Over the holiday season and the worst months of winter—January and February—most industries tend to slow down. The real estate market is no exception. So if you’re planning to sell your property, is it a good idea to wait until after the holidays and the winter to put your real estate on the market?
Historically speaking, there aren’t many people out shopping for a new house during the holidays or soon after. However, today’s real estate market has changed—and there may be a few good reasons to list your home now.
The new way to browse real estate.
There used to be three primary ways that potential buyers found homes for sale. They might look in the newspaper classifieds, contact real estate agents directly, or drive around looking for any For Sale signs in their desired area. Today, there’s a fourth way that more potential buyers than ever are relying on: the Internet.
Online listings are practically a requirement for anyone who wants their property to sell. Home buyers typically search online from their computers, smartphones, or tablets for homes in their desired area, and then contact the sellers or real estate agents for the properties they’re interested in seeing.
This major shift in the home buying process has changed some of the rules for successfully selling your property.
How online listings affect seasonality
With the popularity of Internet listings, people aren’t just looking for real estate during the peak seasons. The real estate market is available to browse 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This means seasonality isn’t as critical as it used to be.
So, if you’re on the market to sell your house during the holidays, you’re likely to have less competition—because there will still be many sellers who wait until after the holidays, or until spring, to list their property.
If you’re looking to buy or sell a home or other type of property in the Smith Mountain Lake area, now is a great time to enter the market. Contact Debbie today to find out more about how you can sell your Smith Mountain Lake property for top dollar, even during the slow season.