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It’s interesting to think there are “seasons” when it comes to the housing market, but that’s exactly what you’re going to be dealing with when you either start selling or buying a home. It’s not as clear as the fashion seasons, so to speak, but there are definitely considerations to take into account when it comes determining the best time to buy or sell a home.

Buying Is Better in Spring and Fall
Purchasing a home isn’t something you can really time. It’s not like going to a store and buying a new computer or a phone. The process takes time, from finding the home you want to buy to closing on it. In some cases, it can take months. New houses come onto the market at any given time, and buyers come in at all times of the year as well.

However, real estate does tend to fluctuate depending on the season. More houses seem to go onto the market in the spring and fall, giving home buyers more of an option to choose from. Families don’t want to disrupt schooling, so hope they can get the sale done by late spring, allowing for a move at the beginning of summer; or for the sale to close before the holidays. While prices may not necessarily fall during these seasons, they do become more competitive as home-owners are trying to offer up the best deal to those seeking to buy their home. They, of course, want to make as much as they can off the sale, but they don’t want to lose out to the house next door because of a couple thousand dollars.

Selling Is Best at Holidays and In The Winter
When you’re looking to sell your home, you should try to do so when there isn’t as much competition on the market. As such, selling your home during the fall or spring wouldn’t make much sense, but during the winter you’re more likely to get the offer you want. This isn’t the most conventional of times, but someone who seriously wants to buy a home doesn’t care about it being a holiday or cold outside. You can list your home at any time, and you’ll even show it to multiple people, but the most serious of buyers is going to be motivated year-round, and the winter and holiday seasons offer up far less competition than other times of the year. Granted, if you’re looking to sell fast and don’t care about getting the optimum price, then listing your house during the spring may just be the best bet for you.

Have A Sunday Open House
This is the perfect time to show your home, especially if you’ve have had it listed for about a week beforehand. Sunday afternoons have been the prime time to show a house for decades, and the American people are seemingly trained to look for those open house signs when searching for a home. The better timed your open house, the better timed your offers.

Obviously there are some cases in which you just can’t time it perfectly. Certain circumstances may have you listing your home at the spur of the moment buying a house without too much forewarning. The better able you are to plan your sale/buy the better off you’re going to be. Competition can be fierce and knowing how to cope with it can be a deal maker or breaker.

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