IT’S FREEZING! SHOULD I
SELL MY HOUSE NOW OR WAIT UNTIL SPRING?
One of the most asked questions I get this time of year is,
"Should I sell my home now when it’s freezing or should I wait until
spring?" The thought of getting the house ready for showings during
the cold season might seem like a daunting task. But guess what? Selling
your home when the inventory is low may be a great strategy before the rest of
the market gears up for the new selling season in the Omaha Metro Area!
Heeran’s Home Team sold 20 homes for sale between November
and December and we have many that are pending closing right now.
REASONS TO SELL IN THE WINTER INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL SPRING
The Omaha housing market currently has a little over 5000 homes on
the market right now and 33% of them are pending closing. When the weather is warmer, it’s not uncommon
to see the inventory of homes for sale in the Omaha Metro to double.
When it's cold outside, you'll have nothing but highly qualified
motivated buyers in the marketplace. When the weather is warm during
spring, summer, and fall, people love going out and viewing houses-whether they
are ready to buy or not. Some are just browsing. You'll have a
combination of buyers who are serious about purchasing mixed in with people who
are just looking. The folks who are brave enough to get out there in the
freezing cold weather are definitely serious buyers. So less traffic
through your home, but every showing really counts. Buyers might be
moving via a job relocation, needing to buy so that they don't have to sign
another lease, or have personal reasons to buy RIGHT NOW!
2. The "Other" sellers have taken their homes off
the market. That's right! Everything, especially real estate is
highly affected by supply and demand. The sellers who tried and failed to
sell last spring, summer, and early fall are tired and need a break. They
are tired from getting the house cleaned for each showing, tired of people
tramping through their houses with no contracts, and just plain tired of real
estate. So they decided to waiting until next spring when they have the
energy again. Winter sellers do not have to compete with as much
competition.
HOW TO GET THE HOUSE READY FOR WINTER-TIME SELLING
1. Keep the walkways and driveways cleared of ice and
snow-If people can't easily get to the door, they will not want to go in.
2. Stage the home to make it warm and inviting-For example,
place a cozy throw over a chair and turn the fireplace on. Make sure you
raise the thermostat up. If the buyers' teeth are chattering while
touring the home, it's not a good thing.
3. Try to encourage showings during daylight hours- It gets
too dark, too fast. Make sure you have lighting, especially outside
lighting on so that buyers can get a good look.
4. Nice aroma never hurts- The smell of warm cookies or
cinnamon rolls bring nothing but good memories this time of year.
5. Place a "Thank You For Removing Your Shoes"
sign on your door. Buyers and buyer's agents should use common sense to
do this anyways, but they don't always do that. Heeran's Home Team will
place a sign on the door for you.
6. Spring, summer, fall, or winter, utilize other common sense
rules to get the house ready for showings - For example, no smoking inside the
house, de-clutter, put away personalized photos, clean the home, kennel pets
during showings, remove pet odor smell, and please have the house vacant during
showings. Buyers are not comfortable with sellers staring them down while
they are trying to tour the home.
Phone: (402) 707-7878
Heeran@HeeransHomeTeam.com
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