Thanksgiving, holiday parties, Christmas, company, New Year’s festivities, snow . . . all can make showing your home a bit tricky during the winter months. I am often asked by Lake Wylie homeowners whether or not to keep listing their home over the holidays. Some sellers choose to take their homes OFF the market during this season. In fact, home-for-sale inventory on the MLS always drops during the months of November – January.
However, buyers ARE still active during these months. Some take advantage of school and holiday vacations to visit and search for homes, preparing for a relocation after the first of the year. For other buyers, the winter time search fits in with their life change needs. For local waterfront buyers, a winter time purchase means that they’ll have their new lake home to enjoy during the whole spring and summer season!
Homes dressed up for the holidays can be warm and inviting, and the buyers enjoy seeing homes with festive decor. With shorter daylight hours, however, agents need to be aware of when a home will show at its best. For instance, if the home is waterfront on Lake Wylie and has a beautiful lake view, the agent will want to make sure to show it in daylight hours, particularly if they want to walk to the dock and show the outside features of the property.
What to do when company is in town? With our Charlotte MLS, showing restrictions are not a problem to set up. Let your listing agent know which days or times are inconvenient for showings. Agents and buyers understand that there will be more restrictions than usual during the holiday season, and can often accommodate alternative times in the showing schedule. Communication is the key!
Thanks for reading, and visit my Seller Resources page for more advice on selling your home and other Lake Wylie real estate topics!