Are your prospective clients worried about listing their home for sale at the “wrong time of the year?” Have they asked you if they should wait until after the holidays, after summer vacation, or after the weather cools down?
Have your prospects said “Is now a good time to list a home for sale?”
If so, what have you told them?
It’s true that the market is “hotter” at different times of the year in different parts of the country and in different price points. But all that means is that there might be fewer buyers looking in a given week.
In our market, the majority of agents all but shut down from the second week in November until a few days into the new year. Their excuse is that nobody wants to show a home or buy a home during the holidays. It’s a good excuse for agents not to list a home for sale when they’d rather go shopping.
Of course the agents who keep working know that isn’t true. Some of them have their best month of the year in December.
Why do some agents in this small town do so well during the holidays?
First, because they’re almost the only ones working. But also because the people who are selling and the people who are buying are serious about it. They’re not testing the market or looking at houses as a recreational activity.
I’ve read that in affluent areas summer is the wrong time to list a home for sale because so many wealthy people are off on vacation. And yet… high end homes ARE sold during the summer months.
And then there are the sunshine states. Nobody buys there in the summertime, right?
No, not right.
The truth is that people who need to buy or sell have that need based on other things going on in their lives. It has nothing to do with the weather, vacations, or holidays.
The best time to list a home for sale is when the homeowner wants or needs to get it done.
What is the most important factor when you list a home for sale?
The price, of course.
If a home is priced right and marketed correctly, it will sell. Even if the sellers refuse to clean the house and get it ready for showing, if the price reflects that refusal, the house will sell.
What that means is that a homeowner’s choice of real estate agents is vital.
They need someone who will give them an honest assessment of true market value, market the home so that it gets in front of the most potential buyers, and manage the transaction so it gets all the way from offer to closing.
So don’t slow down, no matter what the calendar says. Instead, work harder on making yourself the most valuable agent in your marketplace – then work tirelessly and consistently on prospecting and marketing yourself.
sunlight image courtesy of Wisaad at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
