Listing Your Home During the Holidays

The holidays are notoriously slow when it comes to real estate activity. A lot of people are so busy during the holiday season, shopping for a home usually goes on the back burner until after the first of the new year. But if you choose not to list your home during the holiday season, you might be missing out on potential offers. That’s because the home shoppers who are out there braving the winter weather and juggling house hunting with family visits and Christmas shopping are the die-hard, serious buyers. And serious buyers are precisely the ones you want to attract!

Generate Interest

Home buyers rarely take a full break from house hunting. Even buyers who are “just browsing” and aren’t quite ready to make a decision, will spend a lot of time looking at home listings online. And while their schedules may be a bit more hectic during the holidays, they generally still make time to scout for new listings on sites like Trulia or Zillow. Having your listing up and visible to the public during the holidays may help it generate some interest before the new year.

Even if your home doesn’t sell during the holiday months, you have to look at your home’s listing as a marketing tool. And the sooner you can market your home, the better. Your listing will help advertise and promote your home, and when it’s linked to your real estate agent with a contact form (as most online listings are) it can help generate leads for potential buyers. A home buyer who begins browsing online in December while they have some time off from work may send an email requesting more information, maybe even a showing. So what if they don’t make an offer until mid January? The point is, they saw the home earlier because you chose to give your property some exposure over the holidays.

Outshine the Competition

Here’s another reason to consider listing your home during the holidays – less competition. Because so many homeowners believe that buyers aren’t interested in home shopping between November and January, a lot of sellers end up waiting to list or removing their listing during those months. This creates a pretty tight inventory during the holiday season where really good homes are few and far between. Your home could really shine during this time. You might even get more offers than you would during other times of the year, especially if your home is reasonably priced, in a desirable area, and in good shape.

Avoid the Home Selling Holiday Stress

Listing during the holidays can have a few drawbacks, too. On top of all the holiday activity, you have to keep your house in order and always be prepared for showings. One way to combat the stress this can create is to plan a holiday vacation. By leaving town, you could enjoy the holidays stress-free without having to worry about constantly keeping the house clean and tidy or being put out of your house for last-minute showings.

Here are a few more tips for easing the holiday home selling stress:

• Hire professional house cleaners to keep your home spic-and-span while you tend to more important holiday matters.
• Don’t schedule showings when you have houseguests. This will require you and your agent to be in tight communication throughout the season.
• Get your holiday shopping done early. Selling a house is stressful enough. Try not to add more stress by waiting until the last minute to do your gift shopping. Start early so you can to stay ahead of the crowds, traffic, and long lines.

To learn more about creating a successful home selling strategy, talk with your real estate agent. He or she can offer insightful tips and advice on things like pricing your home for the holiday season or ways to stage your home during the winter.

Other Holiday Themed Posts:

• Tips for Buying a Home During the Holidays
• How to Keep Your Credit Intact During the Holiday Season