Know key times for home sale

Q: I will be retiring in 28 months and live in Virginia. I’m trying to determine when the best time of year is to list my house for sale. I’ve done all the upgrades. My intention is to move to South Carolina, so I don’t want to have to travel back for closing, etc. How should I time this? — Leontyne M.

A: Congratulations on your impending retirement. And kudos on your far-sightedness in planning your home sale.

In your state, as in most, data show that the best time of year to sell is early March through June, a period when parents are trying to get their families relocated in plenty of time for a fresh start in the fall semester at the new school. Many buyers also have their tax refund checks in hand in this period.

To drill down a bit deeper, a study by Zillow, the real estate database, released in spring 2016 found that homes listed May 1-15 sold an average of 18.5 days faster than homes not listed in that span, plus they sold for 1 percent more than average, translating to a value-add of $1,700 on a $170,000 home. Second-best time to sell

The September-toOctober period typically brings another short spike in home sales, but it’s is a distant second to spring when the buying universe is larger. In your case, listing your home in early March of 2019, at least based on present market conditions, would seem to be optimal for a home sale because it coincides perfectly with your retirement timeline.