Placing your home on the market during the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful. With a well-managed plan and proper assistance from your REALTOR®, listing your home will be easy and beneficial. Check out our top 5 reasons to list your home during the holidays.

1. Holiday Home Shoppers are More Motivated. Home buyers who continue their house hunting during the holidays are serious and are more ready to make a decision. They are willing to alter their holiday schedules and trek through wintery weather to find their next home. January is traditionally the month for transfers. Transferees can’t wait until the spring to buy. These buyers need a house asap now, which means houses must be on the market to capture buyers attention.

2. Seller Competition is Lighter During the Holidays. A large amount of home sellers are often reluctant to list their homes during the holidays. This creates a shortage of inventory and a strong seller’s market in many cases. The home seller who is on the market in an area with very few comparable homes can often stick strongly to the price they’re hoping to get. Without a reasonable number of similar, competitive listings for buyers to visit, the seller is in a unique position of power because of the scarcity of comparable homes.

3. Houses “show better” when tastefully decorated for the holidays. Since most homes have family and friends visit throughout the winter months, your home would already be neat and tidy with beautiful decorations, lights and festive colors associated with the season.

4. During the Holidays, Buyers tend to be More Emotional. This time of year, most homes are filled with festive decorations, holiday cheer, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. With your home nicely decorated and exuding a warm holiday atmosphere, home buyers will be able to envision their holiday gatherings and decorations, as well as a cheerful feeling when viewing the home.

5. A Spike in Internet Searches During the Holidays. Many home buyers spend a large portion of their time house hunting online, instead of in person. Shopping for a home online is convenient and less time consuming than traveling to and from every single house of interest.
With an increase in internet searches, your house won’t be discovered as easily if it isn’t on the market and online. With winter weather on its way, word-of-mouth, drive-by sightings, and other forms of direct marketing significantly decrease in effectiveness. Homes that are properly advertised online during the holiday season gain more exposure than the average home, and those sellers that wait until after the holidays to list lose out on potential buyers.

By selling now, sellers have the opportunity to buy during the spring – when more properties are on the market. If you are thinking about placing your house on the market during the holidays, contact your local Homesale Realty Agent for help.

AskHomesale.com provides real estate advice and information for home buyers, home sellers, and homeowners alike. Askhomesale.com is part of the Homesale Realty Family. The Homesale Family of Companies is the leading real estate company serving the Baltimore, Maryland, South Central and Southeastern PA real estate markets.  Homesale Realty has more than 27 offices with over 1,200 REALTORS®. Homesale Realty’s footprint includes Maryland real estate offices in Baltimore Metro, Federal Hill,  Harbor East, Phoenix, Timonium, and Westminster. Pennsylvania real estate offices include Lancaster,Ephrata,Elizabethtown, Mt Joy, Quarryville, Camp Hill,Carlisle,Chambersburg,Harrisburg,Hershey, Lebanon, Schuylkill Haven,Wyomissing, York,Dallastown,Gettysburg,Hanover, and Shrewsbury.

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