Five Great Reasons To Sell Your Home During The Holiday Season

Contrary to popular belief, home buyers do shop for houses all year round, including the holiday season which starts in November before Thanksgiving week and includes the time until the week after New Year and through the middle or end of January.   In fact, home sellers who put their house listings on the market during the holiday season may have an advantage because there are usually fewer properties on the market at that time of the year so there's less competition for those serious home shoppers that really do need to buy, plan to buy and relocate their families during the holiday season which ends around time most local schools start back in January after their winter breaks or even later in the month of January.  There are several other reasons to consider putting your house on the market during the holidays, and I have listed the my Top Five Reasons To List Your Home For Sale during this time of the year:

1. Many home purchasers have vacation time or extra time off during the holiday season so they have more time to look for their next residence,  both preowned and new homes.

2. Because of the limited supply of homes for sale, some sellers may be able to receive a higher purchase offer than at other times of the year or at least get offers that are closer to their current offering price since the relocation buyers are motivated to buy on a time table that works well for them to move their families at that time.

3. Home buyers looking for houses during the holidays may also be highly motivated to buy before the end of the year so they can get extra itemized income-tax deductions for  mortgage    loan fees, interest charges, closing cost and/or pro-rated property taxes and other costs.*  (*Refer to your local financial advisor or Certified Public Accountant for more information on which costs and fees are tax deductible, as most REALTORS are not normally experts on tax matters such as these.)

4. Festive holiday lights and customized holiday decorations can help a home "show off some of its special features," possibly accenting the front elevation, special landscaping, style and design, or even a few of the interior rooms and features such as the cozy family room fireplace or formal dining area for holiday gatherings.  Thus, it gives the home something extra and therefore, it simply "shows better."

5. Because January is traditionally the month for transfers, having your home on the market at the end of the year can capture the transferees who may not be able to wait until the Spring market which may not start until late March or April,  to buy a home.  Also, although many relocation buyers transfer and close on their home purchase during the local school's winter break period, this may vary with the time and the area from where they are moving from, and some of those buyers start looking earlier in the month of November, the early part of December, and even after the week of Christmas and New Year's Day to select and negotiate their next house they plan to close on later before the end of  January. 

NOTE:  I would definitely suggest your mark off at least a week to ten days between Christmas Week and New Year's Day and give yourself a break to enjoy family and friends.  Normally, most real home buyers are not out looking at home after around the 20th of December until later at the end of December or the early part of January, and that is a good time to take a break from showings because most qualified home shoppers are also taking a break for family time and holiday activities.  For more information about selling your home during the holiday season and winter break period, call my direct line at 972-612-2277.  I would be glad to discuss our specialized real estate services and set up an appointment time that is convenient for you.  I would also like to discuss the advantages of my being able to offer you the benefits of working with me as  a CHMS, Certified Home Marketing Specialist which includes my "home staging services" at no additional costs to our seller clients  and "home pricing" strategies according to the CHMS guidelines by author, Martha Webb, creator of the original home staging plan, "Dress Your House For Success."   These services enable us to help our seller clients sell their properties in the shortest period of time and for the highest and best sales price for their local market and location.

Also, if your home is a luxury home or estate property, which means the value is approximately twice the average sales prices for homes in your city, area, town, etc. I would love the opportunity to discuss the advantages of listing exclusively with me and my company as your ALHS, Accredited Luxury Homes Specialist, and how these special services can help you "showcase" your home to offer it for sale in the luxury real estate market and appeal to qualified luxury home buyers that are looking for a property that matches the location, special features and criteria that your property has to offer.  Please call me today at 972-612-2277 to arrange an appointment or for more information.

  More About CHMS, Certified Home Marketing Specialist

  More About ALHS, Accredited Luxury Home Specialist 

 Jeanie's Blog Summary - Top 5 Reasons To Sell During The Holidays 

Jeanie E. Elliott, Broker/Owner, M.S. Business

CHMS, Certified Home Marketing Specialist

ALHS, Accredited Luxury Home Specialist

SRES, Seniors Real Estate Specialist

ABR, Accredited Buyers Representative

BPOR, Brokers Price Opinion Resource

SFR, Short Sales & Foreclosures Resource

 Direct Office:  972-612-2277

 jeanieelliott@jeaniesproperties.com

 Jeanie Elliott REALTORS, Since 1980

"Celebrating Our 30th Anniversary in 2010"