Will a rainy day bring in more prospects to an open as opposed to a sunny day? Does it matter if the open house is close to the holidays? There are many schools of thought on how the seasons effect real estate interest and there is good reason for that.
What is the best season to sell a house in Kansas City?
When a house is on the market for a long period of time, potential buyers get nervous about putting in an offer. Buyers are led to believe that houses that have been on the market for a while have something wrong with them or they can offer a low-ball offer because the seller is desperate after having the house on the market for so long. What you may not realize is there is a possibility the right buyer just hasn’t come along yet or has even seen the house on the market.
If you ask this question in a room full of real estate agents, you will get a different answer from each of them, based on their own experiences. Some will tell you they are busiest in the spring and summer when the weather is beautiful while others will say the months right before the holidays are the best, even in a snow storm.
Kansas City Real Estate Open Houses
Because an open house and many home showings are planned in advance, it is difficult to cancel or change them. This means real estate will go on in spite of the weather or the seasons. Think about the last time you saw signs for an open house and stopped, out of curiosity or even out of necessity. Was it nice outside, raining cats and dogs, or bitter cold? You may not even remember but you remember the house. Was it close to the holidays, your birthday, or the kids last day of school? That may be something you remember more but even those details will pale in comparison to your memory of the actual house and experience you had inside the house. Maybe the agent was friendly and that was memorable or you found some great decorating ideas from the house; you may have even found your dream house if you were on the market for a new house.
Selling Your Kansas City Home in the Spring & Summer
It is common knowledge in the world of real estate that buyers tend to do more looking in the spring and summer. There is a certain market that house hunts during this time and it is specific. You will families with children in schools that look for houses in the spring and summer. Most parents want their children to finish the school year in their current school and then start a new school when everyone else does. Because of this simple preference, you will see larger homes in family –oriented neighborhoods for sale and moving trucks driving around during this time of year. In a college town, the same principle applies. There are college students who graduate or move to new situations with roommates so at the end of the school year you will see rentals now available and even homes available. Professors move to the area for a new position and the entire area seems to revolve around the college or university.
In a city with a lot of industry and business growth, there will always be houses available although many people still prefer to buy and sell in the spring, summer and early fall. Many times this has nothing to do with the demand but rather something as simple as the weather. The chances of a snow storm or inclement weather can decrease in the summer months although the heat can be an issue. There are buyers who prefer to buy a new home before the holidays so they can be the family to host the dinners and celebrations and this will tend to happen in the early fall or earlier.
Kansas City Seasons & Local Real Estate
Another way that seasons effect real estate interest, and one that agents are sometimes not prepared for, is Christmas vacation. As the New Year approaches, people begin to get restless in their homes or they are able to move at this time due to being off work and school. Many families are also out and about with cabin fever from the winter and the weather outside. It may be surprising to see open house signs in the week after Christmas but many times agents see success from potential buyers who want to make a change in the New Year. They may be planning to enlarge their family, downsize, or even move to a house with more amenities due to a job promotion.
Regardless of the reason, the best time to sell a house is whenever works the best for you and your situation.
If you are a seller, the best time may be when the competition is low because you may find buyers that have to move for a location based move and yours is the only one available. In other situations, it may be beneficial to you to have the competition so buyers can see how amazing your house is to the comparable properties. The price and features may be better than the others yet until they see that, buyers may not think yours is a good fit.
Overall, you will have more interested buyers if they see a clean exterior and it appears to be well-cared for on the outside and the inside. If you live in a place where the beautiful spring and summer days are rare, your house may perform better in the boring months when buyers are out looking at houses, rather than enjoying the weather. On the other hand if you live in an area with plenty of beautiful days, it may not matter if the weather is clear or not. Just keep in mind that every house is different and one or two months without activity doesn’t necessarily mean there is no interest but rather you need to work harder at getting the word out about the property. If no one knows the advantages of your house over the others, no one will want to see it, regardless of the season.
About KC Property Guys
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