Selling Your Real Estate In The Winter

jane-field-vernon-realtor Over the years I've had many people tell me they don't want to move during the winter. Yet, really what difference does it make? Very little of the process of moving takes place outdoors. What takes the real effort in moving is not the move itself, but the preparation. Starting with your assessment of what you'll want to part with, decisions must be made about what you will sell, give away to family or donate to charity.

Ads in the local paper are an effective way to sell off miscellaneous furnishings, tools etc. That advertising works at any time of the year. That is perhaps less true if you have a seasonal item like a lawnmower, pool equipment or garden tools. Perhaps the easiest solution in that case is to take those few items with you and sell them next Spring from your new place. You can take advantage of family's Christmas visits to get them to pack up and take those items they want that you are ready to part with. If the items are too large you will have to have a moving or cartage company handle it, and they are just as available in the winter as anytime of year.

Most of us hire local movers to relocate us. My personal experience has been that these professionals are really very considerate about protecting your floor coverings from rain and snow and dirt. They place clean protective runners over your floors. When the task is completed they simply roll up the runners and take away any mess that was created. If you are providing your own labourers, I recommend you buy plastic sheets and cut your own runners. It is inexpensive and will do the task nicely.

From a sales standpoint, yes we have fewer buyers in December and January. But the would-be Buyers we do have are sincere. We don't have the same element of prospects "just surveying the market". Buyers who call realtors in the winter months tend to be very "ready to buy". Sometimes they are transferees, sometimes they are simply people who can't find the time to look in the other busier months of the year. But overall, they aren't looking if they're not buying. What this means to you, the Seller is fewer showings but a greater likelihood of a sale resulting from those showings.

Your competition is hugely reduced as there are a lot fewer homes on the market. Waiting for Spring for higher prices is not necessarily beneficial. I may go into greater detail on this in a column in the future. But, for now I'll leave you with this thought. If property values are up in Spring, then so will be the new home you are buying. I doubt there is any advantage in waiting.

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