When you’re preparing to sell your house, it’s important to do everything possible to stack the deck in your favor if you want to get the full amount of what your home is worth. This is why a lot of people look for information about when is the best time to sell a house, so they can get the most return on their investment. It’s even more common for people to want to max out their return when they are buying and selling a home at the same time, because they want to have the most possible security in their move-up purchase. 

Depending on where you look online, there is a lot of conflicting information on the topic of the best time to sell a house or the worst month to sell a house. Some outlets will tell you that it’s pointless to try to list your home outside of the summer months, while others will forgo tradition and encourage you to put your home up for sale during winter. 

At our real estate team, we have helped hundreds of homeowners list and sell their house at all times of the year — and today we’re going to share the pros and cons of selling your home during different seasons!

It’s important to note that this advice can differ slightly from year to year. At the time of writing, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated some changes to most real estate agents’ home selling strategies. Despite some COVID-19 myths that other teams might be spreading, however, our clients are still able to sell their homes fast and we have seen no figures that indicate that people shouldn’t sell their homes during COVID-19. 

With that in mind, let’s begin by looking at the pros and cons to selling your home during the Spring and Summer months.

Selling a House During Spring or Summer

Traditionally, people sell their homes during the warmer months of the year. Home searchers tend to tour properties and attend open houses when the weather is pleasant, meaning that there are more people to see your home. Generally, having more people see your home can be a good way to drive a bidding war and sell your home for the most money possible. 

On top of this, longer days during Spring and Summer means that there are more hours to show your home off to the right buyers. It might be dark by the time that people get off work during the Winter, but there is usually a chance for them to come visit your property after office hours by the time Summer rolls around. 

As a third major pro, many people who are actually ready to buy a home in the Summer often have a short ideal timeframe — they might want to move before schools start again or the days get colder and shorter. As a result, motivated buyers might put forth some very compelling offers during the warmer months to try to drive a fast home sale. 

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some downsides to selling your home during the Summer or Spring, however. Depending on your location, the warmer months can quickly become the sweltering months — and people are less likely to go house hunting when it is scalding hot outside. Furthermore, many choose to take vacations during the summer, meaning that your showings have to compete with entertainment avenues for the attention of potential buyers.

You’re also competing with other people who are trying to sell their homes. Spring and Summer are almost always the most popular time to sell a home, so your listing will likely be going up against many other properties. This can reduce your leverage and bargaining power — though the extent depends largely on where you are trying to sell your home. 

Selling a House During Fall or Winter

Fewer people choose to sell their home during Autumn and Winter. In part, this is because cooler (or cold) weather and shorter days make it more difficult to get people to attend Open Houses in person. However, there are a lot of pros that come with selling your home during these months.

First, you are almost always going to be competing with fewer home owners. This means that you will have more leverage when it comes to negotiating a price that you want. In seller’s markets like Washington DC’s hottest neighborhoods, this means that you might be able to get more for your home than if you were competing with other home owners during the warmer months. 

Secondly, the people who are searching for homes during Fall and Winter are often very highly motivated. When you sell during the Summer, you’ll probably get a lot of “looky-loos” at your home showings — but when the chill is in the air, almost all of the people who are looking for homes are the ones who are ready to make a move soon. 

The cons to selling your home during Fall or Winter are mostly about opportunity cost. If you aren’t working with an agent who knows how to properly market your home, you could be stuck with your listing up for a long time — and that will make you seem desperate to savvy buyers looking for a deal.

Verdict: The Best Time To Sell Your House

Ultimately, there’s not really a right or wrong answer to the question of when to sell your home. This is partially because there are pros and cons to each season — but it’s also because the time when you sell just isn’t as important now as it used to be. With the power of technological strategies for selling your home virtually and highly-targeted marketing campaigns, you can sell a home quickly at any point in the year…

As long as you are working with a real estate team who knows how to maximize your home’s value!

That’s why, at the Keri Shull Team, we make sure to stay on the cutting edge of home selling techniques and technology. The most damaging thing for your Home’s Value is to leave it sitting on the open market for too long. We use the power of off-market home sales, digital marketing, and a massive database of motivated buyers to help sell your home — which is why we can offer you a Selling Guarantee!

If you want to learn more about how the right real estate team can get you more money, in less time, and with less stress during your home sale, then contact the Keri Shull Team today! All you need to do is click here to schedule a time for a free, no-hassle Home Value Consultation today!