The fact is that, not only do homes sell in the colder season here, but there are some distinct advantages – to both buyers and sellers – courtesy of old man winter.

            For starters, if you list now, in winter, there’s far less competition. While you’re likely to see fewer prospects come through your home, those prospects are far more likely to be serious potential buyers.

Unlike summer, when some people might simply wish to make “house hunting” just an excuse to get out, stretch their legs, do something different, or maybe satisfy their curiosity (“I’ve always wondered how that house looks inside!”), winter tends to bring out fewer undecided tire-kickers. These colder weather house hunters are motivated and serious about buying a place – and soon.

            For the seller, then, it can mean you’ll sell your house after maybe just four or five showings. That may be far more palatable to you than, say, 40 would-be buyers stomping through your place, “kicking the tires,” and creating a sometimes annoying interruption – especially when many perhaps never seriously were in the market in the first place.

            What’s more, with increased competition that sprouts in the spring just as surely as a riot of daffodils, comes a driving down of prices. That doesn’t strike the most responsive of chords for sellers wishing to maximize their equity.

            Speaking of prices, interest rates currently remain quite low (like many of the average daily temperatures!), but there’s certainly no guarantee that, come spring, there wouldn’t be an increase in rates. It’s yet another reason why winter can be a much more favorable buying and selling season that you’d normally imagine. Plus, of course, for buyers, lower rates mean more house for the money.

            I can tell you, in fact, that not long ago my husband and I put our house up for sale during a chilly January. Guess what? It sold in two weeks! Never mind there was also two feet of snow on the ground. It was frankly a bit of a relief not to have to endure months of shoppers dragging themselves through our home. I also didn’t feel as pressured to keep the house in picture-book condition. It was simply less of an inconvenience for us during the wintertime, and we appreciated it.

            Also – sorry kids – winter means school is still in session. That has shown to be an advantage to those in a relocation mode, and people relocate at any time of year, be it a wickedly cold February or a sizzling hot July.

            Studies have shown conclusively that children adjust better when they move during the school year. By moving seamlessly from one school system to another, they immediately became immersed into their new scholastic and social culture. By contrast, moving in the summer means kids sometimes might feel a bit anxious and lonely, since they probably have no new friends to hang with. School tends to provide the best opportunity for such interactions.

            Finally, it’s difficult to book van lines in the summer, because everyone’s got the same idea. So moving companies can become grid-locked with more requests than they can handle in a timely manner.

            So, despite what you might think at first, winter can in fact be a good time for moving your real estate, moving into new real estate, or even moving from one state to another. The season truly has its advantages. That’s quite simply the hard and cold facts of the matter!