The holiday season can bring many stresses of its own without adding a home sale to the list. This can keep many sellers on the sidelines or send them pulling their houses off the market until the new year rings in.
But contrary to what you may think, this time of year can actually be a fantastic sweet spot for sellers. Holiday buyers are serious and motivated. Consumer confidence is higher than at any other time of year. And relocating families tend to have more time and reason to shop for a new home over the holidays.
Perhaps the biggest compelling reason the holidays are a good time to list your home is the simple fact that there are fewer homes on the market at this time of year, which means less competition.
In addition, limited inventory has driven up prices in many markets through the year. The national median price for existing homes was $199,200 in September, according to NAR’s latest monthly statistics. That was up 11.7% from the same month a year ago and it was the 10th consecutive month of double-digit year-over-year growth.
Mortgage rates also play a factor in holiday home sales. We’ve been seeing a rise in rates, with Freddie Mac reporting its latest average on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was at 4.35%, up from 4.16% the previous week. Consecutive weekly climbs in interest rates tend to motivate buyers even more.
We know this first hand, and that’s why we’ve created a special holiday program to help sellers navigate listing their home over the holidays without sacrificing their sanity or precious time with family.
Our Holiday Marketing Program is designed with seller privacy in mind. There are no for-sale signs in your yard, no lock boxes on your door, no open houses and no advertising identifying your home.
Instead, we’re offering to market your home to our sphere of serious buyers and show your home only by appointment. No fuss. No inconveniences. But you’ll be able take advantage of opportunities you’d otherwise miss by waiting until the new year.
And on January 1, 2014, if your home has not sold, it will automatically convert to our exclusive home marketing program. You won’t have to start from scratch.
We created this program because in our experience we know that there are a lot of opportunities for sellers over the holidays, but we understand why a homeowner would not want to deal with the stress of listing their home during this time.
If you’re interested in learning more, ask us for more information.
Happy Holidays!
By Gino Blefari
President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
