It’s that time of the year. Summer is back! Kids are out of school, barbeques are blazing and people are scrolling Zillow for their dream homes.
Are you thinking about selling your house this summer? If so, this blog post is for you. Because you may want to reconsider! Here are 4 reasons why summer house selling isn’t the best time to be buying a home in Connecticut…
If you’re thinking about selling your house, you might be wondering if summer is the best time to sell, or whether you should wait and sell it later. Here are 4 reasons why summer house selling isn’t ideal in Connecticut (plus I added one thing you should do instead)…
The 5 Reasons Why Selling A House In The Summer Isn’t Ideal In Connecticut
Reason #1. Dust, Dust, Everywhere!
Whether you’re in a dry area or a humid one, summer heat brings dust along for the ride. It gets tracked into your home and settles on everything like an unwanted guest. Talk about a mess! Plus, when the sun shines through the windows, you can actually see the dust particles floating in the air. Not the best look for potential buyers!
Reason #2. It’s Hot, Hot, Hot!
Yep, it’s summer, and that means scorching temperatures! People might prefer to stay indoors with their AC cranked up instead of venturing out to check out houses. And those who do brave the heat will be nitpicky about how cool your air conditioner is running. Even if it’s chilly inside, they might leave the door open and let all that precious cold air escape!
Reason #3. Its Muggy
I walked a house this week just after a storm came through. I kid you not we went around the back and say the basement door open and looked down to see a pool of water. Yes! the basement was flooded and this was a house on the MLS that the seller was trying to get for the same price well maintained houses were going for!
It’s been especially wet this season. We have been getting a lot of storms coming through and the heat hasn’t let up. So all that dust cakes on everything, people have trouble breathing no one want to go outside. There are so few buyers out there the weather makes it even worse. If you aren’t blasting the air conditioning during your open house don’t even bother showing it because buyers will be in a foul mood when they have to walk through a hot damp house and that can affect the offer they put on it.
Reason #4. There Are Fewer Buyers
Summer is vacation time! Everyone’s looking to get away from their regular routines. The kids are out of school, and families are planning trips to the beach, the mountains, or maybe even Disney World! With all these plans, there are fewer people in the market for buying houses during the summer months.
Most buyers are looking early in the summer or late spring. Anyone who is selling their house this late have missed the prime selling window. By the time inspections are completed and due diligence is done it will be close to September and kids are back in school. There is no incentive for buyers to move now. So they are not buying houses.
Reason #5. There Are More Sellers
Even though there are fewer buyers, many sellers see summer as the perfect time to put their homes on the market. They think it’s more convenient when the days are longer and the weather is nice. But here’s the thing: more sellers mean more competition for your house. With fewer buyers to choose from, it can be tough to sell your home at the price you want.
I know a sellers that decided not to take our offer the first time. They wanted to sell fast but they wanted much higher than his house was worth. I recommended he list it with an agent on the MLS since he will probably find a buyer willing to pay way over the market price for his house. Well, that didn’t go so well. The buyer offers at his price but after inspection dropped his price a lot! After the commission and fees he would be getting $10,000 less than what we offered him originally.
So he declined the buyers offer and didn’t like our offer so he is back on the market again trying to get more than his house is worth.
You see, you are now competing with a deluge of sellers. Houses that didn’t sell earlier in the season, deals that fell through and are back on the market and buyers who closed on a new house and are only now putting theirs up for sale. There are too many sellers and many of them are desperate to close so they will be reducing their prices. Do you really want to compete against them!?!?
So, what can you do?
If you really need to sell your house in the summer, don’t fret! There are still ways to make it work. Make sure your home is well-cooled and comfortable for potential buyers, keep it clean and dust-free (goodbye, dust bunnies!), and consider staging it to stand out from the competition.
But if you can wait until the bustling summer season is over, you might find it easier to attract more buyers and get a better price for your beloved home. Remember, it’s all about timing and finding the best opportunity to make that sale!