Should your home be on the market over the holidays?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions to real estate brokers.  A home is listed and still on the market as November arrives.  The leaves are gone from the trees, we set the clocks back and wake up to 35 degrees and sleet (sound familiar) and homeowners ask - should we take our house off the market and put in back in the "Spring" (I'll blog soon about when the spring market REALLY starts in Boston - a lot earlier than most think).

Having buyers coming into your home when there's snow on the ground, or your holiday decorations are up, or you have guests staying to visit, or you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner . . . OK, it doesn't sound like much fun either and the temptation is totally understood to just withdraw the house from the market (and talk to your agent about doing this, and whether it still accumulates the all important "Days on the Market" while it's withdrawn).  

That said, there are still a LOT of buyers in the market even now in the second week of November.  Our office tracks open house attendance for our sellers to keep them up-to-date on market trends, and yesterday's open houses (Sun. November 7 - rather gloomy weather) saw overall strong turnouts - actually more attendees on average than the previous week.  The interest rate climate remains incredibly strong, and if we start to see an uptick that looks like it more than a market fluctuation (i.e. rates rise and look like they're going to stay trending that way), even more buyers will likely enter the market or make offers to seize the rate.

Also, as other people take their homes off the market, your competition decreases, letting your home stand out more (as compared to a mid-April market when buyers have to cram 30 open houses into two hours).  Your home may also have decorations, working fireplaces, radiant heat, or other features that make it especially appealing over the winter.

As will all decisions, your home, your location, your circumstances and your market will greatly influence your decision - but don't just take your home off the market - you may miss out on the "perfect" ready buyer.