Should I sell my house in the winter?
There are definitely some positives and negatives to selling your house in the winter. Some negatives are pretty obvious, such as…it’s cold and nobody wants to go outside. But, there are definitely people who need to buy homes in the winter and can’t wait until spring. So let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.
Pros
Your house will be more desirable since there are fewer properties on the market. You may be one of only a few homes in your price range during the winter – this means that anyone looking in that price range will likely want to view your home.
You might be more likely to get offers on your property since people don’t usually enjoy driving around and walking in and out of homes in the cold weather.
You can list your house for a bit higher since there is less likely to be competition.
You don’t have to maintain your yard quite as much since it could be covered in snow. You may need to shovel your driveway or walkways, but you won’t need to spend hours planting new grass and flowers, maintaining mulch, or doing landscaping.
People usually have more time off around the holidays, which gives them ample time to browse listings online and take a look at properties, including yours!
You may get fewer buyers, but people love walking into a warm, cozy house – definitely have your heat on, a few tasteful decorations, maybe a nice winter candle burning.
Cons
Fewer buyers overall
Not as likely to have successful open houses
Have to keep the heat higher and lights on more to attract buyers
You may have to drop your price lower than you’d like if you’re in a hurry to sell and there are fewer buyers.
Your house may sit on the market until spring if you don’t consider lower offers than you’d prefer.
Financing delays can happen due to holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc).
You’re likely to get fewer multiple offer situations that would boost your price back up.
Overall, listing your home during the winter can be difficult but not impossible! In general, you will probably have better luck by waiting until the spring, but many sellers pick winter out of necessity. There are still many positives of listing your house in the winter so don’t fret too much. Realtors overall tend to be a little more relaxed in the winter, so there’s a good chance we can focus more attention on getting your home sold for the best price.
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