Should I Take My Home Off The Market For The Holidays?
Many Vancouver, Wa sellers ask me whether or not they should take their home off the market for the holidays. My answer is a definite "no" due to the reasons noted below, as well as the fact that December buyers are SERIOUS. Who has time during the holidays to "casually" look at homes?
With leftover Halloween candy still in the bowl, our nation enters the Holiday Season. For the next two months turkeys, egg nog, and credit cards will all be in high demand.
As the churn and burn of the Holidays bear down, some sellers consider taking their home off the market. Let's address some common concerns sellers face this time of year...
1) Nobody buys houses this time of year-- Yes, there is less buyer volume. Gone is the rush of showings we often see during the summer. This time of year showing volume does decline. Could there be a silver lining? Buyers that do venture out are typically more serious than the summer time crowd.
2) It's hard to keep the house clean during the holidays-- Stockings on the mantle, a tree in the den, perhaps a gingerbread house in the kitchen, there is definitely more clutter this time of year! Frankly I find homes to be more clean during the winter than in summer peak. Give me Christmas gingerbread crumbs any day over wet Summer time socks!
3) I Don't want to move a week before Christmas-- Perhaps it's the sense of security a home provides, but sellers fear being thrown into the street just before Christmas with no place to go. In reality...Most offers with financing require 30-45 days to close. As such, a mid-December offer typically won't close until late January. In the rare case a cash offer does come in, keep in mind the closing date is negotiable.
So Should you take my home off the market for the Holidays???Absolutely not, but feel free to leave out some fresh egg nog for the buyers!
Doug Rogers
Associate Broker
Bayou Properties Realty
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