CMHC says that "Traditionally, January is a slow month for real estate as most sellers choose to wait until the middle of February in the hopes of capitalizing on the early spring market. However, more and more sellers are opting to put their house on the market in January."As a real estate professional I'm tending to see this trend as well with the sellers I work with. There's both pro's and con's to listing Your home in the "slower months" just like there's pro's and con's to listing Your home in the "busier markets'.
If Your goal is to sell Your home it does no good to have it sit on the sidelines, out of the game and trying to "time the market". The only thing that You know for sure is that if Your home is not on the market, then it's not going to sell.
That being said, if Your home is not ready for the market, then don't rush to put it on. Now more than ever Your home needs to shine from the competition. Buyers are looking for more bang for their buck and are looking for homes that are move in ready with little work needing to be done. If Your home does need work then it has to be priced accordingly. Depending on the price point there's just too much competition and buyers will simply move on to another home.
We only get one chance to make a good impression and that impression is usually made online through Your REALTORS® marketing. Over 90% of home searches start online so it's imperative that they have a well thought out, step by step plan to showcase Your home to it's FULL potential.
At the end of the day You never know when the right buyer is going to be looking for a home just like Yours...so regardless of the market, if You and Your home are ready to sell then there's no time like the present to make it happen :)
