Should I Market My Home During the Holidays?

Now that the snow is starting to fly, and the Christmas music is on the radio (feels like non-stop Jingle Bell Rock), the team at Dousevicz Real Estate fields this question quite a bit. Should I market my condo or home during the holidays? Are there even buyers looking right now? Will it affect my sales price? There are more reasons to market your home for sale during the holidays than not doing so. For starters, buyers that are actively looking for a home during this time of the year tend to be serious buyers, that need a home in the very near future. Why else would they be looking at such an otherwise busy time of the year? The other reason is that the levels of inventory tend to decrease during the holiday months, which means you- the seller- are competing with many less homes for sale. Less competition means your home moves to the top of list for many buyers. If your home is like ours during the holidays, it feels warner, and cozier during the holidays. The Christmas tree, lights on the front shrubs, a roaring fireplace (if you have one!) all add to the "homey" feel we see during the holidays. A selling feature, to be sure in any market! Another point worth mentioning, is that people starting new jobs often start at or near the 1st of the year, which means there is usually a higher number of people in house hunting mode. I will say that showing your home during the holidays also has it's list of challenges too. The biggest one is the ability to show with little notice (24 hours or less) is often difficult when you have kids home from school (whom seem to make a mess in less than 5 minutes in ANY room, don't they?), trying to cook a family meal, or when you are in the middle of a present wrapping frenzy! Simply put: if you can keep the house clean and it isn't too much of a burden on your family, the benefits of marketing your home during the holidays outweighs the alternative. Happy Holidays, and Happy Selling! Brad Dousevicz and the Dousevicz Real Estate Team