There are ways to mitigate these challenges if you absolutely must sell in the winter. It can be as easy as remembering to include summer or daytime photos of your yard and exterior in your ad to give buyers an idea of your home at its best.
Strategies to Succeed as a Salesman in Winter or Any Season
There are steps you can take to successfully sell your home, even if real estate activity is slowing.
Listen to your agent
Remember, there isn’t one right time to sell a home – you need to consider the specific market you’re selling into, and there are a number of underlying factors that can influence demand. An experienced real estate agent will recommend the ideal time to sell your home based on market trends and conditions in your area.
List when stock is low
While it’s impossible to time the market exactly, if you’re able to quickly clean out and furnish your home, you can ask your agent to let you know when the stock in your market is low, and then list to make. That will draw more attention and excitement as buyers compete over limited offers.
Think about your market
If you live in a hot market, things like seasonality and having a perfectly updated home are often not that important, as larger factors like neighborhood and size of the property carry the most weight. In that case, a listing on a winter market has no influence on the interest in your home.
Prepare your house for sale
If you’re considering selling this year, talk to a real estate agent who can help you determine the best way to list your home. You can then get started doing the updates and cleanups needed to best show off your property. Whether you’re making a list next month or 11 months from now, you’ll have a clear idea of what it takes to get your home ready for sale. For most of my clients, cleaning is often the biggest delay. You can completely miss out on seasonality if you don’t think about what it takes to sell before setting a timeline.
Is seasonality still important? It depends.
Whether seasonality is an important factor in the sale of your home ultimately depends on your market, your home and your expectations.
Waiting for spring can help show your home when it’s at its best. But if you want to sell in the winter, there are creative ways to get around the drawbacks associated with a drop in market activity. In some cases, you may even find that selling in the winter results in increased buyer interest or a higher selling price, such as if your market is low on inventory or if the snow hides the lackluster appeal of your property. It is important to take the advice of a professional who knows your market and then do what is best for you.
This answer was provided by Zocasa Realty real estate agent Carlos Moniz.
Agent Insights is written by agents of Zoocasa Realty, a content partner of MoneySense. Zoocasa is a full-service brokerage that provides advanced online search tools to provide Canadians with the data and expertise they need to make more successful real estate decisions. View real estate on zoocasa.com or download our free iOS and Android apps.
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