10 Reasons to list your White Mountain home for sale in the winter

Listing your home for sale in the Mt. Washington Valley in the winter.... Hmmm... WHITE Mountains...

Some of the items I list are true of listing property for sale anywhere but some are exceptionally true of homes in the Mt. Washington Valley area (Bartlett NH, Jackson NH, North Conway NH, Albany NH, and surrounding areas in Maine and NH).

1. Holidays. Holidays create a sense of fun around buying things. Homes, especially ski country vacation homes, look great during the holidays. The fun feel of holiday decorations can carry over into the sense of fun of owning a home in the mountains.

2. Less competition. The superstition regarding of listing homes for sale in the spring and early summer creates an annual increase in inventory. In other words, increased supply in the supply and demand balance.

*This brings us to #3....

3. More advertising. Inventory goes down and therefore there are fewer properties to spread around the broker's advertising dollar.

4. Winter buyers are more serious. Let's be real, it is not the easiest thing to do so buyers looking at real estate for sale when it is cold out and there is snow on the ground are looking because they really want to find a reason to buy.

5. Timing. January is the biggest month for corporate transfers and relocations. Having your home on the market when this group of buyers are actively looking increases your chances for a sale.

6. Agents will put more attention into bringing buyers to your home and will generally feel less hurried because the have fewer clients to juggle.

7. Vacation days. Many buyers have some time off that they need to use before the end of the year so they don't lose the days with their employer. These folks get out and look at the smaller inventory and have time to devote to finding a home.

8. Taxes. Many people are looking to invest before the tax year ends. many North Conway NH area vacation homes are also considered to be investment properties. Investing before the end of the year is often a goal of vacation home buyers.

9. More Boomers. Grandkids are back in school. Hotels are quieter. Many baby boomers wait until the "off season" to get out and start looking in places like North Conway NH because they can enjoy the quiet time in the valley.

10. The market. No one knows when rates will go up but it is pretty clear that they can't go down (much further or longer). Waiting until next spring, when inventory has increased and buying power could be severely undermined by even a 1% increase in rates could be a decision that costs a home owner not just thousands of dollars but possibly even tens of thousands.

Every month of every year dozens of properties sell in my marketplace here in the White Mountains of NH. The belief that there is a perfect season to sell is a myth that is busted year in and year out. Only in an improving market can I cite any cases where it obviously paid off to wait sell. In my 15 years of being a real estate professional that was only during a 3 - 4 year time span in the early 2000s. The time to sell is when you are ready to sell.