If you’ve been planning to sell and your renovations have missed their summer deadlines, don’t panic – the fall and early winter is an excellent time to find willing buyers.
The spring and summer months offer an opportunity to upgrade your street appeal by fixing fences, refreshing garden plants, and painting windows and the front door. If you’ve done this in time for a fall or early winter sale, you’re in a great position.
As an experienced local agent, I’ve found the market attracts serious buyers at this time of year. Fewer homes are on the market, which is a bonus if you’re thinking of selling. That’s because some owners believe that the busier spring and summer markets when more buyers are active is a better time to sell. But with more houses on the market at these times of the year, buyers can afford to be picky and that can put downward pressure on prices.
Below are four key considerations that make a cooler selling period a wise choice.
Less competition
Fewer sellers in the market is excellent news for you. When there are many homes for sale, buyers can leave you hanging or try to negotiate down your price, playing one property off against another. When there are more buyers than properties, you have the upper hand.
Work moves
It’s common to find an executive and their family seeking a new home at this time because an employer has asked them to relocate. This buyer is motivated, and you rarely find them in spring and summer.
New start
Even in the absence of a work promotion, you’ll find buyers keen to make a fresh start in time for the New Year. The holidays create a deadline that every buyer wants to beat. This means they’re keen to complete a deal rather than let their home search drag into January or February.
Young buyers
With the leisurely temptations of summer gone, young professionals have more time to search for a new home. This demographic is far more visible in fall and winter. Interestingly, their needs are slightly different from everyone else. They’re looking for a home with a home office, excellent internet connection and space to start a family.