If you’re considering selling your home next spring, you may want to consider stepping up your timeline. (Photo: Pexels).
Tom Kalinski, RE/MAX of Boulder
If you’re considering selling your home next spring, you may want to consider stepping up your timeline. Though spring is officially home-selling season, experts say a winter sale could bring you a higher sale price and an overall less stressful process, according to Realtor.com.
The following are the benefits outlined by Realtor.com of putting your home on the market when temperatures and weather conditions take a turn and gardens are bare.
1. Less competition
Quite simply, there are fewer homes on the market in the winter so buyers have less to choose from. In Boulder County, no matter what time of year you are selling your home, seriously low inventory has been a hallmark of the local housing market in the past year. In this low inventory market, buyers tend to stay active year-round. As a seller the even-lower supply of winter works in your favor, making it an ideal time to sell your home.
2. You can show off your home’s ideal winter features
Cold weather has been slow in coming to Boulder County so fa this year. But rest assured, low temperatures and icy snows are just around the corner. The chilly temps make winter the ideal time to tout your home’s advantages in this less than easy time of year. Details like south-facing driveways and front walkways sell themselves on snowy days: less snow shoveling is appealing to every homeowner. Other amenities like cozy fireplaces and relaxing hot tubs highlight themselves in a winter home showing.
3. Growing families push parents to re-nest
Statistics show September has more birthdays than any other month, according to the Center for Health Statistics and the Social Security Administration. Once a family settles in with a new baby, parents often begin to search for a new home to better suit their growing family, reports Realtor.com. Though the pandemic may have suppressed the birth rate in the U.S., there’s likely to be a push to find a larger home.
4. Winter buyers are serious
While it may come as a surprise, not everyone touring homes intends to make a purchase. “Some people are contemplating moving and may just want to see what’s on the market. Since more homes tend to go on the market in spring and fall, this is also when window shoppers are likely to be out looking,” writes Realtor.com.
Winter freezes out the “lookers,” but not the serious buyers. While there may be fewer showings, those who visit are motivated to buy – a good thing for sellers.
5. Year-end corporate activity
Companies often pay bonuses during the holiday season. The payout can mean some have a windfall to help them buy a home.
Additionally, even in these days of working remotely, corporations still relocate workers. Relocation packages are designed to help make the move and potential home purchase easier. Relocated buyers have the added cash to smooth their home buying process.
For those considering selling your home in winter, these advantages may help alleviate your concerns. A good Realtor can help ensure the process goes well and quickly.
Read the full story at www.realtor.com/advice/sell/reasons-to-sell-a-home-in-winter.
By Tom Kalinski. Tom is the broker/owner of RE/MAX of Boulder, the local residential real estate company he established in 1977. He was inducted into Boulder County’s Business Hall of Fame in 2016 and has a 40-year background in commercial and residential real estate. For questions, email Tom at [email protected], call 303.441.5620 or visit boulderco.com.
