EMBRACE LISTING YOUR HOME DURING THE WINTER MONTHS

The holiday season from November through January is traditionally quoted as the worst time to put a home on the market. While the thought of selling your home during the winter months may dampen your holiday spirit, the season does have major advantages: holiday buyers tend to be more serious and competition is less fierce with fewer homes being actively marketed.  People tend to take time off work during the winter, and extended weekends like Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and the New Year can be a convenient home shopping time.   Popular for the 2^nd home market in our area are buyers looking to purchase homes before the end of the year for tax purposes find holiday listings ideal. Our local Southport inventory has been depleted for most of this year and many out of area buyers are anxiously still waiting and watching online for that perfect home to come on the market, yes even with the higher interest rates.

1. Price it to sell. No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry. Rather than gradually making small price reductions to move a house, start with a price to sell when putting a home on the market.
2. Take top-notch real estate photos. Today homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings on the Internet. Make a good first impression with a realtor who only hires exceptional photographers who publish flattering, high-quality photos of your home. Include in the MLS listing, summer or spring photo of your home so buyers can see how it looks year-round.  Research your agent’s other listings online, be sure they are impressive looking enough for you.  Home pride shows and sells!
3. Consider an Office Exclusive listing.This is when someone doesn’t want the world (and perhaps your neighbors) knowing your home is for sale.  They do not want full exposure on the market.  Visible only to the listing agent’s office, other brokerages are not informed. The key here is selecting an agent who is in an office with well-connected local brokers who will receive and share the listing information. With a successful exclusive listing, the house may sell without endless showings and open houses disrupting the busy holiday schedule. There are no ‘days on market’ recorded on MLS. Worst case, if it doesn’t work, you can always list it traditionally and fresh on MLS in the New Year!
4. Relax — the New Year is just around the corner.
   The holidays are stressful enough with gifts to buy, dinners to prepare and relatives to entertain. Take a moment to remind yourself that if you don’t sell now, there’s always next year, which, luckily, is only a few months away.

Wishes for a Blessed Holiday Season to you all.