The Best Time to Sell...

Ask anyone, “when is the best time of year to sell a home?” Odds are, they’ll spout off with tried and true old standards about seasons. But what if none of that is really true? The fact of the matter is that while there are “rules” on identifying the ideal selling time, there are so many factors to consider. 

Most people believe that late Spring is the best time in which to sell a home. The prevailing thought is that if you list a home in April and it sells within the month, then after escrow, families will actually be moving when school has ended for the year. While this logic seems airtight, a recent study shows that sellers actually fetch more money on sales happening December through March than they do June through November. 

This might be because so many people “think Spring” sales that they intentionally wait to list until that time frame, thereby having more competition and fiercer pricing. Selling outside that window might mean less inventory and, subsequently, more competition between buyers. This oftentimes leads to bidding wars and higher closing prices. 

And did you know that the most common time of year for corporate relocation is January and February? This means that buyers who need to move quickly and get settled right away are out in full force, intent on finding their new home. 

So, what’s the actual secret? 

While it’s darn near impossible to find a one-size-fits-all rule for the whole of the United States, some are trying. ATTOM Data Solutions released a 2018 study of 14.7 million home sales occurring between 2011 to 2017 and found the second-best day of the year to sell a home is Feb. 15, with sellers netting an average premium of 9% above their house’s estimated market value on that day. (Second best because June 28 barely ekes out the No. 1 spot with a 9.1% average value increase.) 

Realtor.com shares tons more insight on the actual “best” time to sell your home. Check them out!