I get this question a lot and can tell you from experience in my 33+ years of being a Realtor it really doesn’t matter what month you sell. What matters most is how you price and prepare your home for sale…in any market. The real estate market is similar to the stock market…values change over time, due to supply and demand, but at a slower pace which is why a “good Realtor” will always do their homework before giving you a value or price range. That said, there are times throughout the year where the market activity is much stronger than others. For example, each year beginning in January the activity usually spikes with home sellers and buyers entering the market. Typically, sales will peak for any given year in the months of March – June, however, it will vary some from year to year and of course the economy, government influence (positive or negative), and interest rates will all have an impact on the real estate market. Conversely, “listing” a home in the later months of the year, October – December is, by many perceived as a poor or bad time of year to do so. This is somewhat of a fallacy because buyers are always in the market to buy…what typically happens is many sellers, who want to move but don’t “have to move”, will remove their homes from the market until after the holidays or spring. This behavior typically lowers the number of homes on the market during the 4th quarter of each year…meaning the buyers who want or need to buy a home during the fourth quarter have fewer homes to choose from… thereby potentially increasing a sellers chances of selling during that time. Weather, of course, is the other variable…if extreme cold and snow occur that can temporarily slow the market. So, in summary, the answer to the question is…. There’s never a bad time to sell your home.
Michael K. Perry, P.C. is a Professional Realtor in Overland Park, KS (Greater Kansas City) with over 33 years experience in Residential Sales and Marketing.
