Best times to list homes for sale?

Depends on the season, day, and sometimes time of day. Read about the different opinions from real estate experts below.

Best Time Period to List Homes

Zillow recommends May 1st through the 15th Nationally

According to Zillow research in 2018, late spring works best for listing homes. More specifically, Zillow recommends:

The first half of May nationwide is the best time to maximize the sales price and minimal market time.

U.S. homes listings from May 1 through the 15th get sales two weeks sooner and for $2,400 higher on average compared to other times of the year.

Zillow found these results in 14 of the 24 large markets analyzed.

The reason 2018 spring sales performed well was due to a shortage of homes for sale. This resulted in many homebuyers unable to find the right homes to purchase in the first two weeks of May.

Not finding the right homes caused more time to make their purchases. Thus, a smaller market created more competition and a rush to make a deal before summer began. Therefore, late-spring listings captured frustrated buyers faster and earned an extra premium on price.

The Balance recommends Last Weekend of April

On the other hand, The Balance recommends springtime during the last weekend of April. However, in parts of the country never experienced snow, February or March as excellent months to list. In addition, The Balance warns against listing just before Christmas or other holidays. That’s because fewer buyers looking to purchase during the holidays.

Furthermore, The Balance also recommends the fall as the second-best time to list. Also, list just after the Labor Day weekend.

According to The Balance, summer listings conflict with people’s family gatherings and vacations. Summer a perfect time for kicking back and not moving.

Best Days to List

Zillow Recommends Saturday

Zillow also found that listing at the end of the week or during the weekend resulted in more home viewings during the first days of the listing. In 2017, Zillow found that most home shoppers viewed listings within its first week on the market. Early interest often resulted in boosting the chance of a faster sale.

Nationally, Saturday is the best day to list a home for sale. However, some large markets favored Thursday through Sunday as the best days to list. Yet, Boston became an exception by favoring Wednesday.

CNBC and Redfin Recommend Thursday

CNBC points out that certain days and even certain time of day results in faster sales for more money in 2018.

According to Redfin, nationally Thursday is the best day to list a home for sale. CNBC points out that the Redfin analysis looked at 100,000 homes sold in 2017. Their findings claimed that Sunday as the worst day to list. Homes listed on a Thursday sold on the average five days faster than those listed on a Sunday.

Since most potential buyers view homes during weekends, Thursday listings give buyers enough time to plan their weekend home tours. On top of that, most online real estate sites send out new listings alerts to potential buyers on Thursday and Friday.

Gone are the old days of late Saturday and Sunday newspapers advertising open houses. Most agents Redfin surveyed claimed Thursday as the best day to list and send the word out of a weekend open house. Yet, while Sunday open houses remain popular they lost momentum since buyers view videos and photos of most listings online.

Nowadays, agents report receiving offers in competitive markets without open house viewings. Often, buyers contact the listing agent to view the home immediately after receiving new listing alerts.

Many agents now list on a Thursday or Friday and end up taking offers the following Tuesday.

Redfin also found that listing on a Wednesday resulted in an average of $2,020 premium above the listing price than the ones listed on a Sunday.

However, CNBC reports that some agents disagreed with those findings. One Washington D.C. agent found Thursday at 5 pm the best time to submit a listing. That’s because with so many agents listing on Thursday mornings, the ones listing later that day ends up on page 1 while the early birds end up on page 2 or worst on the MLS listings.

The Balance Recommends Friday at 12:01 a.m.

The Balance recommends Friday to list homes. Specifically, 12:01 a.m. on Friday to “go live”. This means inputting your listing a day or two before midnight on Thursday as a “private status” only you can view. Then, automatically time it for uploading just after midnight on Thursday. Your listing waits for buyers to wake up Friday morning. Before Thursday at midnight, you have time to tweak your listing with the perfect photos and advertising content. Agents establishing MLS accounts for their home buying clients receiving automatic listings happily find buyers contacting them Friday morning.

Tip: MLS automatic listings often release during slow internet traffic during the early morning hours. That’s why uploading your listing at 12:01 a.m. works best. Your listing hits the buyer’s computer (or smartphone) as a brand new listing which buyers prefer.

Best Times to List Homes for Sale in San Diego

Zillow Recommends a Friday from April 1 through April 15

According to the Zillow research, the greater San Diego region showed April 1 through the 15th as the best period to list homes for sale. In addition, Friday is the best day to list. These time frames resulted in listings selling 11.5 days faster than other times. They also resulted in a 1.2% increase in average sales premiums.

For example, a San Diego region home listed at $500,000 during any time other than a Friday from April 1 through the 15th took 11.5 days longer to sell at the listed price.

On the other hand, listing a home for $500,000 on a Friday during the first two weeks of April resulted in a faster sale for around $506,000.

Conclusion

The best time to list homes for sale varies across the U.S. However, research shows the San Diego region favors a Friday between April 1st and the 15th.

Selling a home on the average, 11.5 days faster at a 1.2% higher price than any other period should motivate every San Diego agent.

Besides selling your listings faster at a higher price, consider saving time during the purchase transaction.

We, at Monster Transaction, offer you services to organize all documents and reach out to all significant players in order to complete transactions on time.

Contact Us to learn more about how our services save you time while handling all the transaction details so you can focus on sales rather than paperwork.

Steven Rich, MBA – Guest Blogger

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