{"id":4799,"date":"2022-03-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/news\/?p=4799"},"modified":"2022-03-04T09:58:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T14:58:51","slug":"selling-home-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/selling-home-in-winter","title":{"rendered":"Myth vs. Reality: Selling Your Home in Winter Months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Selling your home in winter goes against everything you’ve heard. But Toronto real estate agent David Fleming says the best time to sell is when you need to. This includes selling a home<\/a> during the winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no one answer to the question of whether selling your property during the holidays<\/a> is a good idea. However, there are some myths that we want to debunk for sellers looking for a little encouragement to list and sell their homes in the winter. “It’s so important to keep on top of current market conditions,” said Fleming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t worry about a lack of buyer presence in the market or how your home might look in winter photos. We know there is more to those blanket statements that often scare sellers away from listing their property even though they are on a tight timeline or are ready to make a move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are four myths about selling your home in the winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth No. 1: Fewer People Look For Property in the Winter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Snowplow<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Homeowners have a notion that selling a home in winter is difficult.\u00a0 But that’s not always true. \u201cThere\u2019s an old real estate saying that states that the best time to buy a property is: when you find the right one,\u201d explains Fleming. Most people assume spring is the best time to buy.\u00a0 However, Fleming points out that families and homeowners need to move every day of the year \u2014 through rain, shine and even that dreaded blizzard the Weather Network warned us about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, one thing to consider when selling your home in the winter months is that most companies relocate their employees at the start of the year \u2014 in the winter season. As a result, these relocated families are often listing their former home for sale and shopping for a new home during the coldest, wettest winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an added bonus, sellers who list their homes for sale in the winter can expect two guarantees: you’ll get fewer showings and more serious buyers. Why? Because very few people will take the time to bundle up and start their vehicle in -30 degree weather just to see a property they were only moderately interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth No. 2: Your Home Won\u2019t Show Well<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Young<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, you worry about having to shovel sidewalks and clean up dirty snow if you’re selling your home in winter.\u00a0 The reality is some homes tend to show best in the winter. The snow helps the home sparkle, while the home’s interior can look cozy\u00a0and inviting. Just make sure you play up these features. Make sure to shovel your exterior walkways, light the fire and keep the heat up; particularly on the colder days.\u00a0 By simply making a few adjustments and incorporating a few new design trends<\/a> while staging your home, you will create a beautiful and desirable home for potential buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, there are some advantages to selling in the winter.\u00a0 It’s an ideal time to highlight not-so-noticeable upgrades like extra insulation or a new high-efficiency furnace. According to Natural Resources Canada, properties with energy efficiency certificates hold higher occupancy levels.\u00a0 They also tend to sell for higher prices than homes without. You can easily highlight the upgrades in your home in the winter months.\u00a0 Would-be buyers can see and feel the advantages of an energy-efficient<\/a> home. This works in your favour.\u00a0 The last thing a motivated buyer wants is a property that requires a tonne of maintenance during the coldest season of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth No. 3: Your Property Won\u2019t Sell for As Much as it Would in Spring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Selling<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The big fear about selling in the winter is that you just won’t get as much for your home when compared to listing and selling in the spring selling season. While there is some truth to this \u2014 on average, homes sell for 5% to 10% more in the spring \u2014 you need to keep a few facts in mind when selling your home in the winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the spring offers a lot of competition and not all homes sell. On average, more than a third of homes need to be re-listed before a formal offer is made.  This means many homes listed in the spring don’t sell straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, there is a lot more competition in the spring. One way to counter this is to price a home competitively \u2014 meaning for less than it’s worth.  This has the potential to prompt a bidding war. So a home may already be under-priced when a bid goes over asking by an extra 5% to 10% during the springtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s also the overall market in your area. \u201cIn 2017, active listings were down some 50% in January, February, and March in the Toronto market, so it was an incredible time to sell,\u201d said Fleming.  Although it is difficult for you to predict the trends, your Realtor can help you anticipate how active the home sales market might be<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is to know the market, understand your home’s key advantages and disadvantages and then list it accordingly.  For some homes, it’s ideal to list in the winter when there are fewer homes competing for attention and more eager buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth No. 4: Your Home Will Stay on the Market for Too Long<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re worried that your home won\u2019t sell right away, consider the fact that agents have more time to dedicate to negotiations between the buyer and the seller due to a lower volume of clients in the winter months. However, during January, February and March there tends to be less negotiating since both the buyer and seller are motivated to complete the sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one answer, across the board, each and every year here,\u201d said Fleming. \u201cThis is why it\u2019s so important to keep on top of current market conditions<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you know you\u2019re going to sell your property sometime in the next year, monitor the market to better understand trends among buyers and sellers.\u00a0 You may have thought \u201cI\u2019ll never sell in the winter.\u201d\u00a0 But sometimes we change our minds when the market says it\u2019s time.\u00a0 From motivated buyers to less time wasted on showing your property \u2014 winter is often a great time to sell if you are looking to move and need to sell your home during the winter months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baby it\u2019s cold outside! Does that mean that selling in the winter is a bad idea? We bust 4 myths that say otherwise<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":20576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"guide":[],"class_list":["post-4799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-selling"],"acf":[],"zolo_excerpt":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4799"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20578,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4799\/revisions\/20578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4799"},{"taxonomy":"guide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guide?post=4799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}