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There are generally fewer buyers in the fall, but also fewer listings. All my clients looking to buy now are transfers and living in apartments. They are MOTIVATED to buy something, but there just isn't much out there. I say put it on the market when you want to sell it. If that's now, go for it. If it doesn't pan out in the next couple months, then take it off and wait for spring.
As soon as the house is cleaner than clean, minor repairs completed, decluttered and yard work done.......
LIST IT!
There are always buyers........and nothing is a bigger pain the backside than looking at stale properties which haven't sold because of various issues when you are a buyer.
Your house could outshine everything currently in the market at your price point.
We live in a popular North Atlanta Metro city and would like to list our house for sale in two weeks (at the end of the 2nd week of October). We still have some repairs and cleaning to do and the house won't look it's best before then. We are in a good school district and a subdivision that is considered desirable.
Atlanta usually has very nice weather through October and sometimes the first part of November. We have a 1/2 acre wooded lot with a flat backyard. Flat backyards are at a premium here. However, by mid November, most of the leaves will have fallen and our lot won't be as pretty.
Is it a bad time to list our house? I know the rates will go up soon and the discord in Washington, D. C. could cause a shaky stock market. We really don't want to wait until spring unless we have to, as this house is too big for us now. But I don't want list the house when the market is very slow and we can't sell it.
Any advice or opinions? Thanks for your help.
The question is must you sell by Spring?
If the answer is no, then I say fix the place up over the winter and put it on the market come February.
If the answer is yes, then I say list it right now.
If in no rush to sell then do what is most comfortable for you but if listing now then do not delay. List is ASAP.
Fact: Homes are bought and sold year around. There are always some people that want to buy a home.
#1---It may stay on the market longer, is listed now than in the spring. But it can sell quickly if the right person is looking to buy.
#2---If on the market now, you have a lot less competition than you do if you wait till spring to list. The more homes on the market, the bigger choice prospective buyers have to choose from.
Oldtrader, Those are some very good points. We are hurrying as fast as we can to get the house ready to show--having the carpet cleaned, house power washed and trim painted. We've trimmed bushes and painted the garage interior. And cleaning and de-cluttering every day.
The market is extremely tight here with few homes for sale in our area. A neighbor sold last year on New Year's Day. Maybe there is still time...
What is your motivation for moving? Transfer? Moving to a different area? Found a house you fell in love with? Different school district? What is driving the desire to move now?
Most of the advice above is good for a standard town/neighborhood. But north Atlanta is different. For north metro Atlanta, depending on the area (Alpharetta, Johns Creek, to a certain extent Roswell, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, some areas of East Cobb), if the house is priced right, it's going to sell pretty quickly -- depending on the neighborhood, possibly even before listing. The nice thing about Atlanta is that there are ALWAYS people relocating into the area who need homes at untraditional times. And if you're in a good school district, that's even better.
Find a good agent, get some great photos, do your cleaning/fixing/staging, and see what happens. What's the worse that could happen? It doesn't sell? At least your house is clean for the holidays :-) Let's put it this way -- I work for a real estate agent, and I'm putting in 10-12 hour days because we are THAT busy. Yes, it's slowed down since this summer, but that doesn't mean it's dead. Just don't muck around on the price and price it "above market" to see if you get any nibbles. You won't. BUT -- if you do have it priced just right, and you've got a desirable commodity, then you may find yourself having to shift through multiple offers, which tend to drive the price up a bit, more than just pricing it "high" to begin with.
Always remember, homes sell year around. If the market is tight with few homes for sale, it is better to have your home on the market, than wait till spring and it becomes a buyers market with a large number of homes on the market.
Sounds like you are getting your home for sale, the way it should be prepared. Go for listing it now.
I remember a friend of mine when he first entered the real estate business. He was angry that they made him work on Christmas Eve, when it was snowing. About 3 pm, a couple came in and told him they had been all over town looking for an office that was open. His was the only one. They were being transferred there to a top job, and they had to buy a home within the next 2 hours and catch the 7 pm flight. He got out the book and showed them a few executive homes for sale that met their needs. They picked one out went and saw it, liked it, and bought it. His first week in the business, and his first sale was one of the nicest homes in town on Christmas Eve. I thought that was a good example, of homes sell year around.
The best time to put your home on the market, is in a very tight market. The worst is when there are 20 or more homes on the market for every potential buyer in the spring.
dblackga, our home is in Alpharetta, in an excellent school district. It's a 5 BR, 4 BA, and 3,900 sq. ft., plus finished terrace level. It's way too big for the two us, as we are retired. This is a home for a family. We don't have to sell but we want to move to a 55+. We may also temporarily move to an apartment and have done that before when we first moved to GA. There is no hurry, but who knows what next spring will bring. We'd like to sell this home and travel and have FUN!
oldtrader, great story about the new real estate agent making his first sale on Christmas Eve!
~staywarm2
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