Myth Buster – Listing Your Home in December is a Bad Idea
While the holiday season it may not always be the most convenient time for Playa Vista home sellers to have their home ready to sell, I can say that doing so might be worth the inconvenience. It is my opinion that it does not matter when you list your Playa Vista home for sale and there may be advantages to doing it at this less popular time.
It is true, there are down sides to listing your home during this period such as fewer buyers, early darkness in the evenings, rainier weather, holiday parties and other distractions for prospective buyers, etc… Yes, there are more buyers looking in the spring, but there is also much more competition from sellers at this time. Buyers who are willing to pull the trigger during the holiday season are the most motivated and these people will not be deterred from seeing your property due to these reasons. You will probably have to show your property fewer times to get the same number of motivated buyers if you list in November or December. If you list in the late fall/winter you need to be cognizant that it gets dark early or it is more likely to rain, so you will need to accommodate earlier showings or open houses or have booties for people to wear on their feet. This is not a huge issue and wouldn’t a motivated buyer make an effort to see your house during the 9-10 hours of daylight? Additionally, any buyer who prioritizes a holiday party over seeing their potential future Playa Vista home is not that motivated, no matter what they say. The holiday season is also a great time for buyers to bring family, who may be contributing financially to the purchase, to see the property.
It is my assertion that listing during the holidays, meaning from Thanksgiving to New Years is not always a bad idea and may be advantageous depending on the market conditions. It is impossible to predict when the right buyer(s) for your home will be looking, but if you hire a Playa Vista agent who understands the market conditions, can help you price it right, stages it for best impressions, and markets it properly you will not have trouble finding a buyer in any season.