Why Is Winter a Great Time to Sell a House?

Every year I'm asked whether the wintertime is a good time to sell a house. It's actually a great time, for a few different reasons you may have never considered.

There are many great Anchorage area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Every winter, sellers ask me whether they should sell their house now or wait until spring. 

There are two different schools of thought for this scenario. Typically, what we see in the Alaska market is that you have far less competition in the winter than you would in the summertime. Sure, the number of homes that sell in the summer is higher, but there is much higher inventory that you would have to compete against. 

In the winter, there is less inventory for buyers to choose from, which typically keeps pricing pretty stable. You have to think about the possible outcomes and balance it out with your lifestyle and what works for your family. If you sell during the winter, though, you will have a lot more serious buyers than you typically do in the summer. 

In the summer, you tend to get a lot more 'looky-loos' who are out looking just as a hobby. Believe me, nobody is out there in 20-below weather in the winter dragging their kids in and out of homes just to look at them for the fun of it. 

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Nobody is out in the winter just to look at homes for the fun of it.

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If you're thinking of selling this winter or you have any other questions about the real estate market in Alaska, give me a call or send me an email today. I look forward to hearing from you!

3 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Home

How do you know if now is the time for you to buy a home? Luckily, there are three questions you can ask yourself to figure out the answer.

There are many great Anchorage area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (907) 865-6404 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Only you and your family know if the time is right to buy a home. If you are thinking about buying a home, here are three questions you should ask yourself: 

1. Why are you buying a home in the first place? For most people, the reason has nothing to do with money. Most people buy for one of four reasons: they want a good place to raise their children, they want a place where their family is safe, they want more space, and they want control of that space.  Forget the finances for a minute and really consider why you want to buy a home. 

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Why do you really want to buy a home?

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2. Where are home values headed? CoreLogic recently projected that home values will increase 5.3% nationwide over the next 12 months. If you are buying a home, it’s important to buy on an upswing. Why? Let’s say you plan on buying a home that costs $250,000 today. That same home will cost you an additional $13,250 if you wait until next year. Your down payment will also need to be higher to account for the higher home price. 

3. Where are mortgage interest rates headed? As you know, the long-term cost of a home can be dramatically impacted by even a small increase in mortgage rates. Although we don’t know how much rates will go up, the Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac have all projected that mortgage interest rates will increase over the next 12 months. 


If you have any other questions about buying a home or about our real estate market in general, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!