Have you been thinking about selling a house during the holidays? Do you want to sell your house in Utah during the holiday season but have thought that because of the time of year there would be no buyers for you? We can help you sell your home now with our great tips for selling your house during the holidays! Selling a house during the holidays does not have to be a hassle and can actually pay off for you. You might even be able to move after the holidays while selling your house now.
The holidays can be an excellent time to sell your house, as it continues to be a seller’s market as 2021 comes to an end. Even with it being easier than previous years to get your house under contract at the end of the year, you have options when selling a home during the holidays. You can list your house or try FSBO and have success. Do keep in mind that there are fewer buyers looking in the winter and holiday months, but they do tend to be serious about buying a house. If you are in a hurry or have a vacant house or a house that needs quite a bit of repairs, selling a house to a cash buyer could be the answer. A lot depends on how fast you want to sell your house and what moving options you need.
Some things you can start thinking about are when do I want to move, do I need the money from the sale of the house to move, is there a tenant in the house, are there repairs to be made and do I want to make the repairs to the house, is the house vacant and just needs to be gone or are you dealing with a hoarder house that needs to get sold? Maybe you need to sell a house with a tenant in it. Read on to learn more about selling your house in the winter months in Utah. Selling a house during the holidays and cold winter months is not much different than selling in the warm months for the most part.
Below we review 4 of the ways most people can sell a house this time of year. Cold temps, the holidays and fewer buyers are no match for the serious house seller.
Selling a House During the Holidays
Your options range from listing your house with a real estate agent to selling your house to a local house buying company, or maybe you could place your house for sale buy owner or contact one of those national iBuyers. There are people actively looking to buy houses in Utah during the holiday months of November, December & January and the cold month of February. Let’s look at each option and how each option might workout during this time of year.
Listing Your House on the MLS with a Real Estate Agent
This option will probably take the most effort and will cost the most money up front for minor repairs and some touch up. This option will also involve the most people in and out of your house which might not be something you want to deal with. Having said that, most experienced agents will know how to minimize homeowner exposure to the people that will be going in and out of your house and get your house sold in 6 to 10 weeks most of the time. Just remember you will need to deal with all the potential house hunters touring your house and the inspections, appraisals and repairs that will be required.
Many buyers will need to tour tour your home before putting in an offer. In the current market, a properly priced home could see 10 to 15 people a day wanting to tour your house. Some people may want to see your house 2 or 3 times before deciding if they are going to make an offer on your house. Then you have to decide on the best offer not only based on price but will the buyer make it to closing. And between the acceptance of an offer and the closing are inspections, an appraisal and the repairs the buyer will surely ask for.
If the buyer doesn’t back out or lose their financing, this process will take about 6 to 8 weeks. This option does usually give the seller the most proceeds but the price is time and all the hassles.
Selling Your House For Sale By Owner (FSBO)
This is a lot like listing your house on the MLS with a realtor with a few pretty big differences. This is the option that can possibly net a seller the most money, but the seller definitely needs to know the market value of the house excluding all emotions. This will help you accept the right offer. Waiting for an offer that is above market value will drag out your selling efforts. Know your house value.
Then next most important thing is to know how to verify the buyer of the offer you want to accept is qualified to get a mortgage for the amount they said they could pay for your house.
Another very important thing is marketing your property to maximize exposure. Placing on-line ads that reach your local market is a must.
Finding an iBuyer
Many people have not heard of iBuyers. This is understandable since iBuyers are relatively new to the house selling business. An iBuyer is a national company that uses technology to make an offer on your home via the internet. There is no real personal involvement until someone comes out to look at your house. iBuyers typically want to buy houses that can be listed with little to no work done to them.
How it works is you fill out a form on the internet with all of your house information and the computer spits out a price they will pay for your house. If you accept the offer, someone will come out and inspect the house and make adjustments to the offer price based on repairs and updates needed. All the clients I have talked with that got offers from us and an iBuyer thought it was easier working with us because we are local and understand the market. Most of the time our offer was more after an iBuyer has done all of their inspections and reduced their offer.
