SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Homes that hit the market in spring or winter are more likely than homes listed in summer or fall to sell for more than list price and go under contract within 30 days, according to research from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage.
As conventional wisdom would predict, spring is the best time to list a home, but winter is a close second. Of homes listed in the spring, 18.7 percent fetched above asking, with winter listings not far behind at 17.5 percent. While 48.0 percent of homes listed in spring sold within 30 days, 46.2 percent of homes in winter did the same. About a third of homes are listed in spring.
While less than a quarter of homes are listed in winter, it’s the right choice for many sellers, depending on their goals. “You may have fewer people looking to buy, but those who are looking are serious,” said Michelle Leader, a Redfin real estate agent in Oklahoma City. “Buyers that time of year often need to move, so they’re much less likely to make a lowball offer and they’ll often want to close quickly -- two things that can make the sale much smoother.”
The other benefit of listing in the winter is less competition from other sellers. While spring can see a rush of homes coming on the market, homes that list in the winter are much more likely to stand out, said Leader.
Among homes listed in summer and fall, the key goals of selling quickly and for above list price were achieved notably less often. For example, 40.9 percent of autumn listings sold in 30 days or less, and just 14.7 percent sold above list price.
Weather seems to have little to do with the seasonality. When broken down by metro, winter and spring maintained their top spots consistently, even across markets with weather as varied as Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta.
To read the full report, complete tables and statistics for each of the 23 metros studied, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2016/11/home-sellers-spring-is-great-but-listing-in-winter-pays-off-too.html.
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Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer’s favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the highly accurate automated home-value estimate. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $31 billion in home sales and saved customers more than $335 million in fees through 2015.
For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center.
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