![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Best-time-to-buy-and-sell-a-house-summer-for-sale-sign.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n In the spring, \u2018for sale\u2019 signs pop up on lawns across the country. Data<\/a> from US real estate marketplace, Zillow, reveals that more new listings appear online in April nationwide than in any other month. In cities with harsher climates, the trend is even more extreme. Statistics show these listings are leading to sales: more homes sell in the first half of May than in any other season,18.5 days sooner than other times of the year and for an average of $1,700 more than the listing price.<\/p>\n\n The warm weather brings buyers and sellers out of hibernation. Spring also draws out parents who want to move in the summer before school starts. It\u2019s also the season when buyers face the most competition, which drives prices up.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, it\u2019s April, we\u2019re seeing a lot of houses hit the market and it\u2019s just going to ramp up from here,\u201d says Travassos.<\/p>\n A report<\/a> from ATTOM, a leading provider of US real estate property data, found that between 2011 and 2017, buyers were closing 5.9 percent above estimated market value in May, on average. Surprisingly, the hottest day to sell isn\u2019t in May. It\u2019s June 28th \u2014 when homebuyer hopefuls pay an average of 9.1 percent more than the estimated property value.<\/p>\n In the spring, one in four US homes will sell above the initial list price. In the summer, the trend dips to one in three. With cooler temperatures breezing through, sellers fear having to wait until the spring of the following year to re-list. In 2016, in almost every large US market analyzed by Zillow, the highest share of listings with at least one price reduction were in August and September. Be patient \u2014 cooler heads prevail, even when it\u2019s hot out.<\/p>\n Photo: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n In the fall, there is a second wave of homebuying activity. Summer vacation is over and homebuyers are back to their regular routines. They\u2019re also ready to close before the winter \u2014 because no one wants to move in a blizzard. \u201cFall is the second strongest market,\u201d says Travassos. \u201cIt usually starts to get into full swing closer to the end of October and the first couple weeks of November. Then it peters out \u2014 people get busy with the holiday parties and start thinking about spending their money on other things.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re willing to brave frigid temperatures while you house hunt (all the while juggling the busy holiday season), January is the cheapest month of the year to buy property. Again, it circles back to supply and demand. With fewer buyers on the hunt, demand drops and prices follow suit. Many sellers will wait until fall or spring to list \u2014 if they put their home on the market in the winter, it\u2019s likely because they are very motivated to sell. Buyers are also typically more determined.<\/p>\n In 2016, the (now defunct) Red Pin did a six-year analysis of more than 530,000 homes in the Greater Toronto Area and discovered that the sale price was $43,000 less in January than any other time of the year. A significant sum to put towards closing costs, a larger downpayment or renovations, instead.<\/p>\n The Ren Pin also found that homes sit on the market longer \u2014 up to 11 days more than in the spring.<\/p>\n Photo: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n The winter is beneficial for budget-savvy shoppers, but in some cases, the low inventory can also benefit the seller.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of homes do exceptionally well in January,\u201d says Travassos. \u201cThe reason is because there are very few homes on the market. If you have a big enough buyer pool that needs to buy right away, they\u2019re all competing for the small number of homes on the market. If someones out shopping in January, quite often, they\u2019re thinking \u2018I need to get a place, right now<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The realtor explains there can be a lot of luck involved, so long as you follow the right steps \u2014 you prepare your house, market it properly and are proactive in getting it out there. \u201cYou might luck out and put your semi-detached house on the market when, for some reason, there are no other semi-detached homes with three bedrooms out there. And all of a sudden, you have five serious buyers who need your house, right away. If you see the market is doing well and there\u2019s low inventory, sometimes you should capitalize on that and get your house out immediately, instead of waiting for the spring.\u201d<\/p>\n Who is the best person to ask about inventory? Your realtor. \u201cYou should be talking to your agent because the market changes, sometimes week-to-week.\u201d<\/p>\n Photo: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n ATTOM analyzed more than 18 million single-family home and condo sales over the past five years and found that only 10 days of the year offer discounts below estimated market value.<\/p>\n Christmas week is traditionally the slowest in real estate, with buyers scoring the biggest discount on December 26th. Knowing that sellers are deeply motivated to close, they\u2019re putting in lower bids. On top of that, many sellers are in good moods, opening presents, feeling generous and let\u2019s be real \u2014 the champagne is likely flowing.<\/p>\n Livabl reported on the study<\/a>, revealing that December had the most buyer-friendly days \u2014 including December 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, 21st and 29th. Buyers hoping to save some dough should also circle October 12th, November 9th and February 9th on their calendars.<\/p>\n Photo: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n According to real estate brokerage, Redfin, you should pay attention to what day of the week you list your home. The report <\/a>indicates that homes listed on Thursday move the fastest, but listing on Wednesday will get you the most bang for your buck \u2014 up to $2,650 more than a Sunday listing.<\/p>\n Travassos prefers to list homes on Tuesday or Wednesday because sites like Realtor.com can take up to 48 hours to populate for weekend open houses. \u201cIf you put it in on Thursday, your listing may not show up in time for the weekend,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n On the flip side, he aims to accept offers from buyers on Monday or Tuesday, at the latest. \u201cBy Wednesday and Thursday, all of the new houses for the following week have come online. The last thing I want is for someone who has been interested in closing to see the new houses on the market and change their mind,\u201d he says.<\/p>\nSpring favors sellers and buyers who want options<\/h2>\n
Back-to-school deals \u2014 on your house<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nWinter is coming for the housing market<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe winter advantage for sellers<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe best day of the year to buy<\/h2>\n
\r\n SEE ALSO:<\/span>Thinking of buying a home? These are the 10 best days of the year to buy in the US<\/a><\/strong>\r\n <\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe best day of the week to list your home<\/h2>\n