Selling a House During the Holidays the Easy Way
The easy and stress free way to sell your house during the winter months is with a professional house buying company like Gary Buys Houses. Even with all the holidays in November and December and the cold and drawn out days of January and February, you can get your house sold quickly and easily. And best of all, you can enjoy the benefits of getting your house sold, getting your proceeds now and move after the holidays or move when it starts to warm up in March. We can make an offer right when you call or text us, or we can meet at your house at a time that works for you.
We Make Selling a Home During the Holidays Easy
Please Call or Text 801-382-9199 to see if we are a good option for you.
We love questions and helping people research their options.
What it Takes when Selling Your Home During the Cold Winter Months
The houses in this video are properties we have purchased in late October and mid way through November as an example of selling your home in the winter months around the holidays. The first house in the video was brought to us by a realtor that had a client that did not want their house on the MLS and needed moving options; the second condo in the video was a seller that needed some liens against the property negotiated and worked on. The property was vacant, so the seller wanted the property sold asap. We buy houses during the cold winter months and during the holidays in Utah. We love your questions, so please call us today!
Extra Work Might Pay Off using a Real Estate Agent | FSOB | iBuyer
Each of these options to sell your house require some work by you but might help you get a little more money for your house unless it needs a lot of work or has other issues. The trade off for the possibility of a little more money at closing is doing some things up front to get your house to appeal to the most buyers.
Think: Warm, Inviting & Homey
No matter who you are or where you live, people love to feel warm and cozy when walking in the door of a house they might buy. During showings or open houses, you can offer holiday snacks such as cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, apple cider or Diet Coke and maybe some candy. If you have a fireplace, light it. A few Christmas lights on the outside of the house will top everything off.
Scents can help create the atmosphere you are looking for. Gingerbread, pine, and freshly baked bread can all make people feel right at home… just not all at the same time! You want to keep it cozy… never cluttered or distracting.
Even the most beautiful holiday decorations can appear cluttered if there is too much of a good thing. Many of us have mismatched boxes of ornaments, collected over time and stored in a holiday hodgepodge. If you are selling your house during the holiday season, only put out a few decorations this year.
In addition, personalized items can make prospective buyers feel as if they are intruding. When you are showing the house, put away stockings with names and decorations made by the kids. Of course, you can put them back out the minute your guests have left.
These suggestions also apply after the holidays into the coldest winter months. Stay away from a lot of personalized items and decorations to make your house look open and inviting. These are great tips if you are going to use a real estate agent or sell your home on your own (FSBO). These are great suggestions if you are using an iBuyer as well.
Hire a Professional to Help You Sell Your House
This could be a Real Estate agent, someone to help with decorating or maybe someone to help get the house ready FAST. Taking advantage of this time of year to sell your house needs to start now if you have decided selling now is what you want to do. Maybe you can pick one professional to work with to help push things along.
- A real estate agent can advise and handle the whole sales process, or
- Professionals can hang some outside lights for you, or
- A professional house cleaner can get your cleaning done fast.
Getting some help could really pay off time wise.
Seek Out The Right People
Think about who might be moving during the holiday season. Families might be moving during the Christmas break. Investors might be looking to purchase before the end of the year. Students and staff might also choose year-end to relocate. Make sure your home is advertised where it can reach these people. Advertise near a school, showcase your listing in a local business journal or place an ad in a University newspaper and most important…place ads on the internet like facebook and KSL.com.
Stay optimistic and implore some “out of the box” techniques to find your ideal buyer! And if you don’t find a buyer during the holidays… relax. January and February are not that far away!
Gary Buys Houses
If getting your house sold right away for a fair price, as-is, and with a ton of moving options or even renting your house back long-term is what will help you the most, please contact us today for a no obligation offer on your house. We love questions and are here to help people make the best decisions about the house they need to sell.