You’ve probably heard it many times before, but it’s still just as true as it’s ever been: spring is the best time get ready to sell your home and downsize if you live in the Greater Kansas City area (which includes Lawrence & Topeka). Obvious reasons like nicer weather entices buyers to get out and about and look at homes: winter’s inclement weather is gone, the sun is out, the birds are chirping and house hunting excitement is in the air. There are some less obvious – but perhaps more important – reasons why you should sell your house in the springtime too.
Viewing Is Better
The sun is shining, the days are longer, and buyers are in a better mood in general – all good reasons to sell your Kansas City area house in the springtime. But there’s also the benefit of houses looking better in the spring. Spring flowers are out & in bloom, grass is greening up, buyers can get a sense of a yard or property space without snow in the way and lighting is better. We also see buyers out driving to look at neighborhoods and home options on the weekends for an enjoyable activity.
In addition, daylight savings is back in effect. So days are longer, which allows more viewing time in better light. Interested buyers won’t be driving by to look at your house in the dusk after work.
Higher Sale Price
Basic supply and demand generally means lower prices when inventory is higher. But with real estate, it can be just the opposite. Even though they blur together sometimes, we have fall, winter, spring, and summer seasons in our area.
In the springtime, when far more houses are listed, prices are higher and this kicks off the time of year when we tend to see the most buyers in the buyer pool out shopping. The reason for this is that real estate is highly seasonal, with home buying driven by weather and the school year, so there are a lot more buyers vying for the available homes during the spring. If you are planning to downsize in Kansas City, knowing when the most buyers are shopping is important for the sale of your home! (typically March – June, with a 4th of July tail end) There’s definitely a good reason to sell your Kansas City area home in the springtime – because at that time of year you are likely to get more money out of it.
Better Valuation
A related reason to downsize and sell your Kansas City area house in the springtime is that it will generally appraise at a higher valuation. Appraisers figure the value of your house chiefly on the basis of the value of comparable houses in the area, most importantly SOLD homes. So if you put it on the market during a low-price season like winter, your house will be worth less.
When you want to sell during an “on” season like spring, experts recommend waiting till a few houses around have gone up for sale before putting your house on the market. That way, the appraiser can use the higher seasonal values of those other comparable houses to give yours a higher valuation. A word of caution, though: make sure your appraiser does, in fact, know the neighborhood and the home values.
Bidding Is Better
What could be better than having several buyers bidding on your home, fighting it out in a bidding war to see who the winner will be? That’s what can happen if you sell in the springtime. If you get your house on the market when buyer activity is high, you increase your chances of getting multiple offers.
With multiple offers and bidding competition, you not only can get a higher sale price, but buyers are also less likely to request concessions for repairs and closing costs. In addition, cash buyers are often particularly aggressive bidders in situations like this. And a buyer with cash in hand means a quick closing and a lot less headache for you as the seller.
If you are planning to downsize and sell your home in the Kansas City area, springtime is the home opener for the home selling season. What’s not always as clear, though, are the many other factors that influence price and selling speed. Just relying on the season alone may not be enough.
