If you’ve been thinking about selling this year, one question that might be top-of-mind is, “Should we list now?” You may be wondering whether you should wait until the summer or fall — or even next year — in the hopes that you’ll be able to get a little more for your home.
That “now or later” question is common and can be tough to answer.
On the one hand, there might be a time in the future when the stars align and conditions are perfect for selling your property. On the other hand, those stars may never align so idyllically. In fact, things might become worse.
Although the real estate market is predictable to some extent, especially in the short term, there is always a chance that it will swing in a way no one anticipated.
To determine if you should sell now or later, you’ll need answers to the following questions:
• What are the traditional seasonal characteristics of this local market? For example, what are sales like in the summer compared to the fall?
• Is my home ready to sell? If we were to list a month from today, would we be able to get the property ready?
• What are the advantages of waiting until later to sell? (Be sure your answer is based on current data and expert outlooks.)
• How much would we likely get for our home if we were to sell today?
• If conditions are predicted to become better later in the year, how much more could we get for our home? Is the extra money worth the risk of waiting?
• Are there other reasons for delaying listing our home?
Once you have those answers, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision regarding whether to sell now or later.
