Home Selling During the Holidays

Dear Vicki,
I am thinking of putting my house on the market but worried that the holiday season may be bad timing. What do you think? Signed, Humbug

Dear Humbug,
Don’t let the season get you down when it comes to listing your home. While real estate activity tends to slow a bit over the holidays, homes do still sell between Thanksgiving and the New Year. It’s simple economics of supply and demand out there, especially in Willo and in Phoenix as a whole. In Maricopa County, the inventory of single-family homes is down from a normal of approximately 30,000 active home listings to just around 14,000. Currently, there are only 13 homes for sale now in Willo, which is quite low, considering we normally see 30 homes on the market. So our supply of homes for sale is low, but demand is still high. That’s a perfect seller’s market! Remember, this is the time of year when our weather is nearly perfect and we get an influx of “snowbirds” visiting the Valley. With the cooler temperatures, these visitors often decide to buy, rather than rent for their 4-5 months extended vacations. And you can’t deny that with winter grass and holiday decor, our neighborhood really shines during the holiday season. I understand that you may not want to be bothered with buyers coming through your house over the holidays, but you definitely want to get it on the market in early January and ready for the Willo Home Tour in February. There is a reason over 3,350 attendees flock to see our neighborhood. Our unique and historic homes are rare finds in Phoenix and you can bet a for-sale sign during the Home Tour will gets hearts racing. According to a report in the Arizona Republic on 10/28/2012, national analyst John Burns said “We think Phoenix home prices will appreciate 12% in 2013, 12% in 2014 and 10% in 2015.” Buyers know they need to act fast to get the best prices. So my advice is to get your home on the market sooner rather than later.

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