Listing early helps you beat the competition and secure the best deal.


As a real estate agent, one of the most common questions I get from potential home sellers is, “When is the best time of year to sell my home?” Let me answer that question this way:

March historically gets the most showings, followed by April and then May. If you want to time the market for the quickest sale and the best deal, the best time to sell is when there's the least competition.

In our market, this means selling basically now, meaning being on the market no later than February or early March. After this period, more inventory starts coming on the market, and more inventory means more competition. If you truly want to hit the optimal selling window, here are three key things you need to consider:

1. Plan early. The more time you give yourself to plan out your home sale, the better. Getting your home ready for the market might involve much more work than you thought beforehand, so don’t procrastinate. If you want to sell at the optimal time in late winter or early spring, that means you need to start these things as soon as possible.

I recommend giving yourself a three to four months headstart before you list for things like pre-listing consultations, staging, repairs, and more. A good agent can mobilize forces quickly and get the job done.

Get ahead of things by listing as early as you reasonably can.

2. Budget your time. With interest rates currently at or above 7%, it’s hard to predict how quickly homes will sell this year, and it could take 60 to 120 days to close. Regardless, it is important to work with your agent to plan out exactly what you need to do to hit the optimal selling window and net top dollar. Once you have a schedule, budgeting your time and selling at the perfect moment will be easier.

3. Beat your competition to the market. If you have a choice between listing earlier or later, list earlier. Once the spring frenzy hits, supply increases exponentially each month. All those sellers are in competition, which will make it harder for you to get the best deal possible, so try your best to beat them to the market.

It’s tempting to wait for prices to increase as demand picks up, but this isn’t a good strategy. By the time you enter the market, you’ll be chasing a wave of demand that has already passed. Instead, get ahead of things by listing as early as you reasonably can.

If you want to sell this spring and get the best deal possible, contact me at (919) 759-6359 or [email protected]. You can also click this link to schedule a 100% free, no-obligation pre-listing meeting so that we can discuss strategy.

If you're planning to sell your home, click here to download my Sold Playbook. It simplifies the selling process into actionable steps and shares effective strategies drawn from my 28 years of experience as a Realtor in the Chapel Hill and Durham real estate market.