The holidays are a time to regroup, rest, spend time with family, and, if lucky, travel to a bucket-list location. But for military homeowners, the holidays can also take a different direction: an off-season home sale. Challenging circumstances like a PCS move, pending military retirement, or even the ups and downs of the housing market often dictate an untraditional home-selling timeframe.
Take comfort in knowing that a holiday selling season typically has less inventory, which equals fewer home seller competitors. Scarce housing inventory offers an advantage to sellers because there's less competition. If you wait until the snow thaws to hoist your "For Sale" sign, you’ll join a much more extensive listing market and, potentially, lower asking prices.
Even though putting "sell my home" on your Christmas list might be tempting, there are DIY ways to attract buyers during the holidays.
1) Highlight the features buyers seek in your area.
Whether you sell your home with a real estate agent’s help or list it for sale by owner, understand exactly what your buyer pool is looking for and market your home by highlighting those must-haves. In-demand amenities vary from a detached garage or a finished basement to a famous school district.
Include photos in your market that showcase features buyers prefer, like updated kitchens and bathrooms, spacious storage, and even a fenced yard. Your written descriptions should highlight features that will make buyers believe your property is their dream home. Military families love to read details like "quick commute to base" or "easy access to your favorite shopping."
As you’ve considered selling your home, you probably wondered, "How do I find a real estate agent near me?" Wonder no more. Search for experienced real estate professionals with MilitaryByOwner’s directory.
2) Avoid overpricing your home.
Overpricing during the cold months poses a greater risk of forcing a price drop as the weeks move on. Year after year, traditional home-selling market trends tell us that the more expensive the home, the higher the risk of a price reduction as the holidays draw closer.
During winter, you must price your home appropriately to avoid having to relist it at a reduced price later. If a listing is initially priced too high and lowered, buyers may assume you're not serious about selling or are desperate to get rid of the house.
Monitor interest rates.
Factor in the interest rates your buyers will encounter when preparing for financing. To set your asking price, research VA and conventional loan rates to understand your potential buyers' budgets. Don’t forget to shout from the mountain tops (and highlight it in your marketing) about your assumable VA Loan if you have one.
3) Use holiday home staging to entice buyers.
Cheery holiday décor makes your home look cozier and more inviting, notably if your house lacks a welcoming feeling. Some homes remain on the market for longer than usual for no reason other than to exude an uncongenial vibe, extending from the reasons the owner chooses to sell. For instance, in the event of a death, a divorce, or even a PCS move, a homeowner may not maintain their home up to its usual standards because their attention is elsewhere.
Photo from Canva
When you're a home seller going through a big life change, the last thing on your mind is holiday decorating. However, when putting your house on the market, strategic seasonal décor can make it feel lived-in and loved, boosting your chances of a faster sale at a higher price. Fortunately, when staging a home, holiday decor doesn’t need to be extensive or time-consuming.
Read Home Decorating Tips for Every Room for easy tips on affordable decorating.
4) Remember, a little cheer goes a long way.
One advantage of listing your home during the holiday season is that you can beautify it in a festive wintry garb to brighten its overall appeal. But don’t go crazy! The most important thing to remember while decorating is that the decorations should accentuate your home’s best features. For example, a Southern-style wrap-around porch looks lovely with festive greenery draped and swagged around the railing.
Pack the oversized, bold, personalized items in moving boxes, which will ideally find their way out of sight and into a storage unit. Remember, you want potential buyers to notice your home and its plentiful square footage and storage, not the dust amassing on the collection of Christmas nutcrackers.
Get more home staging tips in Home Staging 101.
5) Weatherproof your marketing plan with a captivating video.
Think like a prospective home buyer for a minute. In this scenario, it snowed overnight, and now the sleet is coming down, but your buyer planned to home shop in person during the afternoon. But now—my, they certainly feel cozy under the blankets. They’ll skip the in-person open house, drink hot chocolate, and look at those houses online again.
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Photo from Canva
Planning a video tour might seem unnecessary (regardless of the statistics supporting them), but unpredictable weather necessitates high-quality virtual tours for your home.
A final sale requires much more than a few pictures and a description of a home to motivate a buyer to brave ice, snow, and frosty weather in the hopes that your house fits their needs. Since home shoppers won't be out and about, they're less likely to encounter traditional home marketing like signs or open houses, making internet marketing crucial.
How to Create an Unforgettable Home Listing will show you how to reach the best buyers.
6) Showcase your home online with MilitaryByOwner.
Now that you understand winter home shopping a little better from your potential buyer’s perspective, consider the importance of showcasing your home’s best features with MilitaryByOwner's Home Tour ad. There are several options to create an entire marketing package that includes photos, videos, and signage. It's a powerful tool for reaching your target audience. The company has fantastic customer service to help you navigate the online listing process.
Selling your home over the holidays might seem unrealistic initially, but an off-season sale has one big benefit: less competition. If you market your ready-to-sell home with detailed descriptions, quality photos, and videos, you’ll be well on your way to securing a motivated buyer.
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