If you decide you’re ready to sell your home and the calendar is flipping to December, there are some who believe you’re better off waiting until after the holidays to list it, with the rational that people are too busy shopping and preparing for family celebrations to worry about looking for a home.
But others argue that the time between Turkey Day and New Year’s actually makes perfect sense to list a property because there’s less competition on the market, more people take time off so there’s more time to house hunt and friends and family of your neighbors—who may be thinking about moving—could be visiting and want to live nearby their loved ones.
Plus, if people are making appointments to see your home during this time, odds are they are pretty serious and not just out for some prospecting, as people in the summer are known to do.
Those who decide to wait, and put their house up for sale in January, may find that others have done the same thing and that could create competition and cause prices to fall. That could put a damper on any holiday season.
One downside for listing a home during the holidays is that it is a bustling time of year and between getting ready for parties and wrapping gifts, having your house in “showing” shape could be more difficult than at other times of the year.
On the “bright” side, your home will be decorated with beautiful lights and festive decorations, creating an elegance that could attract buyers.
For homes that have lingered on the market for some time, removing it for the six weeks or so that the holiday season encompasses will allow the house to go back as a new listing in January, thereby drawing more traffic because it’s fresh. But of course, you risk losing that potential buyer who may have been looking in December.
And don’t forget, people are generally in a happier mood during the holiday season and might be more inclined to see all the positives in a home instead of focusing in on any negatives.
