Selling Your Home During the Holidays

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Are you selling your home during the holidays? While putting your home on the market right now may have you feeling like Scrooge, it can actually be a great time to sell. The trick is to put yourself in the right frame of mind and to understand how to use the holiday season to your advantage. Here are our top reasons to sell during the holidays. 

People who look for homes during the holidays are serious buyers! Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays, which means less competition for your house. And less competition can mean more money! One of the most important things you can do when selling your home during the holidays is to price it right so that it does not sit on the market. And interestingly, buyers tend to be more emotional during the holidays, so they are more likely to pay the list price. The supply of available listings will dramatically increase in January, meaning less demand for your home and less money for you.

January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transferees cannot wait until Spring to buy, you need to be on the market during the Holidays when these prospects are looking. Some people do need to sell over the holidays, and some buyers have no choice but to buy a home during the holidays. There are also buyers who need to purchase their home before the end of the year for tax purposes. 

By selling during the holidays, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring market when many more houses are available. This could enable you to sell high and buy low. And as a non-contingent buyer, you could potentially negotiate an even better price because of the lack of contingencies in your offer. Sellers do not like a lot of contingencies! 

Buyers have more time to look at homes during the holidays than during normal work weeks. Make sure you have great on-line photos of your home, because on-line is where home searches begin. These photos will give buyers their first impression of your home. Make sure they represent your home in the best possible light so that buyers are motivated to see your property in person.

Even though your house will be on the market, you still have the option to restrict showings during the days around the Holidays. It is inconvenient to always be ready to show your home at a moment’s notice when you are cooking, wrapping gifts and planning parties. But you can capitalize on the cozy feeling that the holidays inspire. Use tasteful holiday decorations on both the inside and the outside of your home to make it feel warm and inviting. For the outside, stick to basics like potted poinsettias and a simple evergreen wreath for the door. On the inside, choose general winter decorations like pinecones and candles. A few decorations placed strategically throughout your home will create that feeling of coziness you desire. Houses show better when they are decorated for the holidays!

Finally, if you’re selling your home during the holidays, then it’s best to work with professional real estate agents, such as the Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group. Working with agents who are experts in your market will make the process much less stressful. We can advise you on critical issues such as price, and help shoulder the load so that you can enjoy the holiday season, too!

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The Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group is a top producing real estate team based at Keller Williams MidTown Direct in Maplewood, NJ. We are local market experts, specializing in real estate and homes in Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn/Short Hills and West Orange, NJ and the surrounding towns. We are driven by earning great testimonials and referral business from happy clients. You can read our testimonials at www.azhomesnj.com/testimonials.