Selling Your Home During the Holidays Can be Very Challenging
The spring and summer months are among the most active times of the year for residential real estate sales. Many buyers are eager to find a new home to move into, and this means that homes 
typically sell more quickly than they do in the winter and particularly during the holidays. However, many homeowners must list their home for sale during the holiday season. This may be because you were offered a great job opportunity in another city, you need to downsize because of financial issues or you are faced with other challenges. Selling your San Francisco area home during the holidays may take more time and require more patience and strategizing on your part. If you are preparing to list your home with a local real estate agent soon, think through each of these challenges carefully before you decide how to proceed. You may be surprised to learn that selling a home during the holidays will be more stressful than you originally thought.
Poor Weather Conditions
Throughout the holiday season, the days are very short, and the weather is often cold and dreary. Many people who may otherwise be interested in touring homes may opt to simply cuddle up at home for a few months until the weather conditions improve. Poor weather conditions can also make it difficult for you to keep your home’s interior clean and tidy. After all, your family and pets may track in dirty moisture on their feet. They may leave jackets and scarves lying around. The kids may be home from school on a holiday break, and they may leave messes in every room they pass through. In addition, the dreary weather could even detract from your home’s interior ambiance. After all, consider how appealing your home looks on a dark, dreary day in comparison to a bright day when sunshine is streaming in through the windows.
Decreased Curb Appeal
In the winter months, your lawn may turn a dismal shade of brown. Your trees may be bare, and the flowers may have withered away a long time ago. This is not a time of year that is well-known for enabling beautiful curb appeal. Remember that many buyers will make a snap judgment about your home based on how well-maintained the exterior is. Your home’s curb appeal will make a lasting first impression, but there may be little that you can do to spruce up your home’s exterior when the days are short and the weather is horrendous. Limited curb appeal will simply be a factor that increases the challenge associated with selling your home this time of year.
Reduced Buyer Activity
One of the reasons why it is faster and easier to sell a home in the summer is because buying activity is high. Many buyers are actively looking for a property to buy during this time of the year. During the holidays, the cold weather may deter some potential buyers from searching for a home. Other potential buyers may be busy with holiday plans, parties, shopping, travel and more. The holiday season is one of the most stressful times of the year, and many people will delay their house hunting efforts until after the new year has started.
Personalized Holiday Décor
Your real estate agent will likely advise you to remove all signs of personalization from your home before it is listed for sale. This includes all family portraits, kids’ artwork and trophies, religious symbols and more. Many real estate agents will not go so far as to tell you not to put up a Christmas tree or hang a wreath on the door, but the reality is that any religious items can turn off some buyers. More than that, personalization in a home makes it more difficult for others to imagine living in the space. Instead, potential buyers who tour your home may easily feel like they are walking through someone else’s home. The holidays simply are not the holidays without decorations and a tree, so you may need to make a stressful decision about how to handle this.
Lender and Third Party Delays
If you do happen to find an interested buyer who makes an offer on your home, you may struggle with lender and third party delays. After all, the mortgage company’s representatives, the appraiser, the property inspector and others may all be busy with their own holiday activities. Many people work reduced hours during this time of year, and some take extended vacations because things are so slow at work. In fact, you may discover that the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is completely unproductive. This can make it challenging for you to finalize the sale of your home quickly over the holidays.
Incredible Levels of Stress
While your primary goal may be to sell your home during this holiday season, you also may be swamped with holiday activities yourself. After all, just because you intend to sell your home does not mean that you can miss your child’s holiday performance at school, skip your friend’s holiday party or avoid buying presents for friends and family members. There is always so much to do throughout the holiday season. Trying to deal with keeping the home constantly clean, scheduling contractors for assistance, leaving the house suddenly for a home tour and more can add to your stress level.
As you can see, listing your home for sale over the holiday season with a real estate agent can be a frustrating, stress-filled experience. You may think that this is the only way to sell your home, but there is another option available. Our team at Metis Assets is ready to make an immediate offer on your home. This is an excellent way to get a fair cash value offer on your home regardless of the current condition that it is in. By taking this step, you can eliminate a significant amount of time and stress associated with trying to sell your home over the holidays.