As most people know, Spring and Early Summer are the hot times to sell your house. There are many reasons for this with one being that kids are back in school; Parents are hesitant to move school districts midyear.
Now that summer is over, people are settling back into their jobs from a vacation or two and the holidays are coming up. In September, people start getting ready for Halloween, then shortly thereafter Thanksgiving and Christmas! Even though it is slightly more difficult to sell your house in the late summer through winter, we have some tips that might help you get the best results while selling your house!
Keep an eye on the listed comps, not the sold comps. Usually, when realtors and/or sellers are pricing their house, they are looking at sold comps. This makes sense in the hot seasons for selling because closed deals should be a great indicator of where your house will sell. However, in an offseason, you should be more focused on the houses that are currently listed. With a limited number of buyers looking for houses you want to be the best VALUE to them by having the most competitively priced house!
Use the Holiday season to your advantage. Decorate your home with cozy seasonal decor. Home buyers love to imagine themselves and their families in front of a cozy fire-place or decorated Christmas tree. Even if it’s not December you could throw some Christmas decor up to really make them feel excited about being in the house for the holiday season. In the same sense, people love to host for Thanksgiving. Consider setting a big table with place settings and Thanksgiving decor so the future homeowners can picture their whole extended family sitting around a big table eating a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast!
In the Midwest, we get heavier weather during the colder months of the year. Spend some extra time maintaining the exterior of your home to withstand the winter weather. This may mean more rain, leaves, and snow. Make sure that you are taking extra care to keep your exterior looking fresh. If you have a lot of trees in your yard, make sure to keep leaves raked for showings that you may have. You don’t want the first impression of a potential buyer to be “Oh no I am going to have to spend hours raking at this house.”
As for cold weather and snow, make sure to keep your sidewalks and driveways clear and shoveled. Throw plenty of salt down so the agents and their clients don’t trip on their way in or out of the property, that may leave a bad opinion of the property in their mind. Unfortunately, some people can’t control when they need to put their house on the market. Don’t let yourself get stuck in December without a plan! Use these tips and consult with your agent about your best course of action.
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