Find the BEST time to List your home

Let's talk about the right time to sell your home. Some of you live in areas where there are selling seasons. It's not hard to figure out when you consider weather. Timing is huge, so if you have a flexible time frame take a minute to make this decision. For those of you that are in a hurry to move, I want you to know that if you are listing during a more challenging time of year, you need to adjust your price accordingly. Don’t anticipate getting top dollar in North Dakota in January. It’s just not going to happen.

Ok, lets break down timing...

The obvious first impact is going to be weather. We just touched on it, but I know some of you guys live in areas that get a lot of snow and rain. Friends, that type of weather limits showings. Not a whole lot of people want to be out in 0 degrees to look at houses.

Quick Insider tip - Those of you that DO list during a cold/ wet month should know that anyone who comes out to see your home is most likely an actual buyer and not just a lookie-loo. Please take these showings seriously and do your follow up. More on that subject to come in the future.

The absolute BEST time to list your house is going to be in the spring. That looks different for every one of you. I live in California and we aren’t that worried about weather, but there is definitely a change in attitude during the spring. Those early months in the year people are looking for a change, anticipating new things. It's a great time to list. Zillow would tell you that In most areas, the best time of year to sell a home is during the first two weeks of May. You can expect to sell 18 days faster than any other month and for almost 6% percent more money. In other places, early April or June is even better for home sales than in May.

Another reason to wait for spring (depending on your price point) is tax return money. When potential buyers get that tax refund check they are that much closer to their savings goal for their down payment. That may have been exactly what they were waiting for.

Holidays are to be avoided if you can help it. This is just as much for you as a seller, as it is for the buyer. Not only will showings be slow but you need your house to show really well. It is not going to be ideal to have all your Christmas or Hanukkah decor out and set up when you take photos of your home. It also is just a pain. When Curtis and I sold our house last year, we literally sold it the week after Christmas. We were making a move out of town and so we had a deadline and NEEDED to get our home sold. A potential buyer wanted to come and see the home on December 27th. We still had family members in town, wrapping paper trash and just a serious holiday hangover. Cleaning our house for a potential buyer was the last thing I wanted to do. But when you NEED to get your house sold you do it.

I’m going to give you a little homework - Go ahead and do a quick observation about your local market and weather. A quick google search will help you figure this out. I need you to write down the Ideal list date. This is based on your market, not on what amount of time you need to get your house ready. Pretend your house is 100% ready to go today. When would be the BEST time to get your house on the market? Figure this out and you'll have a better chance of selling your home quickly, and for the most money possible.