When you think about the holidays, you probably don’t think about selling your home. After all, you’re excited to spend time with family and hang Christmas lights.
However, November and December are actually great months to sell your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, 387,000 homes were sold in December 2013. In June 2014 (only 6 months later), 506,000 homes were sold. That’s only 119,000 more sold homes during the spring versus during prime real estate season.
While the logistics of selling your home during this time of year may be difficult don’t let the thought of it dampen your holiday spirits but inspire you to do your normal festive displays in your home but keep them minimal and remember your creating a buyer-friendly environment. Check out our Top 3 Reasons to Sell Your Home During the holidays along with our Creative Ways you can Stage Your Home During the Holidays just be sure!
TOP 3 Reasons to Sell Your Home During the Holidays…
There’s Less Competition
Most people think that the ‘best’ time to sell their home is in the spring. However, this also means your home is competing with all the other spring homes on the market.
Because not a lot of people sell their home during the holidays if you do decide to list you won’t have to compete with many other homes. In fact, you may not even compete with anyone in your own neighborhood.
With less competition on the market, your home has a better chance of standing out. It also has a better chance of receiving an offer quicker because housing inventory is low.
Buyers are Motivated
While homes listed in the spring tend to get more foot traffic, the traffic is a mix of casual lookers and serious buyers. Think about all the Open Houses you see in the spring. When the weather gets warmer, people are more willing to tour homes in their neighborhood or see what newer homes look like compared to theirs.
Holiday homes, though, get more serious buyers coming through. This is because buyers looking for a house during November and December are motivated to find something. They aren’t just looking to look – they’re actively looking for their next home.
Realtors are Motivated
Buyers aren’t the only motivated party when it comes to buying and selling during the holidays. Agents and their offices are also ready to make offers and close on offers faster than during the spring.
This is typically because November and December home selling is slower than the rest of the year. However, it also means that you get more bang for your buck from your realtor and home selling team. With fewer clients to focus on, your realtor is able to spend more time on your listing, your photographs, open houses, and more. This extra attention can get your home on the market faster and motivated buyers touring your home sooner.
Just because there are motivated buyers and fewer homes for sale during the holidays doesn’t mean you can skimp on staging your home. Below are three creative ways to stage your home to sell faster and for top dollar during the holiday season.
3 Ways to Stage Your Home During the Holidays
Focus on Curb Appeal
One of the major advantages of selling in the spring is the natural beauty of curb appeal. In the winter, though, mostly everything is dormant – meaning you have to focus more energy on the way your looks at first glance to prevent prospective homebuyers from being scared anyone away.
You can do this by adding garland, wreaths, and holiday decor to your porch and front door. Most home buyers will understand that your grass and shrubbery will be dormant, however, you can take their eyes away from that with holiday touches that scream home.
Make Sure Your Online Listing is on Point
In some areas, holiday weather means snow and ice. The elements can really affect if someone is going to come to look at your home. To combat this, make sure your online listing and photographs showcase the very best aspects of your home. You want to motivate them to get off the couch, drive through the snow, brave the cold, and tour your home.
This also means that if your home is empty, you’ll probably want to consider virtual staging to give your online listing a homey feel. The holidays are a time for warmth and family – an empty house won’t give off that feel to buyers when looking online.
Stage Your Home for the Holidays
During November and December, people are in good cheer and holiday spirits. They care about spending time with their family, eating a festive meal around a table, and drinking cocoa near the fireplace. To help prospective buyers see how they can do that in your home, stage your house accordingly. A few subtle touches like a bowl of pinecones, an evergreen wreath hanging in front of a mirror or above the fireplace or even a pot of cider simmering on the stove can create an instant warm and festive feeling when buyers come inside the home. Help them see their own family eating a holiday dinner or hanging stockings while they tour your home.
You’ll just want to make sure you don’t go overboard. Home staging should still be minimal and fresh, giving home buyers the opportunity to envision their own furnishings in the space.
