Many of us buy our homes thinking we'll live there forever. But sometimes our circumstances change, and when they do, we're faced with the potentially daunting task of selling our home and moving elsewhere.
If you're looking to sell your house, you may be wondering when's the best time of the year to do so. And there are several factors that go into that equation.
First, you have your own family's needs to consider. You may want to time your move to coincide with the end of the school year, for which selling in the spring or summer makes sense. You should also take the local real-estate market into account and aim to list your property at a time that's likely to give you the best sale price and appeal to a large number of prospective buyers. For example, if the number of homes sold in your neighborhood has historically peaked in April, then that's a good month to aim for.
Here, we'll delve into the benefits and drawbacks of listing your house at various points during the year so you can land on the ideal time to sell it.
The best time to sell a home, according to national data
Zillow reports that the best time to sell a house to get the highest price and minimize time on the market is in the spring -- specifically, during the first half of May. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Though homes listed for sale during this window sell nearly two weeks faster than average, and for an extra $2,500 to boot, a big part of that has to do with weather-related factors.
In parts of the country where all four seasons exist, spring has the advantage of attracting potential buyers who are done hibernating and are ready to do the legwork of visiting homes in person. Houses also tend to have more curb appeal in the spring, when flowers are blooming and grass is vibrant and green. But in some parts of the country, seasonal weather doesn't come into play nearly as much, and if that's what you're dealing with, you'd be wise to work with a local real-estate agent to understand what factors influence home prices and time on the market in your area.
That said, on a national level, here's what home prices averaged over the past year:
As you can see, prices peaked during the warmer weather months, and declined during the fall and winter. Keep in mind, though, that mortgage rate changes can play a role in determining home prices as well. When mortgage rates climb, buyers often get spooked, so there's less demand for homes, thus driving down prices. Still, this data can give you a general sense of how the housing market tends to fare seasonally.
Incidentally, Zillow reports that the best day of the week to list a home for sale is Saturday. From a buyer availability standpoint, that certainly makes sense. As such, Saturday and Sunday are also the best days to host an open house.
Selling your house in the spring
As stated above, spring is a popular time to sell a home because as the weather gets warmer, buyers are more willing to go out and explore. The benefit of selling in the spring is that the weather will generally cooperate. Therefore, if your house offers nice curb appeal, it'll be most evident during that season. Furthermore, preparing your home for a sale might be easiest during the spring, assuming you'd most likely rather not be repainting your fence or staining your deck when it's broiling or freezing outside. (Keep in mind that certain exterior maintenance items, including the just-mentioned examples, often can't be performed in extreme temperatures anyway.)
Another good reason to sell your house in the spring is that families with children generally prefer to move at a time when the school year won't be disrupted -- namely, summer. However, it usually takes 30 to 60 days or more from the time a home contract is signed to the time its actual closing date arrives. Therefore, families eager to move during the summer will need to find and make offers on their homes several months prior.
On the flipside, selling your home during the spring could work against you if your neighborhood is saturated with competition. This especially holds true if your property doesn't have any distinguishing features that give it an edge. By contrast, if you sell at a time that's less popular, you might land in a scenario where your house is the only one of its kind on the market for months. If you have buyers who are desperate to move to your area and can't wait, you stand to command a higher price.
Selling your house in the summer
Many of the benefits of selling a house in the spring apply to the summer as well. Mild weather in many regions of the country lends to more active buyers and increased natural curb appeal. Families looking to time their moves so as to not break up the school year can search for homes in the early part of the season and close in time for September, and many people find that their workloads decrease during summer, thus making it more feasible to dedicate time to a home search.
On the other hand, because many folks tend to travel during the summer, you may not see the same number of interested buyers as you would during the spring. In some parts of the country, prohibitively hot weather makes shopping for a new home unpleasant in July and August, so if your summers tend to be extreme, you might choose another time to list your home.
Selling your house in the fall
If there's one benefit to selling your home during the fall, it's the lack of competition. Having fewer homes on the market could help you score a higher selling price, especially if you happen to encounter a buyer who needs to move immediately. Similarly, families without school-aged children won't have the constraints of the school calendar holding them back, so you might see a decent amount of foot traffic to your home as buyers aim to move before the cold weather sets in.
That said, most families with children aren't looking for new homes in the fall because that's when they're settling back into the school year, so you'll lose a host of potential buyers in that regard. If a key selling point of your home is the school district, that's a reason to list it at a more opportune time.
Selling your house in the winter
Generally speaking, winter is the least popular time to list a home because that's when the weather is at its worst, but that can work to your advantage on the competition front. If there are few homes on the market in your area, you might command a higher price if you find a buyer who's eager to move quickly, whether for job purposes or another reason.
On the other hand, people tend to hibernate during the winter, which means you might see a less active stream of prospective buyers if you list your home then. Houses also don't tend to look as nice when the weather hits hard. If you have lush landscaping or a great backyard, you can't show it off during the winter.
Hiring a real-estate agent to sell your house
If you're planning to sell your house in the near future, you might consider hiring a real-estate agent to assist. There are several good reasons to take this route.
First, selling a home is a time-consuming process. You have to list the home, market the home, stage the home, host an open house, and coordinate showing times with potential buyers. However, a real-estate agent can do all of this for you, thus saving you time and, in some cases, money.
Take home staging, for example. It costs $2,000 to $2,400 a month, on average, to stage a 2,000-square-foot home, according to Realtor.com. Some real-estate agents, though, will do this for free.
A real-estate agent might help you get a much higher price for your home than you'd get on your own. First of all, real-estate agents tend to know the local market inside and out, and they'll be able to play up the unique features of your home that might lead to a higher number. They'll also price your home strategically so that there's room to negotiate with buyers -- something you may not be as equipped to do on your own.
This article originally appeared on The Motley Fool