If you’re looking to sell your home, you are probably wondering what the best time of the year to sell a house is.
Selling a house any time of the year is an exciting and sometimes overwhelming time. From getting your house on the market to looking for a new home, preparing to sell is always a busy time.
If you’re debating whether or not you should wait for the best time of year to sell a house, there are pros and cons for each season to consider.
We’ve rounded up some positives and drawbacks to selling a house in every season of the year.
How to Know the Best Time of the Year to Sell a House?
When it comes to selling your home, deciding when to sell is a hard decision. Regardless of the season, there are a few things you should think about personally that will make a move and selling your home easier.
First, consider your financial situation. If it will cost you money to sell, maybe it will be better to sell later on.
On that same note, if you’re having financial difficulty, selling sooner might also be helpful. This is also when selling to cash home buyers may be a great option.
You should also consider the weather where you live. If you live somewhere that has harsh winters, not only might it be hard to sell your home in the dead of winter, you might also not want to move.
Your career, job situation and also your child’s school calendar may also factor into your decision.
If you’re being relocated for work, the decision might be made for you. If you’re taking a new job, however, you might stretch your move until your children are out of school for the year, for example.
Selling a House in the Spring
Spring is usually considered the best time to sell a home. This is based on the fact that in the spring, there will usually be the most amount of homes sold and listings will typically sell the fastest.
Because the housing market is cyclical, you’ll see new listings rush into the market each spring and in May, you’ll have the most homes pending, under contract, or sold.
May is also known to be the busiest month to move. May is even known as National Moving Month in the United States.
Pros:
In the spring, you’ll see a large number of buyers looking to buy homes and move. With the weather being mild, it is no surprise that most people prefer to move in the spring.
If you can sell your home in the spring, this is also a huge bonus for anyone who has children. Selling or buying in the spring means you have your new home for when school gets out and you’ll be able to adjust to your new place over the summer before school begins.
The main pro to selling in the spring is that you’ll have the largest amount of buyers looking at your home.
Cons:
If your home isn’t one that might get scooped up quickly for whatever reason, you may want to choose a less busy season. If you don’t think your home will sell quickly, a different time of the year may offer competition for buyers.
If you have a property on the water, the spring might also be tough since buyers may already want their waterfront home before spring starts.
Selling a House in the Summer
Selling a house in the summer is usually another banner season. The weather is ideal for moving, showing a home, and getting a new home fixed or doing any exterior work.
In the summer, kids are also out of school and there aren’t any major holidays to interfere with aside from the Fourth of July.
Pros:
Selling a house in the summer means you will still have a lot of buyers looking for homes in the market. If you didn’t get your house in the spring, the summer is a great time to get it out there.
Buyers who may have started looking in the spring but haven’t found anything might be ready to jump on your property when it comes to the market in the summer.
Cons:
In terms of renovations or work that needs to be done, with the weather, summer might make it too hot for certain projects.
The summer might be too late for families with kids depending on when their school starts.
Selling a House in the Fall
Selling a house in the fall might seem a little quieter than the spring or summer months but you will still see a steady stream of home buyers hoping to close a deal before the holidays.
Pros:
In areas with a lot of young families, the fall is a nice time for a family who doesn’t yet have school-aged children to get into a good school district or area. With the school hustle over, sellers without kids can take advantage of having fewer homes on the market.
With less competition, your home might sell faster and closer to your asking price in the fall.
In terms of weather, renovations and exterior work can also still be completed in the fall and the temperatures are still nice for buyers touring homes or having open houses.
Cons:
If home buyers are hoping to have their children settled before school starts, fall would likely already be too late.
Buyers who are hoping to do renovations might be hesitant to buy in the fall because construction could run into the winter months.
Selling a House in the Winter
While selling in the winter is often thought of as a tough time of year, in good real estate markets, this isn’t always the case.
Aside from the holiday slow down, January might see a busier uptick in certain areas as people want to move or sell in the new year.
Pros:
In the winter, your home will likely face less competition as this is usually the slowest season as far as real estate is concerned.
If you live somewhere scenic and with beautiful winter views and activities, the winter might actually showcase your home the best.
Many people start new jobs in the new year and are looking to make a move before the holidays.
Cons:
With the holidays, there is traditionally a slow down of people coming to look at homes. Depending on the weather, open houses and foot traffic into your home might be a little slower.
Because there are fewer buyers out there in the winter, people may try to get your home for a deal because they think you don’t have as many options.
How to Sell a House When It’s Best for You
If you don’t have a time-sensitive reason for needing to move at a certain time, there are pros and cons to almost every season that can help you decide when the best time of the year to sell a house in your area is.
For great resources and tips, check out the lifestyle section for helpful posts and guides about real estate and more.
