Far from being a time when Chicago home sellers should curl up and forget about marketing their property for the course of a month or two, the holidays are an optimal time period during which to aggressively advertise your listing—at least according to a recent poll conducted by Realtor.com. The website’s Holiday Home Selling Survey questioned some 429 real estate professionals over the course of a few weeks to weigh their opinions about selling one’s home during the holidays—defined as Thanksgiving (Nov. 23, 2011) through New Year’s (Jan. 2, 2012).
The results of this poll will be surprising only to those who believe holiday home selling is a grave mistake. A majority of those surveyed (60 percent) said they categorically advise their clients to actively market during the holidays, as it is a “good time to sell.” Thirty percent said they would sometimes advise a client to sell if they were motivated, while only 1 percent said they would never advise selling during the holidays because it is a “bad idea.”
According to the survey, there are numerous reasons why selling a home during the holidays can prove a major advantage to the seller. The most popular (with 79 percent) is that buyers are generally more serious and motivated about buying a home during the holiday season. This is because many purchasers have to relocate for their job and need to move fast, or are first-time buyers, looking to purchase during a lull in buyer competition. In fact, 61 percent of those polled by Realtor.com listed “less competition” as a significant plus when selling one’s home during the holidays.
While one of the advantages to holiday home selling cited by realtors in the study is that cold weather can make a home feel cozier, the cold weather can also prove a deterrent for less serious buyers. Some 39 percent of agents polled said that winter weather was one of the biggest disadvantages to holiday season home selling.
The biggest challenge, however, according to 63 percent of respondents, is maintaining a property’s upkeep—making sure it is always “open house ready.” The wear and tear of constant visitors, holiday parties and the general chaos that comes along with the holidays can often prove detrimental to the overall appearance of a home on the market. Sellers should always strive to keep the look of their home as immaculate as possible, even in the midst of holiday craziness.
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