Selling Your Home, Part 2: When Is the Best Time to List My Property?

15Sep

A beautiful home sits at the end of its driveway, lit by the afternoon sun.

TLC Moving

Advice from Ottawa Real Estate Experts on the Best Time to List Your Property for Sale

Whether you’ve put a home on the market in the past or you’re new to the entire process, you’ve probably already asked yourself a key question: when is the best time to sell my home?

Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. The “best time” depends heavily on the market, season, and month… even the day of the week!

Of course, economics and the real estate market play the biggest roles in home sale success. Still, there are usually some seasons and months with more available buyers. More buyers means a higher demand for housing, which could translate to a faster sale at a higher price.

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Once you’ve settled on a time to list your property, don’t delay! Moving in Ottawa can be a high-speed process, especially if you hit a quick sale. Professional residential moving services can help if you’ve got to get out of your old place and into a new one in a hurry.

Of course, the real question is: when is the best time to list?

Listing A House Vs. Listing a Condo

Let’s dive right in: what you’re selling will play a significant role in when you should sell it.

Condos and houses are very different products on the real estate market. As such, buyers are usually searching at different times of the year. That said, there are some similarities: people tend to avoid house hunting in the deep of winter, the middle of summer, and the start of the new year. Gloomy winter days make houses and condos feel smaller, and no one wants to trek around a city in the middle of beautiful July weather.

Condos typically sell well in the spring months (even as late as July) and the fall. Things tend to drop off around mid-November, though, and August and September are quiet.

Houses, meanwhile, tend to sell very well in May, not to mention spring, fall, and early summer. Winter isn’t as big an issue with a house, but the blanket of snow over a yard might not give buyers the best sense of the property.

Determining Your Personal Objectives When Selling

If you are planning to buy a home elsewhere, you will need to consider your buying and closing timelines. For example, if the new home you buy closes in February, you will need to sell your existing home in late fall.

But this is a slower season for selling homes, so you need to take this into account when pricing and listing your home for sale.

Understanding When Your Property Will Look Its Best

Your property will look its best when you have green grass, leaves on your trees, and flowers in your garden. This ideal time usually starts in mid-May. And if you have a pool in your backyard, your home will look most inviting when it is open in warm weather.

Tips for Choosing the Best Month And Day To Sell Your Home

When you plan to buy a new home will influence when you decide to sell your home. Most people want to buy a home and sell their old home around the same time so they aren’t stuck with two mortgage payments.

If you want to ensure your home sells quickly, aim for the busy spring selling season.

As for the best day of the week, early Friday morning is a good time to list your home for sale. People are ready to start looking at homes to view on the weekend, and they aren’t as distracted with work and life as they are during the rest of the work week.

Monday is probably the worst day to list a home because people are less focused on house shopping as they adjust to the new work week after having a couple of days off over the weekend.

Why Spring Is the Best Time of Year To Put Your House Up For Sale

Spring is the best time of year to put your house up for sale because there are more buyers in spring. People have more time in spring to shop for homes.

The winter holidays and vacations are over and the snow has melted, allowing buyers to see a property clearly without mounds of snow covering everything.

Buyers can inspect the roof, backyard, foundation, and landscaping so they know exactly what they’re buying.

Most people also take vacations in the summer, so there are less buyers around in summer than in spring.

Following the winter, March sees an increase in home sales activity leading up to the busy spring selling season. April to June are typically the peak home sales months in Ottawa. This is also the time when government employees are relocating, and families are looking to move and close a sale before the upcoming school year.

What Summer Has to Offer for Home Sales

Following the spring peak sales time, July and August are also busy sales months. While more people are away on summer vacation, there are still the many buyers looking to move and settle into a new home before the school year starts.

Fall is also a good season to sell, but will start to slow down leading into the slower winter months.

Months to Avoid

November through to February are the slower months for home sales. Most people don’t want to move in the cold and snowy winter months. People are also busy with winter holidays and vacations.

Sellers and buyers may start planning for the upcoming peak sales season in spring, but sales are at the lowest in the winter.

Prepping Your Home for Sale

A lot goes into making your home sale-ready. It will take some time to prepare your home and property to look great for homebuyers. So take this time and work into consideration when planning the sale of your house.

Before listing, make sure to:

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Thoroughly clean your home inside and out;
Clean up your garden, remove weeds and dead growth, trim overgrown plants, and add new mulch;
Fix any maintenance issues that would turn off buyers, such as worn-out carpets, cracked tiles, dirty grout, peeling paint, and loose or rusted gutters;
Remove pet odours and any other lingering smells you might have; and
Furnish your home with a minimalist style to make it look bright and spacious, and to give buyers an idea of how they could use the rooms.

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When You Should Start Looking for Professional Movers (And What to Look For)

Once your home is prepped and ready to sell, you should start looking for an Ottawa moving and storage company. You never know how quickly your home will sell. So it’s better to be safe and start planning your move in Ottawa sooner than later.

When shopping around for movers in Ottawa, look for insured professionals who are experienced, care about your belongings, and have the right equipment and supplies to move you into your new home.

With professional movers at your service, you can have peace of mind knowing your belongings are in good hands and both your old and new home will be protected. Professional movers will give you one less thing to worry about during this busy time in your life.

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