10 things you do to sell more winter real estate

Take advantage of the housing shortage

Less inventory on the market plus demand from motivated buyers turns into to a maximum profit for sellers.

Parse expired and withdrawn listings

Search the MLS for homes that didn’t sell, investigate why, if the home was inappropriately priced at the time, the seller might be open to adjusting it and re-listing again in the current market. If there were improvements the seller didn’t want to make at the time, perhaps you can convince them the improvements are worth while. Or better yet, they may have since taken the time to already make the improvements and the home is ready to put back on the market.

Find motivated buyers

The Local news is your friend, businesses whom are opening their doors or expanding operations in the area and hiring would be announced on the local news. This can be a great indication that housing might soon be in greater demand.

Find motivated sellers

The local news is a great resource for you: Layoffs in the area can indicate sellers who need to offload their mortgages sooner rather than later.

Inquire at homes with For Sale by Owner signs outside. It can be a pretty quick conversation to find out how the process is going with the owner and if you can be of any assistance.

If the home is in foreclosure, the bank might be more flexible towards the end of the year in offering prospective buyers a deal, enabling the seller to get out from under the mortgage.

Take advantage of the lack of competition

With other sellers in the area are unwilling to sell in the winter, perhaps they are enjoying vacation themselves? Your client has less competition for the serious buyers who are out there looking.

Capitalize on the numbers

33 days, Can you imagine moving in 33 days? According to a Worldwide ERC survey on U.S. domestic transfers and relocation, employees who accept job transfers are given an average of just 33 days to move and report to their new job. That is a small window to research, find, tour and close on a home that might be hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.

Appeal to The calendar watchers

Winter can appeal to buyers who are anxious to move into their new home before the end of the year — or shortly thereafter — perhaps to be ready for the holidays, for tax reasons or simply to get settled.

Offer them your undivided attention

If fewer sellers put their homes on the market in winter, the ones who go ahead and list with you enjoy the unfiltered light of your time and efforts. Off-season doesn’t necessarily mean hibernation. With the new technologies and updated marketing techniques adopted by every motivated real estate agent can reduce a seller’s typical aversions to listing a home in winter.