Can You Sell a Home During Fall or Winter?

Thinking about selling your home? Contrary to popular belief, fall and winter are actually great times to get top dollar for your home.

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I feel pretty strongly that the fall and winter seasons are actually great times to sell your home. 

A lot of people worry that fewer homes sell in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer. While this may be true, the difference is due to the fact that not as many sellers have their homes on the market. If you look at Birmingham historically, it is a minuscule difference.

I was talking with some folks looking to get into the real estate business and I explained to them that homes in Birmingham sell at almost as high a rate in the slowest month as they do during the fastest month. It's only a difference of 50 to 60 houses, which may seem like a lot, but in terms of the 10,000 to 12,000 houses that sell in the Birmingham market each year, it's not that much of a difference.

You'll have less competition and higher demand.

If you sell in the fall or winter, you will have less competition and higher demand from buyers who are looking at homes. There are also a lot of people who are relocating–companies relocate around the first of the year to get people in for the next year.

Also, remember that interest rates are at an all-time low right now. There is no guarantee that they will stay low going into spring, so that buyer that may qualify for your house today may not qualify in a couple months. The demand for your home in the fall and winter will be a lot higher, which will allow you to collect more money for the sale of your house.

If you've been thinking about selling your home, I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions for us, don't hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We look forward to talking with you soon.

How to Live in Your Home While You Sell

Selling your Birmingham home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Birmingham home? Search all homes for sale

I’m excited to give you four great tips today about how to sell your home for top dollar while still living in it. It’s a dilemma many home sellers face, and these four tips will make things a little easier:

1. Start packing. Go ahead and get started. The move is coming eventually, and you might as well be prepared in advance.

2. Get the home squeaky clean. We all love living in our homes, but it can get hard sometimes to keep things squeaky clean. While you’re showing your home, it needs to be squeaky clean to show well and make a good first impression on buyers.

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These four tips will make things a little easier.

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3. Maintain your privacy and safety. It amazes me that people will leave cash, jewelry, and other valuables out when they know that people are going to be walking through the home. Make sure anything that’s valuable or dangerous is put away, locked up, and unavailable for people to see.

4. Clear your schedule. If you are trying to sell your home, you’ve got to make it available for people to see. You also need to be willing to be flexible, on a moment’s notice, to let people check it out.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

4 Tips for Adding Value to Your Birmingham Home

Selling your Birmingham home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Birmingham home? Search all homes for sale

Before you list your home, there are four simple things you can do to add value to your property. First, improve your curb appeal. This is what buyers see when they first look at your home. Pay attention to landscaping. Are there any fresh flowers? Do you need to add rocks to flower beds? Does your front door need to be painted or replaced? Whatever you have to do, make sure the outside of your house looks great in order to capture the buyer’s attention. Next, declutter your home. As homeowners, we collect a ton of stuff over the years. You should get rid of all that extra stuff. Get it out of the house. Throw it away or put it in storage. Once your house is decluttered, it will feel larger.

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Neutral colors appeal to more buyers than bright, bold colors.

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You should also paint the interior of your home. Use light, neutral colors for the walls. Don’t go crazy with bold colors; some people may like them but a lot of people don’t. Going neutral with paint is your best chance at reaching the vast majority of people. Finally, update your faucets and fixtures. They do have a life cycle. One day, silver faucets and fixtures are popular, and before you know it, people are switching those out for bronze fixtures. Updating the fixtures can make you feel like you updated the whole bathroom. If you have any questions about adding value to your property or real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!