"We're going to put our house on the market in the spring."

This is a favorite refrain for Sellers. Spring is thought by many Sellers (and even some Agents) to be a better time to sell a home. Plus, there's Spring cleaning going on and it's just before the kids get out of school and a Spring/Summer move is often desirable to both Buyers & Sellers. The "better time to sell" mentality generally equates with Spring being the "busy time" in real estate. While it is true that there are usually more Buyers in the Spring, and usually more homes sold during the Spring, what many Sellers don't think about is the increased competition (there are usually more homes on the market) every Spring. So, what I've been telling Sellers for years is that Spring, in the real estate market, starts in January. The premise for this reasoning is that you want to be on the market before there are lots of other homes, very similar to yours, also for sale. This doesn't mean that you don't need to make sure your home shows beautifully and is ready for sale. You still need to prepare it for sale and make it as close to a "model home" as possible (I always tell my Sellers to go visit a builder model if they want to see a home that sells). Hopefully, after all cleaning and repair projects are completed and the home is ready for showings, it will be a first-choice for those Buyers who don't yet have all the homes to choose from that they will in March (but couldn't wait 'till Spring to get out there and start looking at homes).

For those Sellers that are afraid homes are not selling right now, you might want to reconsider. I've sold over half of my listing inventory in the past couple of months; over the holidays and in the "dead" of winter (which wasn't dead at all for me and most of my clients). There are Real Estate Agents who "take the winter off" or consider it the "slow time" and so they slow down their efforts and spend more time with family or on another business. Interestingly, these tend to be the same Agents who feel that Spring is a better time to sell. Personally, I think these Agents fuel the fallacy that many Sellers have of winter being a bad time to sell a home. I do not subscribe to that school of thought. There are fewer homes on the market right now and the Buyers that are out there are more serious (fewer tire-kickers... it's not as fun to look at homes in the cold). I've never had a problem getting homes sold in the winter months. So, get that home ready to sell and on the market ASAP; the early bird gets the worm.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com