It’s been said, that the period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day is the slowest time of the year for home shopping.
As a licensed Realtor in Georgia, that is not my experience. In fact, historically, I have sold more properties in the months of November, December, January and February than any other month of the year. Two years ago, I sold 4 homes during the month of February. The weekend before Thanksgiving, I showed property all weekend and my listings each had multiple showings. A few years ago I sold a house on my way home from Dallas and I can give you countless more statistics. Suffice it to say that people buy homes twelve months a year.
I am writing this post from Dallas, Texas after almost a week of visiting with my brother and family. My Mom, Dad and I drove to Dallas for Thanksgiving leaving Woodstock on Monday, November 21st. We stopped for the night in Monroe, LA and arrived at my brothers house in Texas on Tuesday afternoon. I hope you and your family have had as wonderful a Thanksgiving week, as we have experienced!
Anyway, all of that to say, that on our way to Dallas, I was in various stages of negotiation for one of my listings. We were 100 miles from Woodstock, when I received a notification that the Realtor who showed one of my listings over the weekend, was ready to make an offer. It’s not easy to entertain offers on a long trip, but I have become accustomed to it. Most of my long trips become extremely productive sojourns. By the time we arrived in Dallas, I had a Binding Agreement and the property is scheduled to close at the end of December. As we were arriving in my Brother’s neighborhood, I received a phone call from one of my prospective clients who wants to purchase one of the homes we visited on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Who says, properties don’t sell this time of year? That simply isn’t true! But it is public perception that homes don’t sell. Let’s consider the scenario. Just your luck — you have to sell your home in the winter months, which you believe is the slowest and dreariest sales season. But cheer up! I believe this is the BEST sales season of all! A job loss, job transfer, lease, divorce or other extenuating personal circumstances beyond your control dictate the need to sell regardless of time of year.
With fewer homes on the market this time of year (today in the Atlanta metro area we are down to 52,292 homes compared to 145,000 at the height of the summer) there are fewer homes to choose from for home buyers who must purchase now. Less competition means higher traffic patterns for sellers.
I often tell seller’s, you can use staging techniques, the reduced competition and some seasonal opportunities to your advantage.
You might not necessarily choose to sell your home in winter, however, there are certain steps you can take to really help your chances and make your home stand out for a speedy sale.
Many home owners pull their houses off the market by year’s end if they haven’t sold. I often wonder why people do this — with less competition — this is exactly when you should be on the market. If you take your home off the market you take your house out of the ballgame. You can’t win the game if you aren’t an active participant.
Remember the basics: Taking care of needed maintenance and repairs is obligatory in any season. This is the first step to getting your home sold quickly! A thorough cleaning inside and out is mandatory. Wash windows, power wash the facade. And get rid of clutter. These are equally essential. Then it is time to tidy up and organize the garage, get rid of old leaves, mow the yard and edge all concrete areas that meet the grass. Yard maintenance is very important, so too is pruning the shrubs and touching up the exterior appearance to improve your curb appeal. This makes the difference between deal and no deal. In a slow market, nothing counts more than pricing your home aggressively.
Think warm and cozy: Home staging — techniques used to make your house look bigger, brighter, warmer and more appealing — takes on a new focus in winter months. Rearranging furniture and applying a fresh coat of paint to any room in need are just as important. To convey a cozy impression in winter, it may behoove you to turn up the thermostat and have a fire in the fireplace for open houses. It will give you an edge over the many vacant homes on the market.
Staging might be even more important in the winter. If you have a vacant house in the winter with the heat turned down to 50 degrees, chances are someone will make a very low offer. However, if you can leave at least a few pieces of furniture behind, it has more of an impact and often yields a better offer.
Displaying pictures of how your property looks in summer is a good idea. Photos showing your landscaping, gardens, flowers in bloom with grass that is well edged and not dormant goes along way to paint the picture of what new buyers can look forward to in better weather.
Good Lighting Is Essential: Your home may appear darker due to less daylight. Fight the gloom. Turn all your lights on for visitors. This is no time to worry about the electric bill. Open the blinds to reveal gleaming windows, open the drapes and shutters too in an effort to let natural light pour in. I’ll say it again. Your window’s can be too clean. Make sure to clean all grime off the windows. This is hugely important. Make sure the thermostat is set at a cozy temperature too. This will keep people visiting your home longer during the colder months.
Sara Hibbard is a licensed Realtor in the state of Georgia. Sara looks forward to answering your many questions and assisting you further when the time is right for you to consider selling your current home or purchasing a new one. Sara is easily reached at 770-399-8108 or 404-660-2481 or
e-mail her at sara@SaraHibbard.com. Sara Hibbard is Glad Georgia Real Estate Is On Your Mind!