The housing market doesn’t hibernate during the winter, contrary to popular belief. Some will argue that it does slow down, and though that depends on the regional markets, for the most part we can confidently say that the market is still rolling during the winter months.

We commonly hear, “We’re waiting until the spring to list our home.” While that might be a strong decision, we want to make sure that winter get’s a fair change in the race. We have created a short, go-to bullet point list of pros and cons for listing your home during the spring and winter. In general, we want to portray the difference in listing during cold, snowy months or warm, colorful months.

Pros:

• February is “historically the best month to list, with an average of 66 percent of homes listed then selling within 90 days (Realtor Mag, 2014
• Homes listed in winter have a 9 percentage point greater likelihood of selling, sell a week faster, and sell for 1.2 percentage points more relative to list price than homes listed in any other season (Redfin, 2013)
• Today buyers are constantly being updated with houses for sale via texting, emailing, app downloading etc. Interested buyers are ready to buy at any moment, not when a certain season hits.
• Smaller levels of competition. Listing in the winter may be advantageous as your house might be the only one of its kind in the neighborhood.

If you’re interested in selling your home during the winter, check out REALTOR Magazine’s Tips for Selling A Home in the Winter.

Cons:

• It seems to be a bit more drabby. The trees are bare, grass is dead, sky doesn’t seem to be as blue. The weather patterns can certainly hinder the level of interest because it’s hard for people to imagine the beautfiul backyard at its peak during the warm months. BUT something to remember: everyone else is in the same boat.
• Buying a house may not seem to be the Thanksgiving dinner plate conversation. Often people are busy traveling and visiting family that purchasing a home during the holiday season doesn’t even cross their mind, let alone trying to muster up enough energy after wrapping all of the gifts to clean and prep the house for sale.

Pros:

• Your home looks fabulous. There’s no doubt that the freshly bloomed spring flowers add a nice-touch, but the sunny skies seeping through the windows will really make the buyers grin.
• More buyers are out searching because the spring times seems to be more attractive. Spring is the most common time that people want to list their home, so chances are more eyes will come across yours during this time period.
• With tax refund checks in the bank spring buyers more often pay full price (Time, 2012)

Cons:

• There will be more listings during this time, meaning more like yours. Competition will be high and there may be more options lessening the chance of you receiving an offer. Competition can really hurt your transaction if people are onto finding something better.

Still unsure when you should list your home? Check out another great article here for more information.

It’s hard to say if one time of year is more beneficial in every aspect over another because both have downfalls. If you’re still debating it is important to call a local professional for advice. Give Angie a call today if you’re considering listing this spring! She may have some great advice to get you listed a little sooner than that to take advantage of the winter.