Traditionally, realtors have espoused the belief that the holiday season is not the most wonderful time of the year for those eager to sell their homes. This idea leads many homeowners to delay listing their properties until January or even take them off the market for the holiday season. While the holiday season remains one of the slowest for real estate, modern technology has made shopping for a home more of a year-round process than it was in the past.

Today’s buyers can continue their home searches in the midst of festivities with the help of the internet and mobile apps. By listing your home for sale this week, the first week of the new year, you will gain an advantage of those waiting until later in January to list. Buyers will have a smaller selection of properties from which to choose. Less competition increases the likelihood that a particular home on the market will garner an offer. After this week, the advantage will disappear as more people list their homes.

If you are facing a new year with your home on the market, heed these tips to help you secure a sale without sacrificing the festive spirit:

• If you do not feel ready to move and do not have a strict timeframe within which to do so, consider delaying until you are more prepared. If you find yourself resisting changes that will make your home more appealing to buyers or insisting on a high listing price against the advice of your realtor, you may simply not be ready to leave. Do not feel pressured by your realtor’s agenda; selling your house is a deeply personal process and you do not want to regret rushing it unnecessarily.
• If the move is necessary but unwanted, be honest with your agent and tell him or her that you will require some patience. Realtors are accustomed to working with sellers facing all sorts of difficult situations, and being upfront with your agent about potential problems that you foresee will enable him or her to act in your best interest.
• Preserve memories with the help of technology. As you are preparing to pack your belongings, take photos of your favorite spots in your home, and scan letters and other important papers into the computer. This will help you eliminate paper to reduce your moving burden while still maintaining a permanent copy of the things that are important to you.
• Invoke the assistance of a professional stager. He or she will help you remove your personal items and neutralize the home so that buyers will view it as a blank slate. This should help accelerate your process of moving on and seeing your home for what it is when it is for sale: a commodity that must be marketed and purchased by the right buyer.
• When buyers come to look at your home, leave the property and allow your realtor to handle the showing. Lingering sellers can cause potential buyers to feel uncomfortable and may interfere with their perception of the property, and observing any negative reactions that buyers may have will only make the process of letting go more difficult for the seller.
• Focus on your next step and the freedom and new opportunities that selling your current home will provide you. Even if moving is not your preference at the time, researching the highlights of your new neighborhood and starting to think about how you will decorate the next home may help you begin to sow the seeds of excitement about this transition.

To reach a real estate sales agent, call 704-544-0253 or email Sales@HendersonProperties.com

If you are currently working with another Broker please do not consider this a solicitation.