Selling Your Home Over the Holidays

Selling your home over the holidays is a great opportunity if you’re ready, willing, and able. But should you or would you be better off waiting until the first of the year or even until the spring market? It depends.

My gut answer is the best time to sell your house is when your house is ready. Trying to figure out what the market is going to do next year, next month or even tomorrow is like looking into a crystal ball for the answer. Plus it depends on your own personal situation.

Downplay your decorating especially over the holidays

I advise my sellers to downplay the holidays when it comes to decorating. Keep your decorations to a minimum inside and out. But if you live in a subdivision like Christmas Place at 131^st Place, west of Antioch in Overland Park, you may need to take that into consideration.

A few years ago, I had a house for sale over the holidays in that subdivision. This is a small subdivision of 12 homes and 2 cul-de-sacs where every homeowner decorates their home and it attracts people from all over the city. That is either a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it. In the last house I sold there, the buyers told me they always wanted to be a part of that community because they loved the joy of the season. For other buyers, they might see it as a detriment and would not want to partake in the festivities year after year. While decorating the exterior of the house was not a requirement, to be the only house that didn’t participate would certainly make you stand out and would scream “bah-humbug.”

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself when considering selling your home over the holidays

1. Can you decorate your home in a minimal way? Christmas is usually about layering up and adding to and that concept is just not part of Home Staging. That’s what I call Distracted Staging. Remember – not everyone celebrates Christmas and when selling your home, you must appeal to the largest number of buyers possible.
2. Will you have family in town for an extended period and will it be hard for you to show the house at a moment’s notice? If you can’t get out of the house for showings you might be better off not trying.
3. Will it be difficult for you to keep the house in showing condition at all times? Remember, buyers only see what they see – not the way it’s going to be. Holiday time is often a time of disarray for many sellers and when you are selling your Overland Park home, you’ve got to have the Model Home Look and perfect for showing at all times.

Selling your Overland Park home is about being ready. The more ready you are, the greater chance you have of selling your home over the holidays.

Many company transfers occur in January every year. Oftentimes the relocating buyers will take time off from their job to visit their new city and start their home search. If you have a house that would appeal to relocating buyers, you could be missing your opportunity for getting your home sold over the holidays.

Sold on Christmas Eve

A few years ago I had a listing sell on Christmas Eve with two offers. Every day is an opportunity to sell your house. This time of the year, inventory is lower so your chances of selling are even greater. Remember, it’s all about supply and demand…when there is less supply you can often get more money for your house. But just as any other time of the year, you have to be ready and be willing to play the home selling game. It’s not about you and your home; it’s about your buyers and the home they want to buy to make their own memories.

If you are considering selling your home over the holidays, I can help. Call or text me at (913) 515-3250 or contact me here and let’s talk about selling your home over the holidays!

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(all data current as of 2/1/2023)

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