How to sell a home leading up to the holidays

There is no controlling the time of year that a seller might be required to sell their real estate, but what about the busy period leading up to the holiday season?

Although listing a home too close to Christmas isn’t ideal in many cases, it can yield positive results if done properly.
 
One advantage of selling a property around the holidays is that there’s typically less competition. With fewer listings on the market at this time of year, you can take advantage of the more serious active buyers. It’s not uncommon that work schedules lighten up leading to the holidays, which may allow active buyers to focus on house hunting.

The amount of active buyers will be somewhat dictated by the condition of the local market – for instance, a seller's market will typically see more buyer foot traffic at any point during the year when compared to a buyer or balanced market. With that said, many people simply stop looking for homes at this time of year.
 
The rules for staging a home leading up to the holidays change slightly as well. Prepare your property in such a way that buyers will feel warm and comfortable. Selectively decorate for the holidays, but do not go overboard as you want to appeal to all cultures.

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If the home has a fireplace, be sure to have it lit for showings. Have the heat set to a comfortable 21 degrees or slightly higher on an icy day. Ensuring your property shows well is of utmost importance during this time of year.
 
It goes without saying that pricing the home properly to reflect current market conditions will greatly contribute to the sale success.  

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Dustin Graham is a sales representative with Re/Max and the leader of The Graham Partners team located in the west Greater Toronto Area. 

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