Sure, the last thing you may want to do when the temperatures are in the triple digits is hop from listing to listing looking for your dream home. Given the less than desirable conditions of house hunting in the dead of summer, you may think it would be the worst time possible to list your home for sale… but the numbers say otherwise.
Why should you be strategic about when you list your home?
Often times, big life events are the things that drive homeowners to list their property. You’ve decided to retire. You are relocating for a job. A surprise bun-in-the-oven means it’s time to upgrade the size of your home. Or maybe the kids have finally left the nest and you want a no-fuss condo so you can focus on traveling as opposed to yard work. Whatever the reason, it may be rare for you to even consider the season when it comes time to list your home. But could you be missing out on a sound strategy?
There are reasons why summer reigns supreme
It’s no surprise that with the spring comes growth, new beginnings, big changes and lots of people putting their homes on the market. It’s one of the most popular times to list a home for sale as buyers collect on those elusive tax refunds while the kids are off school for spring break.
For the same reasons, it makes sense to list a home for sale in spring. But the importance of summer listings shouldn’t be ignored. Home buyers prefer to shop when the kids are out of school and just before the weather gets bad. And while it may not be the cold weather people are worried about in Arizona, it could be the height of monsoon season that buyers will shy away from.
Summer is also the perfect season for listings to hit the market with the extra daylight for longer days of house hunting and evening open houses. No longer are buyers faced with hunt interruptions by the setting sun.
Sometimes proceed with caution
As with all seasons, there are a few exceptions to the rule. Rising summer temps in Arizona can deter people from mid-day house hunts, so traffic through your home might be heavier in the mornings and evenings. Families often take their big vacations when the kids are home for the summer so there can be large periods where traffic to your home is slower; however, towards the end of the summer parents want to make sure they relocate before the important school year begins.
Sometimes a home sale doesn’t come with the luxury of planning ahead but often times it does. If you do have the opportunity to choose the season you put your home on the market, don’t shy away from the Arizona summer, it might just mean a hotter market for your home.
