Selling a Home During the Holidays

Holiday activities combined with the colder weather is often enough to make homeowners want to give up on selling their home during the busy holiday season. Real estate experts agree that the market tends to drop off considerably in November and picks back up in late January.

"Some people take their home off the market during the holiday for safety's sake because they have all of the presents out in the house, and because of the inconvenience factor," said Margaret Woda, realtor with Long and Foster in Crofton.

Even so, Woda and other real estate experts say keeping that 'for sale' sign in the yard all month may be a good idea. There are advantages to having a home on the market in December, even while most people are consumed with shopping, traveling and spreading good cheer.

"There's less competition among the homes that are on the market and the buyers who are out there are serious," said Woda.

She added that in many instances the buyers who are looking for homes around this time of year usually expect to transfer in January, February or March. "They may take advantage of the down time at work to come out and look at houses for sale."

Since the inventory of homes on the market is often lower after Thanksgiving than at other times of the year, realtors agree that any new listing on the market will attract attention.

During the months of December and January sellers can often get more for their homes, according to Bill Franklin, realtor with Long and Foster in Bowie who also has listings in Anne Arundel County including Crofton and Davidsonville.

Last year he said that he sold a house in December that had a swimming pool. "There are less listings so it's less competitive."

To decorate or not to decorate?

Franklin said that sellers with homes on the market in December should take advantage of the holiday season and make their home festive.

"Homes on the market show better during the holidays than any other time of year," Franklin said, adding that if a home doesn't show well during the holidays then it won't show good at all.

However, while Woda also encourages holiday decorations for homes on the market during the holiday season, she warns sellers to keep it simple and not overdo it.

"They do look beautiful this time of year but elect not to take too much out," she said. It's important to not make the home look cluttered and Woda suggests maybe removing things like the bookcase filled with 100 Christmas angels.

For more advice on selling during the holiday season visit Woda's  popular Focus on Crofton blog.