Top Questions About Selling Your Home During the Holidays

In our blog two weeks ago, we made the suggestion that you should consider selling your home before or during the holidays.

That led to several questions.

1. But, doesn’t it make more sense the wait?

Even though the supply of homes for sale has increased in 2022, inventory is still low overall. That means it’s still a sellers’ market. The graph below helps put the inventory growth into perspective. Using data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), it shows just how far off we are from flipping to a buyers’ market:

While buyers have regained some negotiation power as inventory has grown, you haven’t missed your window to sell. Your house could still stand out since inventory is low, especially if you list now while other sellers hold off until after the holiday rush and the start of the new year.

On Cape Cod, we have a 2.2 months inventory of homes which means that if nothing else would become available, it would take 2.2 months to exhaust the supply. A “normal” market is considered six months.

2. Are there buyers still out there?

If you’re thinking of selling your house but are hesitant because you’re worried buyer demand has disappeared in the face of higher mortgage rates, know that isn’t the case for everyone. While demand has eased this year, millennials are still looking for homes. As an article in Forbes explains:

“At about 80 million strong, millennials currently make up the largest share of homebuyers (43%) in the U.S., according to a recent National Association of Realtors (NAR) report. Simply due to their numbers and eagerness to become homeowners, this cohort is quite literally shaping the next frontier of the homebuying process. Once known as the ‘rent generation,’ millennials have proven to be savvy buyers who are quite nimble in their quest to own real estate. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they are the key to the overall health and stability of the current housing industry.”

While the millennial generation has been dubbed the renter generation, that namesake may not be appropriate anymore. Millennials, the largest generation, are actually a significant driving force for buyer demand in the housing market today. If you’re wondering if buyers are still out there, know that there are still people who are searching for a home to buy today. And your house may be exactly what they’re looking for.

3. If I sell, can I afford to buy my next home?

If current market conditions have you worried about how you’ll afford your next move, consider this: you may have more equity in your current home than you realize.

Homeowners have gained significant equity over the past few years and that equity can make a big difference in the affordability equation, especially with mortgage rates higher now than they were last year. According to Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American: “. . . homeowners, in aggregate, have historically high levels of home equity. For some of those equity-rich homeowners, that means moving and taking on a higher mortgage rate isn’t a huge deal.” 

For us, that meant that we were able this spring to use our equity to make a significant down payment on our new home, then market our old one. We didn’t have a home sale contingency in the offer to purchase our new home.

If you’re intrigued about the idea of selling your house before year’s end, let’s connect at 508-360-5664 or [email protected] to review your options. Remember: your home never looks better (or is more marketable) than during the holidays.

Thursday is Thanksgiving and we would be remiss if we did not wish everyone a blessed and memorable day. We’ve all come to appreciate this holiday more because we lost the chance to celebrate it during the height of the pandemic. So we hope you enjoy the chance to spend time with family and friends.

Mari and Hank