It's holiday time! According to all my favorite Christmas carols and hymns, a wonderful and joy-filled time with lovely and cheery home decor abounding.
Here in Roseville, California, I have my Christmas tree, two favorite snowmen, and various and sundry teddy bears – stuffed as well as cute figurines from the grandkids – decorating my bookshelf. I didn't use all my Christmas home decor this year but it definitely looks bright and cheerful and my senior mom and granddog both gave their approval. I've also been to my first Christmas party of the year – a neighborhood party full of friends, fun, and yummy holiday desserts. And, ahem….have you noticed my blog is also decorated for Christmas? 🙂
I know the big question in many readers' minds at this time of year is, “I need to sell my house but can I?” OR “I need to buy a new home but can I? At Christmas?” You'll be happy to know the answer can be YES.
There will be fewer people looking, but the ones who are out house hunting are likely to be more serious which is great for sellers. And there's less competition for houses buyers. For the many people who tried to buy, participated in multiple offers over the summer, and were unsuccessful each time, that should come as great news!
In fact, NAR – The National Association of REALTORS – has even listed eight excellent reasons TO buy right now:
For sellers, putting your house on the market does require extra work and constant care to keep it clean all the time. (I have several great resources and checklists to help with that at my Pinterest site – just click here.) However, it does wind up being quite handy to always have a clean house for those unexpected holiday visitors. Speaking of whom, if your house is for sale now, be sure to send several flyers with a photo and full description of the home with each of your friends and family to share with THEIR friends and family! Great marketing exposure to help.
Plus, all that lovely holiday decor (it's wise to decorate moderately – not too much or dramatic) will be an added boost when home buyers come to look at your home. Especially if you add some lovely baking fragrances – perhaps with one of those wonderful plug-in Scentsy or other options. One other tip I shared last year, be sure to keep your house nice and warm in the winter on chilly days. Many times sellers will adjust the thermometer to save a few dollars on the utilities – especially if the house is empty, not realizing that could cost you big dollars by discouraging buyers who are too cold to go all the way through your home – or worse, causing them to think the heater doesn't work. So I highly recommend keeping the temperature set to a comfortable 70 or 72 degrees along with keeping those lights on all day and evening to make the house sparkle cheerfully. 🙂
Here is a chart from our MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Metrolist for REALTORS with some interesting and encouraging real estate market statistics and trends for Roseville, California – showing number of homes for sale, sold, and pending for the last year, through October 2014. Yes, the numbers go down in fall and winter BUT they don't stop. And that's especially true for our lovely area in Placer County CA with our great weather all year round.
If you do decide to buy or sell your house now, I'm definitely available to help you. Whether now or later, do CALL KAYE 1-916-844-0469 or 657-229-Kaye or email me at Kaye@KayeSwain.com and let me help you with your real estate needs.
