Is Fall in New England a Good Time to Sell Your Home?

Fall is certainly a gorgeous time of the year here in New England, but a question I get from a ton of my clients is:

Is Fall a good time to try and sell my home?

My answer is enthusiastically, YES! And before you discount that response as typical Realtor-speak (as in, "It's ALWAYS a good time to sell your home!") let me explain why I feel this way.

1. Less Competition
A good portion of my colleagues seems to coast from now through the end of the year. It's almost like they assume it's the "slow" time of the year and they kind of turn on their auto pilot settings. They relay, whether consciously or unconsciously, this belief to the clients, and therefore it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and less homes get listed on the market. Less homes = less competition. Would you rather have your buyer presented with 20+ similar properties to choose from along with yours, or just a couple others? Your home will stand out to buyers purely because there are less homes to look at.

2. Serious Buyers
Let's face it, the Fall and ensuing holidays are a busy time for everybody. Anybody who is out looking at homes between now and the end of the year tend to be serious buyers who HAVE to buy something. There's usually a strong motivation for these buyers. This time of the year tire kickers and looky-loos spend time at the mall, not at open houses and showings. So although the QUANTITY of showings may decrease over the next few months, the QUALITY should be primo!

3. Fall Homes Show Well
Nothing is more attractive to buyers than a walkway scattered with a few vibrant leaves, leading to a beautifully decorated New England home with a gentle fire crackling in the fireplace. There's usually a pile of apples in a bowl on the kitchen table and maybe a pumpkin or two. Fall in New England is the perfect backdrop for staging a fantastic home for sale. The sights, sounds and smells of Fall in New England paint a wonderful picture in the buyers minds. And buyers make purchasing decisions based on those pictures in their minds.

So the next time someone tells me, "We're thinking about waiting for the Spring market to list", I remind them that (1) you will be up against a lot more competition as far as other listings, (2) you will have a harder time identifying the truly serious buyers and (3) that Christmas tree and warm pumpkin pie in the oven will not have the same effect come April.

IMHO, from now until New Years truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Enjoy.