Many people are hesitant to sell their home in the fall months. And as a result of that, a lot of real estate agents think of the fall as the beginning of the “dead” time. Common real estate sense says that the fall and winter markets are the least valuable times of the year. It’s the time when your business goes on life support, not the time when it grows and thrives.

But there are many aspects of the fall market and even the winter months that make them the ideal time to sell a home. One of those aspects is that you can find highly motivated buyers and there are fewer sellers.

Why the Fall Real Estate Market Gets a Bad Rap

The fall real estate market is thought of by most people as being a poor time to sell for a few different reasons. First, the majority of home buyers prefer to make their purchase in the spring and summer before the kids start school, things get busier, and the family settles down for winter. Second, the common perception is that, especially in northern climates, home buyers would rather be looking at homes during the warmer months instead of going out and about in the freezing weather.

Third, many sellers would rather sell their homes in the spring and summer rather than in the fall real estate market, because they think there will be more buyer competition. More competition means more offers, bidding wars, and everything that a seller wants to see. In general, this is true; there is typically a larger number of people buying in the spring and summer market.

But when thinking of buyers during the fall real estate market, you have to consider quality over quantity. Because the fall market can bring the best types of serious home buyers, instead of a bunch of potential buyers who have a lot of other options.

The Fall Real Estate Market Brings the Right Buyers

As I mentioned, most buyers typically want to purchase a home in the spring and summer. What that means, though, is that if you do have a buyer in the fall or winter market, they are most likely highly motivated. They probably want to get in a home and settled as quickly as possible, either before the cold sets in or before the holiday craziness. Plus, they are more often than not moving for a very specific purpose that is forcing them to do it during the fall, like for a job or other life event. They also most likely do not have the time to mess around with offer haggling or to shop around and look at too many different houses.

There Is a Lot Less Competition in the Fall from Other Sellers

The other major benefit to selling during the fall real estate market is that there is a lot less inventory. That means less options for home buyers and less competition for sellers. Less competition allows your listing clients to sell their home on their own terms, potentially even getting more for it than they would selling during the spring or summer.

Don’t Underestimate the Fall Real Estate Market

If you’re a real estate agent, don’t think of the fall or event winter as downtime. Don’t get complacent and think there is no business to be had. If leads are saying they want to wait to sell until spring, lay out the advantages of doing it now. Keep grinding, and you’ll rake in the business that all the other agents in your market didn’t think existed.

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