Monday, November 3, 2014

Where to Put the Christmas Tree?

Many people think now is a terrible time of year to sell their home. Please let me give you my take on selling your home in the winter months.

Your home will show it's true colors in the winter months in Nebraska. When the wind is blowing at 40 miles per hour and it's bitter cold, buyers will notice if your home is cozy warm and quite. And buyers will be impressed!!

There are fewer buyers on the market in the colder months, but these buyers are seriously looking for a home. They are not your Sunday Open House Tire Kicker Buyers that make so many of us crazy all summer long. Winter buyers are determined to buy a home. They ARE looking for a place to put their Christmas tree.

So, the time is now to put your home on the market for these buyers. When you put your home on the market, there will be a "showing period." The goal is to make that as short as possible. Your REALTORS® marketing plan is very key to the success of this as well as competitively pricing your home.

Once you get an offer, you'll be in the closing period for 30-60 days on average. This depends on the type of loan and lender they are working with. If you plan for a 30-45 day closing period, you're going to need an offer on your home by November 15, 2014.

Then you must ask yourself what your goals are? Are you okay with selling right before Christmas? Remember, they are looking for a new place before Christmas. But that means you must also find a new home before Christmas or have your plan B in place (living in a short term rental or with a relative). If this is something you're not willing to do, maybe you should consider waiting to put your home on the market.

What are the pros and cons to waiting until after the first of the year to put your home on the market? Well, the pro is obviously convenience to you. You won't have to deal with the showing appointments during the holiday season. And you won't have to pack up and move either. But there are also cons. The biggest being almost everyone else has chosen to wait until after the first of the year to market their home for sale, so the market is saturated with homes and your's is no longer the only one to choose from. This means possibly taking a lower price and certainly being up among other competition. And in Nebraska, it's typically actually colder in February than it is in December, so you may be moving in even colder temperatures.

There are many other things to consider in selling your home, but at this time of the year, these are the major concerns of most sellers. Call me to discuss all your concerns and help you decide whether to market your home now or wait. Sometimes a third party can help you see things more clearly.

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