Sellers who delay listing their home or take their home off the market during the holidays miss a great opportunity to find the right buyer. Think about it.

• When does your home look it’s prettiest?
• When decorated for the holidays. When does a cozy fire and the sweet smell of a Christmas tree and Christmas baking make your home its most charming? During the holidays.
• When is there less competition because some sellers have taken their homes off the market? During the holidays.
• When are families all over town driving through your neighborhood looking at holiday decorations (and FOR SALE signs)? During the holidays.
• When are buyers in the market most serious about making a decision and moving as quickly as possible? During the holidays.

It is true that more houses are sold during other months. But if you’re trying to sell your home, total sales volume is not your problem. The only house you care about selling is your own, and you only need one buyer.

Companies are relocating employees throughout the year. They don’t stop because the fourth quarter might be an inconvenient time for people to move. And when employees move during the last months of the year, they are on a deadline to start work and to buy a house and get settled. By taking your house off the market during the holidays, you are missing some of the most motivated buyers of the year.

The growing role of the Internet is another factor changing old assumptions about the seasonal nature of real estate marketing. In the comfort of their homes across the country and around the world, potential buyers in your community are online during every season of the year looking at homes on the market. During the holidays, potential buyers may have even more time to spend online looking at listed homes.

If your house is on the market, and you have holiday travel plans or house guests arriving, discuss your plans with your real estate agent. Arrangements can be made to revise showing instructions temporarily without taking your listing off the market and perhaps costing you the right buyer for your home.

(The holidays are also a great time to buy a home. Call me at 704-829-1226 and I’ll tell you why.)