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Resolved to sell? Don't delay until May.

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Real Estate Agent

Resolved to sell? Don’t delay until May.

Minong Flowage home
16649 S Eagle Point Rd, Wascott, WI

It’s late January. If you’ve resolved that it’s time to move on to the next stage of your life, and if your new year’s resolution involves real estate, then I’d like to suggest a second resolution: Don’t delay until May. Get started now.

Around here sellers, buyers, and even Realtors can often think a little too seasonally. Summer might be the only time of the year we can grow tomatoes in northern Wisconsin, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only time of year we can produce real estate sales.

Today’s lake-home market is no longer just a summertime surge. Maybe it’s because buyers are now eager to enjoy their new homes all year round. In the fall there’s hunting, fishing, paddling, hiking, biking, and ATVing. In the winter there’s skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and just relaxing by the fire. Every spring, long before the water is warm enough for swimming, we’re blessed with months of weather that’s perfect for enjoying the great outdoors in other ways. (Well, OK. Two months.)

Serious, purposeful buyers are on the hunt all year round. At this very moment they’re getting pre-approved, researching lakes, and reaching for their checkbooks. So if you’re ready to move on to the next stage of your life, there’s no rational reason to delay until May. Keep in mind, too, that listing your home today doesn’t mean moving out next Tuesday. Even after we’ve done a little negotiating and you’ve accepted a buyer’s offer, more time will elapse before there’s an actual closing. Typically, unless it’s a cash offer with no inspections or other contingencies, that’s about another 60 days.

If things happen fast, could you end up moving while there’s still snow on the ground? Sure. But it’s really no big deal. (And on this I speak from experience.) Moving in the winter or early spring is nothing to be afraid of—especially if you’re paying someone else to load up the moving van and drive it away. Of course, if you’re leaving most furnishings behind, then moving will be less of an issue anyway.

If you were to receive an offer within the next month or two, there’s still one situation when a late spring could complicate your plans. That’s if you’re selling a three-season cabin. Most buyers will ask for an inspection, and it’s hard to inspect a cabin’s well, septic system, and plumbing without turning on the water. But even then, I’m usually able to help buyers and sellers work things out.

And for all the rest of you selling a year-round lake home or cabin, the best time to find buyers is... Year-round. So if you’d like to learn more about what your home is likely to sell for in our current market, give me a call now. Jean Hedren, Edina Realty, NW Wisconsin. 218-590-6634. www.JeanHedren.com

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