In the past, conventional wisdom said you shouldn’t try to sell a home during the holidays. Reasons ranged from no time to drive around and see homes or make a trip to the Realtor’s office to the buyer’s market lacking during that time of year because of the busy holiday season.

Many reasons flood the seller’s mind deterring them from listing until after the first of the year. Here are a few reasons that it may be a good idea to put your house on the market this holiday season.

Increase of Internet Searches During the Holidays

Many home buyers devote a larger portion of their house hunting time during the holidays to searching online as opposed to seeing homes in person. The added convenience of honing a list of preferred homes from the warmth of the buyer’s home during cold, wet weather makes real estate website traffic ramp up significantly when the overall market sales might be slowing down. Homes advertised correctly online during this time get significantly more exposure than the average home, and those sellers that are taking a break from being on the market are as good as non-existent to the online buyer.

Seller Competition Is Lighter During the Holidays

While the new wave of mobile inspired home buyers is searching for homes at odd times of the year, home sellers are often still reluctant to list their homes during the holidays. The home seller who is on the market in an area with very few comparable homes can often stick strongly to the price they’re hoping to get.

Holiday Home Shoppers Are More Motivated

The home buyers who remain active in their searches during the holidays are the extremely motivated buyers. They’re willing to alter their holiday schedules and brave bad weather to get into a home. These are the kinds of buyers that home sellers dream about. They want to move right away and are willing to spend significant money to relieve their anxiousness about getting on with the home buying process as quickly as possible.

Your home is showroom ready!

Of course your house looks nice during the off season, but who doesn’t enjoy looking at homes at their very best during the holiday seasons. Your home is already as clean as can be, smells of baking in the air (or just some scented room freshener will work) and some tasteful decorations making your home look warm and inviting.

Traveling for the holidays??

If you have to leave town for the holidays, the right REALTOR® is equipped to handle everything. Not only will your home be vacant and clean, it will also get a nice check-in a few times while you’re gone. Your REALTOR® will check on your home to make sure things are fine and ready for showings. You can keep the heat on and it will not only keep your pipes from freezing, it will keep your potential buyers happy. Buyers’ REALTORS® will be in and out often enough to keep the home looking busy and well-traveled.

You Don’t Have to Take Any Calls You Don’t Want To

Who says a home seller has to receive calls 24/7? Every REALTOR®-client relationship is different. You, as the client, can manage how you communicate together. If you’d like to only receive showing requests via email or text, so be it. If you want your REALTOR® to only call between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., he or she can do that. As long as you are reasonable about having a regular communication check-in with your REALTOR®, the way you communicate can be as unique as you’d like.

Create Blackout Dates

When family comes to visit for a week, let your REALTOR® know that the entire week is off-limits. Unless a buyer has come in and set a large envelope of cash on their desk, they need to schedule all showings the prior week or the week afterward.The bonus with this strategy is that your home is still on the MLS and still being advertised online. While it might not be available to see in person that particular week, those holiday home buyers will still see the listing and be aware that it will be available soon. Meanwhile, your family is relaxing at home as if it were just a regular holiday season.

Offer Holiday Incentives

Make spirits bright by offering bonuses for people who are willing to deal with a wintertime move. Cover the closing costs or install brand-new stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, for example. Special seller’s concessions and/or home improvements can sweeten the pot for buyers who are interested in your house but need that extra push to make an offer. Selling your home during the holidays can actually be a well-managed and stress-free experience if you take the time to set some ground rules and boundaries. In the meantime, you might be the only home on the block that is visibly available for sale to the next out-of-towner or anxious first-time buyer that is out on the holiday house hunt.

Thinking about listing your home to sell during the holidays? Call us at (919) 964-0732 or email welcomehomerealty@gmail.com.

Please send us some holiday decorating “DON’Ts”
that we can post so we can educate our sellers on what is potentially “pleasing” and what is potentially “too much” holiday decor. If you don’t have pictures, your comments would greatly be appreciated!

Good luck and Happy Holidays!