Listing During the Holidays!

11 Reasons Your Seller Should List During the Holiday Season

*Article courtesy of Keller Williams

You’ve heard it from real estate agents before. “The Winter season is slow.” Or, “No one is really buying or selling.” And even, “I’ll get started in the New Year, it’s a new start right?”

Wrong. The truth is, it’s better to be ahead than behind. Do you want to have income in January? Do you want to have clients in the pipeline well into February? The winter months are the perfect opportunity for you to find the motivated clients and get them to list their home with you.

Of course, sellers sometimes need a little perspective to help them understand why listing now can benefit their bottom line. So without further adieu, here are 11 reasons your seller should list during the Holiday Season.

11. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the Spring when there are traditionally more houses on the market which could ultimately drive prices down. This could mean you sell high and buy low.

10. You can sell now for more money and we will provide for a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year.

9. Even though your house will be on the market, you still have the option to restrict showings during the six or seven days around the Holidays.

8. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transfers cannot wait until Spring to buy, you need to be on the market during the Holidays to capture the market.

7. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons.

6. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a work week.

5. Buyers are more emotional during the Holidays, so they are more likely to pay your price.

4. Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays.

3. When supply goes down it means there is a greater opportunity to capture motivated buyers AND a better sales price for you.

2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less competition means more money for you.

And the number one reason why your seller should list during the Holidays …

1. People who look for homes during the Holidays are more serious buyers!

Despite inventory shortages, homebuyers looking for bargains this winter

Courtesy of: Inman News

Prospective homebuyers hoping to buy a home in the next four months say the lack of inventory is their biggest challenge, but many believe winter is a good time to buy because sellers are motivated to sell and more willing to negotiate.

That’s according to a survey of more than 1,300 visitors to realtor.com conducted from Nov. 7-16, which found 45 percent of buyers in the market said there’s not enough inventory in their price range. 

The survey also found that a surprising number of prospective homebuyers — 19 percent — are planning to do all-cash deals.

Of those planning to buy without taking out a mortgage:
29 percent said they are downsizing to a smaller or less expensive home.
26 percent are relocation buyers.
11 percent are moving up to a bigger or more expensive home.
11 percent are buying a vacation home.

But most of those surveyed said they’ll need a mortgage to finance their home purchase. Among that group, most did not have the 20 percent down payment that would allow them to qualify them for a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac without having to also purchase mortgage insurance.

More than 1 in 10 of those surveyed (13 percent) said they were planning to put just 3.5 percent down (the minimum down payment on FHA-guaranteed loans). Only 22 percent said they’d be able to make a down payment of more than 20 percent, which would allow them to avoid purchasing mortgage insurance. -

See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/11/20/despite-inventory-shortages-homebuyers-looking-for-bargains-this-winter/#sthash.WvSA0E2F.dpuf