With demand exceeding supply in the housing market, when to sell your home is not nearly as critical as it was 3-4 years ago when homes just weren’t moving.
However, many are still left wondering, “when is it the best time to sell?” The answer often depends on who you ask.
When to Sell Your Home
Many realtors will agree spring and summer are an attractive time as the weather is nice, landscaping is perfectly manicured, and buyers are often motivated. In the California housing marketing, realtors have found a surge of activities often occurs after Labor Day and lasts through mid-November.
In fact, September is traditionally the biggest month for new listings in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s all part of a seasonal pattern that starts with a surge at the beginning of the year, often dies down in the summer and hits again after Labor Day.
A Seller’s Market
There were 9 percent fewer homes when the spring buying season kicked off in 2016 compared with a year ago. Nationwide, median home values rose 4.8 percent year-over-year in March and 1.1 percent over the course of the first quarter, according to the first quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Report.
"In most markets right now, we are seeing the conventional way of buying to have shifted really to staging for multiple offers, which is a huge shift from where we were just three-four years ago," Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow, said.
4 Tips and Tricks of the Trade
- The average number of days a house is on the market is about 120.
- Homes listed on Friday sold for 99.1 percent of the original asking price, according to NewHomeSource.com. The “Friday Effect” averages about $5,000 more in a home seller’s pocket.
- Don’t price your home with a zero at the end. People perceive a precise cost like $282,284 as lower than a rounded number such as $283,000.
- The most important tip for a successful home sale is making the decision when it’s right for you. The best way to sell a home is when it’s a step toward a new and exciting part of your life.
Making the Decision to Move to a Senior Living Community
Have you gone back and forth on making the decision to move to an independent living community? It’s not unusual to hesitate at the idea of moving from your home. It’s part of who you are.
Just remember, no matter whether it’s your current home, your first home, your college home or the home where you grew up, each home fits that place in your life.
Retirement living is no different. It’s finding that place you want to call home that will allow you to enjoy what retirement is truly about – it’s a celebration, a reward for all those years of hard work. It’s a time to relax, travel or take up new hobbies, a time to indulge in all the things you love to do.
How to Determine When the Time is Right For You
Ask yourself a few key questions to help you determine if you are ready to make a move from your current home:
- Is your current living arrangement allowing you to fully retire? Or are the walls around you holding you back?
- Do you have too much house?
- Will your home age gracefully with you?
- Is the location ideal for you now and into the future?
- Does your house fit into your future health plans?
- Are you hesitating because you are afraid to lose what your house may represent – your choices, your control, your independence?
Whatever decision you make, don’t get tied to a home that takes away from living your best senior life or that could be a safety concern.
Senior living today is about finding a lifestyle and home built around your interests, passions and goals in life. The memories inside a home will always go with you.
