing your property in August or near the winter holidays.

August tends to be slower month — because of family vacations and the heat and humidity that D.C. typically experiences. Thanksgiving through the New Year also tends to be difficult because buyers are focused on the holidays, not on real estate. It goes without mentioning that most people tend to overspend enough during the holiday season on presents, travel and more.

That doesn’t leave much for a new home.

Still, it’s important to remember the bottom line of selling your home. No matter when you sell — winter, spring, summer or fall — your home will sell as long as it is priced right.

In one of my previous columns, I gave some tips on what can be done to your home to help it sell faster. Those tips will certainly help, but no matter what you do to your property, your home will sell if it is priced right!

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