Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s party”. But is it also nature’s way of saying it’s time to sell your house? Home sellers often wonder whether they will get the most dollars for their house if they list in the spring, or will they see a better return if try to sell their home in the fall? Every season has its advantage; but, in honor of the first day of spring being just around the corner, let’s review the benefits to listing your house in the spring.
Did you know? The early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the spring equinox (randomhistory.com)
Curb appeal
Although areas such as Florida don’t see as a drastic difference between seasons as her neighboring states, homes still always seem to look better in the spring. If you live in an area with more pronounced seasons, spring is when the flowers start blooming and your home’s natural curb appeal starts to shine through. It is a time where you can rake all those leaves and not worry about them stacking back up over night. It is a time where you can go to your local garden nursery and buy wonderful plants and confidently plant them, knowing the warm sun will nurture them. Additionally, after daylight savings, your home has more time during the day to show off its spring-time splendor, which hopefully equates to more buyers visiting.
Higher sale price
Home buying can peak around mid year if we see a trend of families using this time to move without uprooting their children from school. Which means there are going to be more buyers out there in the spring and early summer. What does this mean for a seller? Well, it’s really good for a seller because it means you might see high foot traffic to look at your jewel of a home. It means that you can ask for top dollar because there are plenty of buyers. But, it may also require more of you as a seller because you are competing with more homes doing the same thing as you. You will want a great game plan to “Showcase” your home so you get the highest price possible. When you are ready thinking about placing your home on the market, contact me and we can sit down to discuss the current value of your home, things that can increase the value of your home and the execution of getting it ready to go live.
More interested buyers
As mentioned above, spring is a time we might see more people in the market to purchase a home. Chances are you’ll have more than one party interested in purchasing your home (if you had a great agent help you). This could ultimately lead to a bidding war or a multiple offer situation. Although these can be quite frustrating for buyers, they could potentially mean getting an offer above your asking price. Bidding wars can also mean that potential buyers will not be as likely to request you make repairs, ask for closing costs, etc. in hopes that it will make their offer more appealing than others you may have received.
FUN FACT! According to the book “Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate”, the magic window to list your home is mid-March to mid-April, or as Catherine Sherman puts it (for sports-minded people) “think March Madness to The Masters”.
We are very fortunate because selling a home in Florida has it’s unique factors that other states do not. For example, because Florida offers such a variety of homes from the green golf course to condo’s on the beach we have a large interest from potential buyers. In the winter, people visiting from the chilly north decide they want to make Florida their retirement home or a family second home.
There are benefits to selling your home during all seasons but spring-time truly has its own advantages. The key is to know the benefits to each season and really play those points up to make the best use of the season.
It is always best to discuss all your options with a trusted real estate agent first. Contact me today and I can guide through the necessary steps to get your house on the market at the best time for you and your home!
