Sometimes people tell me that they really want to sell their house now, but they think they should wait until spring or summer. The common misperception is that homes don’t sell in the winter. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Experience has shown me that there are several benefits to selling in the winter—if you’re ready to sell, give me a call to learn more about how we can help you take advantage of the following benefits:
Only serious buyers will look
Do you know those people who just like to look at homes for sale? The ones who go to open houses, or make appointments for a showing, but end up just strolling through the rooms to get ideas or see how other people live? They stay home in the winter! You may get slightly less traffic during the colder months, but you’re eliminating all of the people who aren’t really ready to buy. When you have a winter showing, you can be sure you’ve got a serious buyer. With the Medical Mile, Beer City, and all of the other development in Grand Rapids, people are relocating here all year long.
Competition is lower
Many people balk at showing their house during the holiday season because they’re busy with guests, parties, baking, and wrapping gifts. They don’t want to focus on selling their home, too. So, if you’re the type of person who can have your house show-ready during the holiday season, or if you don’t celebrate a holiday during the winter, your competition of other homes for sale will be significantly lower than at other times of the year. When you wait until spring, lots of other people will decide to put their home on the market, as well. Capitalize on your advantage!
Buyer’s agents get their clients to your home
Because winter is typically a slower season, buyer’s agents know that they’ve got to act quickly to help their clients when a great home comes on the market. They know there are fewer homes on the market, so they’ll get their clients to your home as soon as they can. When I have a client whom I know needs to purchase a home during the winter, I’ll trudge through a snowstorm to show them a home that might be the right one for them. Plus, when there are fewer homes on the market, buyers tend to act quickly. In busier markets, they often wait to make an offer because they want to see what else will come on the market.
Less competition for you if you’re also buying a home
If you’re planning to buy a new home after you sell yours, you’re in luck. Just as there are fewer homes to compete with yours when you sell during the winter, there will also be fewer buyers competing against you to purchase the home you love.
We can’t predict the market
Realtors know a lot about interest rates, buying power, and the housing market but we don’t have a crystal ball. We can tell you what the market is now, but we can’t tell you what it will be in a few months. In Grand Rapids, we’ve started to see a shift in the market, but don’t know for sure whether interest rates will rise or home prices will drop. No one does. Rather than trying to guess, if you’re motivated to sell now, do it now!
Your house already looks beautiful.
No matter what kind of landscaping you have, you don’t have to spend additional money on updating it. When there’s snow on the ground, it provides a gorgeous, natural landscape. If you put out holiday lights, their glow adds an extra touch of elegance. And if you decorate seasonally, or for Hanukkah, Christmas, or another holiday, the inside of your home will already be dressed up, looking glam. If you’re uncertain about your winter décor, no worries. Brooke Marie Collective hires professional stagers and we’ll make sure your home is as beautiful as can be.
A few final thoughts
One of the common worries people express to me is that they don’t want to move during the holidays. Keep in mind that, generally speaking, you don’t close until at least 30 days after the purchase agreement. So, if you accept an offer in December, you won’t move until January. In a strong seller’s market, you can even negotiate moving out up to 30 days after the close, although we don’t recommend this strategy. If you do go that route, and you list and sell in December, you could push your move out to early spring.
If you’re ready to sell, there’s no reason to hesitate. Give the Brooke Marie Collective a call today. We’d love to put our passion, drive, unparalleled marketing, and fierce negotiating skills to work for you!
