Sometimes, it really pays to go against the crowd.
As in most areas, people around Central Pennsylvania like to put their homes on the market in the Spring. Early Summer is a high season for closings.
And yet, there are a few powerful reasons why fall might actually be a better time than either spring or summer to sell a home.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it. By the fall, the bulk of spring listings are expiring. As a result, there is less competition, particularly when you consider the NEW label and the fewer days on the market that the listing will boast. Also, home buyers in the fall are more serious. They have been looking at listings for months, and they are eager to conclude their search and move in comfortably before the holidays. When you put those two things together, you get that homes listed in the fall sell more quickly and often command a higher price. In fact, fall is the season with the highest percentage of sold listings, beating out summer by 1%.
Now, if your clients are thinking of selling their home this fall, there are a few things they have to do differently. First, they have to prepare their home to account for the particular fall conditions. For example, check the HVAC system and replace furnace filter so their home will be warm and smell fresh. Also, make sure to turn on all the lights; they've got to compensate for the shorter, cloudier days. Cleaning up the yard is also a must.
The second thing they need to do is price their home appropriately. Once everyone has an idea of what the home is worth, how should it be priced? On the one hand, the fall is not a good time to start with a sky-high price. If their home doesn’t sell right away, your clients might not have time to adjust the price because of the smaller number of buyers and the shorter selling period (nobody wants to move over Christmas). On the other hand, those serious buyers I mentioned earlier might be willing to pay more simply because they’ve been looking longer and are more eager to buy. It’s a balancing act. It’s also something we, as professional agents, can help our clients determine.
I hope these points help you share with your clients the importance of not waiting until Spring, but listing now – in the Fall! If you are a homeowner and would like to get started, check out the value calculator I created that takes into account recent Central Pennsylvania sales to give you an idea of what your home is worth right now. Enter your home address here to find out what your home is currently worth.
Give me a call at (717) 695-3177 if you are considering selling this fall, and I’ll give you my recommendations on how to price your home based on current conditions in Central Pennsylvania.
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