Selling Your Home During the Holiday Season

Winter may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holiday months can be anything but miraculous for sellers with property on the market. Traditionally the real estate world slows down significantly from early November through the beginning of January, and often sellers are the ones left in the lurch.

Winter Sellers: Disadvantages
Bad weather: Potential homebuyers are only human, so naturally winter's stormier conditions can convince many consumers to stay indoors.

Shorter days: Most buyers prefer to view homes in the full light of day, even when casually looking at houses and neighborhoods by car. With fewer daylight hours in the winter, homebuyers are usually limited to weekends for in-person showings.

Busy schedules: Time is at an absolute premium during a season of shopping for presents, attending holiday parties and traveling to visit relatives. Most people don't feel they can spare time during these months to shop for homes or plan the move to a new home.

Winter Sellers: Advantages
Smaller Housing Inventory: Because the holidays are traditionally slower selling season and sellers are just as busy as buyers at this time of year, few homes are put on the market towards the end of the year. In addition, many previously listed properties are taken off the market as a temporary measure. While the number of active buyers is lower during the winter, sellers also face less competition.

Serious Buyers: People who are willing to rearrange their holiday schedule and brave the elements to shop for a home in general tend to be motivated, serious buyers. In many cases buyers at this time of year are invigorated by the promise of impending year-end bonuses. The demands of the season in large part also eliminate false alarms from casual buyers who are "just looking".

Tips
Target Those Rare Winter Buyers: When buyers are harder to come by, you have to work harder to attract their attention and do more to meet their needs:

1. Make sure your home is well marketed on the Internet with plenty of photos and virtual tours, as buyers will spend more time browsing properties from the comfort of their own home.
2. Hold open houses on weekends whenever possible. Consider an evening open house event, providing coffee and light fare to those who attend.
3. Be flexible with your scheduling and requirements for showing the home to interested buyers.

Improve Visibility: Make sure your home is well lit in the evenings and is not obscured by low hanging branches or foliage.

Update your Comparative Market Analysis: Even if you've previously obtained a market analysis, you may want updated information that factors in the seasonal slowing of real estate sales.

Presentation: Because it is holiday season, homebuyers may look at your home and try to imagine it as the setting for their own holiday celebrations. Make sure your home is warm and inviting without going overboard (no need to buy the biggest tree and the most lavish decorations available).

Lower the Price: No one wants to think that they've overvalued their home, but a price adjustment may be necessary if selling your home promptly is one of your goals.