Three reasons why January may historically be the best time to sell

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By Steve Levine, President of Steve Levine Inc., and an agent for REMAX Professional Associates

Steve Levine, President of Steve Levine Inc. and an agent at REMAX Professional Associates. 508-735-4663. www.stevelevine.com
Steve Levine, President of Steve Levine Inc. and an agent at REMAX Professional Associates. 508-735-4663. www.stevelevine.com

I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday…and thank you so much for reading all of my articles for all these years. It means so much to me when people call or come up to me and let me know they enjoyed my material.

Before you think I’m crazy in my passion for the month of January, let me explain my rationale, and then ask you to take it from the standpoint of one who has been selling real estate here in this area for 28 of those Januaries now!

Normal logic might dictate that nobody buys or sells in the winter, and that in fact, spring is the best time. But in fact, the winter has proven time and time again to be an incredible time for many homeowners.

First and foremost is the issue of inventory, based on the simple laws of supply and demand. In the winter, far fewer homes are on the market for Buyers to choose from. This puts the balance clearly in favor of the sellers, as there are people who need to purchase, and have limited options.

Secondly, many home buyers put off their purchase during the months of November and December. As January kicks off, there is a virtual stampede of cyber-Monday Buyers, looking for homes. If X number of people typically buy each month, and they don’t buy in November and December, that means three times the amount of people purchase in January.

Third, as a Seller there is nothing more frustrating than getting your home all ready for showings, only to find out that some people weren’t really “buyers,” but rather “lookers.” On a gorgeous day in mid-May, those tire-kickers are out in droves, but in 10 degree weather in January, the only people you see are SERIOUS Buyers. Yes, you have fewer showings, but that’s a good thing, because each showing is more productive.

By now you’re asking yourself whether I have the data to back all of this up, and the answer is, “Of course I do.”

I did a quick set of stats, showing all properties that sold in Northborough, Westborough and Shrewsbury, with an off-market date in January of last year. There were 39 of them in total. In February, there were only 13! Think the spring was better? In April there were only 18! The earliest Sellers to hit the market were the ones who ultimately succeeded. That puts the onus on both you and me, of course, to be talking about this now, even as you’re decorating the tree. No, I don’t want to start showing your home on Christmas Eve….but I would love to talk to you between now and the end of the month, come up with the best possible game plan, and be ready to hit the ground running just as soon as the ball drops on 2015. By having it all in place early, we can beat the rest of the folks to the market, and by the time they’re ready to list, you’ll be signing your contracts.

I’m working throughout the Christmas/New Year’s holiday week to make sure I can get to everyone, so call my cell 508-735-4663, or email me [email protected] and we can arrange to have a casual chat.

Steve Levine is President of Steve Levine Inc., and an agent for REMAX Professionals. He has been ranked 10 times as the Top REMAX Agent in New England, and can be found online at www.stevelevine.com.

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