Picking the Best Time to Sell Your Home

Sometimes when you make the decision to sell your home, it is because of a job transfer or other situation that you could not have anticipated. However, many sellers actually get to choose when to sell their home. For those sellers, they want to know if there is a "best time" to put their home on the market? Are there times of the year that make your home more appealing to buyers than other times of the year? This report will help you understand how the market works so that you have every advantage when you do decide to offer your home to prospective buyers.

So what factors do have a significant effect on the sale of your home? And what can you do to make your home sell once you have made that all important decision? This report includes several ideas and suggestions that may help you during this decision making time. 

1. You need to know who your most likely buyer will be. Although the time of year that your home is on the market is important, you also need to be aware of who the most likely buyer will be. Think back to why YOU bought the property....what appealed to you about the neighborhood AND the actual home or site? That may help provide some valuable insight as to who the NEXT homeowner might be! Again, your real estate professional should be able to help you in this area. Based on past experience, (s)he can create a profile of the buyers in your neighborhood. This will be helpful as you identify the time of year to market to them AND who you need to be reaching.
    
2. How much competition do you have? Even if it is the right time of year and you know who your prospective buyer might be, you need to know how many other "similar" properties are presently on the market. The more comparable listings there are, the more competition you will have. Looking at "for sale" signs from real estate companies isn't the only place you need to look - you need to look through the newspapers and other advertising forums that list "for sale by owner" properties. Knowing your competition and how YOU stack up against them is one of the most valuable tools you can have! Real estate professionals such as Century 21 Smith & Associates are able to easily run a report that will show you the number of current listings, pending contracts and recent sales in your area.
    
3. How will buyers find out about your home? All of the prior areas are important; however, if buyers don't know that your property is on the market, it won't help you to have it on the market at the right time of year. Make sure that you ask your real estate professional how they will get the word out about your property. For our team that includes Internet marketing, signs, mailings to your neighbors, telephone calls to prospective buyers and your neighbors, flyers about your property in businesses throughout the valley, and many more activities designed to let the most number of buyers know about YOUR property.
    
4. What is your timeline for selling? This is an important factor in deciding when to list your home for sale. The faster you need or want to sell your home, the more attention you need to pay to the factors that will influence its success. If you list your home for sale in November and need to sell it in 2 months, it may be very difficult, due to market conditions at that time of year. This doesn't mean that it won't sell, it simply means you may have to alter the most significant factor influencing the sale of your home or property - the price.
    
5. What is your selling price? Although all of the previous factors are important in the sale of your home, none is more important than the price. If a home is priced correctly, it is possible to sell it even if it is "out of season" for most of the sales in that neighborhood. If your price is lower than the competition's, your home may be looked at first, giving you an added edge. The shorter your timeline forwanting to sell, the more competitive your price has to be. If your real estate professional is able to profile the most likely buyer AND market your home to them, you can have a significant impact on whether or not it sells simply by pricing your home correctly the first time.
    

So what is the best time to sell your home? Any time of the year can be the best time if you have a real estate professional working for you like The 21st Century Team who can help you identify the factors that will help to ensure the fastest sales, at the best price, and with the fewest problems!

If you have been considering selling, find out how 21Century Team can help you find the best time to sell YOUR home or property. Call us today at (210) 367-6128 or (888) 729-3242 x338 for this free, no obligation consultation.