The most common time to list a home is during the spring selling season. However, timing doesn’t always work out as expected. If you’re considering selling your home during the summer instead, it comes with its own pros and cons. Explore the benefits and drawbacks of selling your home during the summertime.
Pros of Selling Your Home During the Summer:
Capitalize on a Low Inventory Market
The current market is still a seller’s market with low inventory. By listing your home this summer, you can take advantage of this market as a seller and likely get your asking price or higher.
Summer Buyers Often Have a Sense of Urgency
Whether potential buyers have already sold their home during the spring selling season and need to move into a new house or have school-aged children and need to be in the new school district by the start of the school year, summertime buyers often have a higher sense of urgency.
You Get to Move During Nice Weather
Moving during the summer may be hot, but you will also avoid moving during spring’s heavy showers and winter’s bitter cold temperatures, or worse, a snowstorm. Again, you may have to deal with heat and humidity, but it’s better than pouring rain, ice, slush and below wind chill temperatures.
Summer is a Convenient Time to Move
Summer is a generally more laid-back time, without as many commitments as the rest of the year. For families with school-aged children, not planning around school days, after-school activities and homework can make moving during the summer easier. Also, when you move during the summer, it’s easier to meet neighbors, as people are more likely to be outside.
Homes are Shown in Their Best Light
There is no match for natural light, and a light-filled home tops many buyers’ wish lists. From the summer sun permeating the house, a green, lush yard and a sparkling pool, a home in the summertime often has an aesthetic advantage.
Cons of Selling Your Home During the Summer:
Longer Days May Mean More Showings
One of the best parts of summer is the longer days and the sun setting well into the evening. However, this may also mean buyers may take advantage of the extra sunlight and want to see your home in the evening. While you can always turn down a showing, accommodating buyers’ schedules will help your home sell faster.
You Many Need to Invest More in the Curb Appeal
Preparing your home to sell in the summer may require extra effort to spruce up the curb appeal. A home with lush landscaping, well-tended flowers and fresh paint is essential during the summer months when the design focus often shifts from the interior to the exterior. A buyer’s first impression is the curb appeal, and this focus is only magnified in the summertime.
Interrupted Summer Travel Plans
If you list your home during the summer, you may need to cancel your summer plans. Likewise, travel plans may need to be put on hold, so you can accommodate preparing your home to list, home inspections and other selling logistics.
Coordinating Showings May be More Difficult
If you have school-aged children, coordinating showings may take additional planning with the family being home for the summer. You will have to ensure the house is spotless constantly, but you may need to relocate at a moment’s notice, if a buyer wants to see the home.
