3 Reasons To Sell In Fall

In real estate there is this funny thing we call ‘fence-sitting’. It’s okay… we have all done it. It started in middle school when you procrastinated on your math homework, and well it just sort of followed you into the big decisions of adulthood like when to buy and sell. If you are a Silicon Valley homeowner who has been wanting/needing/planning to sell but just could not decide when – your window of opportunity is still here! Decades ago you’d be lectured on waiting until spring to list your home, but in the modern market the age-old wisdom does not really make cents (pun intended!). Here are three reasons why selling this fall can be a great move…

#1: Serious buyers don’t stop shopping when summer is over. Inventory issues have kept many buyers in the game longer than they ever thought they would play. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, the 2040 housing goals set by Silicon Valley cities are nearly all behind schedule – with San Jose barley meeting it’s 2040 housing target by the year 2070. (Did you know it could be worse: Concord would need to build for 966 years at it’s current production rate to meet it’s 2040 goal… OUCH!) With little new construction on the horizon, bands of buyers are eagerly awaiting every existing residence that enters the market.

#2: Settling in by the holidays lets you start your New Year with good cheer. Lingering life changes just don’t scream ‘fresh start’, it’s more like your life is in pause mode. You know what opportunities the current market present; what 2019 will hold exactly is unpredictable. More competition from Bay Area exodus sellers? Fewer qualified buyers from higher rates? Why not work with what you’ve got, finish this chapter by the holidays and work on that new novel of life in the New Year. Sometimes serendipity needs a little strategy… it’s the only way to survive market madness.

#3: Everyone is back to business. Selling in summer is a bit like sporting as mullet – business upfront but party behind the scenes. (We are real estate agents, not comedians… but we tried!). Sunny weather sales are plagued by graduation season, extended vacations and beach days. Kids are out of school and people are out of routine. Selling in the fall when our lives return to ‘normal’ can create a less stressful real estate transaction around. Life happens at any time of year… but the challenges can be more predictable and manageable in a less chaotic time of year.

If you are thinking you’d like to sell but could NEVER get your home ready by then, think again! Check out our ‘Seller Short List’ and ask us how we manage every aspect of preparing your home for sale – with a hands-on, low stress system that hundreds of Bay Area sellers have told us they love.

Let's chat soon,

Mark & Jason