8 Reasons You Should List Your House in February 2023

If you’re thinking about selling soon, it might be a good idea to do so before the spring market rolls around. Although there is no one “best” time to sell a home, spring is often considered the most strategic time of year because more people and buyers are looking for properties. However, this doesn’t mean that selling at any specific time is always the best option for you. In fact, listing your house well ahead of the official start to the spring market could be the most strategic thing you do in any market, but even more so given the current market conditions. Let’s take a look at 8 reasons you should seriously consider listing your house in February 2023: 1. Spring Market Actually Unofficially Begins in January First off, even defining when the spring market begins is a moving target, but March, April, May probably sounds right to most people. Unless you’re in the real estate business, the chances are you wouldn’t lump February into the mix of months to describe the spring market. However, March comes pretty quickly, and agents see a lot of activity from buyers who want to buy in the spring market, but actually start looking in February. Some of them just want to get a head start, while others want to beat their competition… and some simply want to be in their new home by spring. 2. Less Competition Just like early bird homeowners who take advantage of less competition from other sellers in February, those who list their home in February can capitalize on weaker competition. Just like those who take advantage of less competition from other sellers in February, those who list their home in February can capitalize on the weaker competition. Over the past few years, a lack of available housing has made it difficult for buyers to find properties they can afford. However, this situation is changing as more sellers enter the market. If you wait too long to list your property, potential buyers may have fewer choices and be forced to pay more for a house than they would if you listed sooner. 3. Prices are still historically high, even after the recent inflation. While there's much talk about real estate prices potentially coming down, according to this Forbes article, home prices are still 6% higher than they were last year, when prices were considered historically high. However, it also speculates that a drop in prices could happen depending on what happens with mortgage rates moving forward. Whether or not home prices are actually higher, lower, or about the same depends on a lot of factors such as your location and price range. However, overall prices haven't taken a dive off of a cliff yet. 4. Mortgage rates are currently lower, which may make buying a home more affordable. You might be aware that interest rates have recently shot up from being historically low for years, to over 6% in October of 2022. While they haven't gone back down below 3%, they've recently come down to around 5%, which has some buyers breathing a sigh of relief and trying to buy before they go up again. That said, rates have a tendency to change quickly and often, so it’s hard to bank on lower rates being an enticement for buyers. But if they’re relatively low when compared to recent changes, it might be something worth considering. 5. A seasonal pent-up demand for goods and services may lead to increases in prices. After the holiday season, many buyers take time off from their search. This is especially true for people who just had a baby or who are on vacation. February can be an anxious month for these buyers, as they want to start their search up again and find new options on the market. 6. The buyers are more serious than ever before when it comes to purchasing a home. There are typically more buyers during the official spring season, but not all of them are serious buyers.. However, any buyer looking at houses in February tends to be highly motivated to find a house. So, you're not having to deal with as many lookie-loos waltzing through your house like they're auditioning for an HGTV show. 7. We're grateful for shorter days. As the days go by, they also get longer. The more sunlight later in the day means more buyers wanting to see your house during the evening hours. Most people prefer to see a house while the sun is out, so listing in February increases your chances of having less buyers coming through when you’d prefer to be at home relaxing.. The Takeaway: If you're thinking about selling, and you were leaning toward waiting until the spring market officially arrived, you might want to consider listing in February instead.. There are always strategic benefits to listing your house in February, but given the current market conditions, there are even more reasons to do so.  

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