Chattanooga Times Free Press

PLAN NOW IF SELLING A HOME IN 2018

- By Mark Hite President, Greater Chattanoog­a Associatio­n of Realtors

So, you are thinking about selling your home next summer, because that’s the busiest time of the year for real estate sales. While this is a true statement, take a moment to consider why you should go ahead and call a Realtor now.

The traditiona­l mindset has been that you put your house up for sale in Spring and then it will sell in the following summer months. For this reason, looking back over the last year we saw 1,252 houses come to market in March and 1,283 new listings in May. In contrast only 750 new listings entered the market in December and 971 in February. There was simply less fresh competitio­n for those sellers who entered the market in the cold winter months and the first reason why you should consider calling a Realtor today.

While it may have been cold outside, home sales were hot all winter. If you examined the same period December 2016 through March 2017 you will find that 2,897 houses closed during these traditiona­l cold months. The simple fact is that the immediacy of Federal tax refunds today, acts to jump start the housing market much earlier than it did 15 years ago. Many Americans have more money in their bank account in mid-February than any other time of year-thus strong winter home sales and the second reason why you should call a Realtor today.

Acknowledg­ing that the month of December may be hectic for many, it is the perfect time to go ahead and schedule a consultati­on with an experience­d member of the Greater Chattanoog­a Realtors. Immediatel­y after the holidays, most people

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Mark Hite
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