Should I List My Property In December?
November 27, 2012
At this time of year, agents may be contacted by potential sellers who are considering putting their properties up for sale. More often than not, a seller will ask: "Should I wait until after thew holidays to put my house on the market?" Different agents may have different answers depending on their past experience. I might give the answer that somewhat frustrates folks: "It depends."
So what does "it depend" on?
First, as a seller, why are you planning to put your house up for sale? Are you moving because of a job change? Have you out grown your present house? Is there another place you would like to live if the house sold? Are you under financial duress? A good starting place in a conversation about when to put a property up for sale is for the seller and the agent to understand the reasons behind a decision to sell.
Next, could be a discussion of the pluses and minuses of listing in December. This year, one definite plus is that there are more potential buyers who have been frustrated by the lack of properties on the market. Many are ready to jump at any new listing that meets their needs and their financial ability. This situation is leading to multiple offers and over listing sales prices. Another plus is that interest rates for buyers have remained at all time lows and buyers feel an uncertainty about where rates will be in the future. If they entered escrow now, they could lock in a present day rate. Another plus could be the decorations and the aromas from holiday baking make a home very appealing. Potential buyers feel the desire to enjoy that type of environment themselves. It often evokes memories that they would like to recreate for their families.
The minus begin with the disruption of the sellers daily life. When a property is offered for sale, sellers must be prepared to show it at any time. During all the additional activities that take place during the holidays, adding the need to keep the property in a showable condition may be seen as too burdensome. If the property does not sell quickly during December, sellers may feel that waiting would have been better as now they are "stale" on the market. I believe that this so-called "staleness" can be overcome by an immediate push to advertise the property in the new year.
The decision to list or not to list is dependent on the seller's reasons. If the property is ready and the seller truly wants to make a move, any time is the correct time.
At this time of year, agents may be contacted by potential sellers who are considering putting their properties up for sale. More often than not, a seller will ask: "Should I wait until after thew holidays to put my house on the market?" Different agents may have different answers depending on their past experience. I might give the answer that somewhat frustrates folks: "It depends."
So what does "it depend" on?
First, as a seller, why are you planning to put your house up for sale? Are you moving because of a job change? Have you out grown your present house? Is there another place you would like to live if the house sold? Are you under financial duress? A good starting place in a conversation about when to put a property up for sale is for the seller and the agent to understand the reasons behind a decision to sell.
Next, could be a discussion of the pluses and minuses of listing in December. This year, one definite plus is that there are more potential buyers who have been frustrated by the lack of properties on the market. Many are ready to jump at any new listing that meets their needs and their financial ability. This situation is leading to multiple offers and over listing sales prices. Another plus is that interest rates for buyers have remained at all time lows and buyers feel an uncertainty about where rates will be in the future. If they entered escrow now, they could lock in a present day rate. Another plus could be the decorations and the aromas from holiday baking make a home very appealing. Potential buyers feel the desire to enjoy that type of environment themselves. It often evokes memories that they would like to recreate for their families.
The minus begin with the disruption of the sellers daily life. When a property is offered for sale, sellers must be prepared to show it at any time. During all the additional activities that take place during the holidays, adding the need to keep the property in a showable condition may be seen as too burdensome. If the property does not sell quickly during December, sellers may feel that waiting would have been better as now they are "stale" on the market. I believe that this so-called "staleness" can be overcome by an immediate push to advertise the property in the new year.
The decision to list or not to list is dependent on the seller's reasons. If the property is ready and the seller truly wants to make a move, any time is the correct time.
posted by shirley harry at 8:56 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home