Selling Your Nashville Home During the Holidays
When you look at your holiday calendars you may find the months already overloaded with seasonal obligations — shopping, entertaining, children’s pageants, charity work, decorating the house, and so much more. If you are also trying to sell your Nashville home during the holidays, you are under extra pressure to keep your home in “showtime” condition. And that could be the last thing you need before the holiday spirit is broken.
It is understandable why you would be tempted to take your home off the market during the holidays. Better to just pack it in and start fresh in January, right?
Not exactly. Top-selling REALTORS® say taking your home off the market during the Christmas season is a mistake. Jennie Ling, a vice president of Virginia Cook REALTORS® and the number one sales person in her company for almost every one of her more than 35 years in the real estate business, says ”The holidays are my best-selling period. Why? Because most people take off work sometime during the season. The husband and wife are both off and want to see houses. I showed homes on New Year’s Day last year. I like the holidays because the buyers have more time, and they can look at homes together.”
Before you take your home off the market, consider the following points:
- Although buyer activity may appear to slow down, the buyers who are actively looking during the holidays are that much more serious. Ling believes the home market is no more affected at Christmas than during other “busy” period. If that were so, the market would shut down throughout the year as families concentrate on spring weddings, June graduations, summer vacations, and autumn back-to-school activities.
- Many buyers deliberately choose to shop for a home after the busy spring and summer rush. They know that it will be easier to look, and that negotiations will be less stressful. They may not have children, or they may have grown children, so moving to accommodate the school year isn’t a consideration. Finding the right home at the right price, however, is.
- Relocating families often don’t have a choice in when they can leave for their new destination. Although 68 percent of transferring families have children, many families have to transfer during the middle of the school year. These families are that much more motivated to get their families settled in either before the January semester begins, or to arrange for the move during spring break in March. If you sign a contract by New Year’s Eve, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
- At Christmastime, our culture focuses on family and the home. Preparing for the indoor activities of winter is one of the most enjoyable periods of family life. Allowing buyers to view your home during this most hospitable of seasons lets them better picture their own family life in the attractive environment you have created.
- With reduced inventories and motivated buyers, you will have all the members of the MLS on your team. You may find you have more showings than you would if you marketed your home during a busier time of the year.
- If you do get a contract, you can arrange the terms to suit your needs. If moving during the holidays isn’t an option, you can put in the closing date of your choice. “Most people can close 30 to 60 days after a contract is written, so there is plenty of time,” Ling says. “Possession and closings are are very negotiable.”
If, after reading this article, you feel the timing may be right to try and sell your Nashville home during this holiday season, then let's talk, weigh out the pros and cons and see if selling your home during the holidays would be good for you!
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