The Right Time To Sell

Spring is in the air and with it comes the eternal question, “Is now the time to sell my home?”  If you are selling a home or thinking about selling, of course you want to make sure that you are marketing it at a time that the most people are looking.  That is only natural because, hey, the more people that see it means the more people that might want to buy it, right?  Well, before you jump into the melee of the alleged “selling season”, let’s take a look at a few things that might change your mind.

First off, the Spring and early Summer are, historically, when we do see the most activity.  I just want to get that out there because it is true.  There is some rhyme and reason to it whether it is a new year’s resolution or it revolves around the school year or new construction peaks then or whatever the reason is in your area.  Who cares?  As long as you are getting your home out there in the mix, you are likely to be one of the lucky sellers, right?  Maybe.  I would argue that it all depends on you, your home, your agent, and your area.

If you take nothing else from this and maybe you think I am crazy, please remember this one thing: people buy homes all year long.  Just because you didn’t list your home during the “selling season” doesn’t mean that you can’t sell it until next year.

Why It Depends On You

This is the easy one.  Are you ready to move?  Are you financially ready to sell?  What if your home sells on day 1?  Are you prepared for a bunch of strangers to be walking through your home and hopefully not, but possibly, calling your baby ugly?  Have you discussed what your financial position is regarding an offer being made?  Do you know your bottom line?

Listen, selling a home isn’t easy.  If it was do you think the real estate market would be hurting the way it is?  Due to that, it is even harder.  You have to be realistic and ready.  So consider yourself warned.  If you’ve read this and still feel ready, read on…

Why It Depends On Your Home

Is your home ready to sell?  Sure, you think it’s great, but would someone else?  No, really, I know you think it’s great.  I’m sure it is, too.  Here’s the problem: I ain’t buying your house and neither are you.  Here’s where your agent can help you and we’ll get more into that in a minute.

Take a tour of some model homes in your area.  That’s what your home should look like.  Staged well, fresh landscaping, clean, no clutter, lights on, toilet seats down (sorry, but it’s a pet peeve), maybe even some soft background music.  And, for the love of God, please make it smell nice.

Do you have repairs to make?  Are they worth it?  Again, a good agent can help you make those decisions.  Which brings us to….

Why It Depends On Your Agent

This should be common sense, but by the number of people I see out there listing a home with their cousin or college buddy or insert loose association here, it clearly isn’t.  A good agent with a track record of success can make or break your sale.  How do they market?  How do their other listings look?  Photos sell homes so pay attention to the ones for their other listings.  If you’re wondering what a good photo looks like, it isn’t good.  How well do they really know the market area?

Probably the most important thing to look for is their candor.  I really can’t emphasize this more.  If an agent comes in and tells you that your home is just perfect and will sell in no time and the sky is made of cotton candy, please show them the door.  If your baby is ugly, they need to tell you that.  They need to be honest and forthright and get to the point.  If not, they are wasting your time, their time, and the potential buyer’s time seeing a home that they aren’t going to buy.

I realize that there is a lot of emotion in selling your home, but the truth is that selling your home is a business transaction.  You have a good to sell in a market.  So do many other people.  Buyers have particular needs and wants and it is your job to try to fill as many of those needs and wants with your product as possible.  If you don’t then they are going to buy someone else’s product.  Hammer that into your head.

Last part on this and we will move on.  You should really interview more than one Realtor®.  I realize that your best friend’s husband’s old college buddy is probably a hell of a guy, but he might not be the best for you and don’t you deserve that?

Why it Depends On Your Area

Not all markets are created equal.  Again, that should go without saying.  Maybe you are in resort area and sales are consistent year-round.  Maybe you are in a resort area and sales only happen in the winter.  Maybe you are in a college town.  Maybe you are in a place hit hard by foreclosures.  There are as many different factors that could affect the time to sell your home as there are different market areas.  Not to beat a dead horse, but a good agent can really help you here.  Is anyone seeing a theme here?

So, to wrap this up, it really depends on whether you are ready to sell and if you have a good agent that can help you determine if the home is ready, if it’s the right time, and if they are willing to work hard to get your home sold.  Time of year is not as important as everyone makes it out to be.  To give you an example in December of 2011, I sold just shy of a million and a half dollars in real estate.  In January, I sold nearly 8 million dollars.  Those are supposed to be really slow months.  Don’t buy into the hype.  Sell when it makes the most sense for you to sell.