Wouldn’t it be nice if life’s big decisions came with a crystal ball? Well, we can’t tell you if you should get a new job or sign your kid up for baseball, but, if you are looking to sell your home, realtor.com has a sort of Magic 8 ball for at least one of life’s quandaries. They have determined the best week to put your home on the market.
It’s no secret that Spring is typically thought of as the prime home-selling season. Their researchers have narrowed it down even more. They analyzed the 50 largest real estate markets for 3 years. According to the findings, the best week to put a home on the market is March 31 to April 6.
The analysis shows that homes for sale that week get 14 percent more views online and sell 6 days faster. That’s a substantial difference.
Making it an even better scenario is that there is less competition at that time of year as the number of homes for sale continues to increase into late spring. As a seller, less competition is a big plus in a tight housing market like Charlotte.
Check your calendars folks, the big week is just around the corner so don’t waste time getting your house ready. If you are pressed for time getting your home on the market, there are three things that should top your to-do list.
Detach: Selling your home can be emotional. You’ll likely have better results if you treat the process like a business. That approach makes it easier to assess what you really need to do to your home before listing it. The strategy also helps you depersonalize and declutter the space. Both of these steps can really slow down a homeowner.
Evaluate: First impressions start at the curb. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal. Look at your home, not as a place where you watched your kids grow up, but as an outsider who doesn’t know you would see it.
Make it shine: Clean and then clean again. A professional cleaning job makes everything look and smell better. We all live with a lot of dirt we don’t see because we are in it every day.
Once you are ready to list, make sure to talk about price with your real estate agent. Listing your home at the right price is key to a fast sale.
Back to the survey…. homes put on the market that week are listed on average for 6% more than homes listed the 3 months prior. That translates to an extra $17,000. Now before you get too excited that doesn’t mean you’ll make the most money by listing the house that week. In fact, prices usually peak in June.
So what’s it going to be? Less competition, a faster sale, and a solid price… or are you going to hold out for top dollar amid a sea of other homes?
Whatever you decide, we’ll be here when you are ready.