Have you ever thought about when the best time to sell a house is? It’s not something that many people consider before they put their homes on the market. They usually decide to sell based on when it’s convenient for them or when lifestyle changes demand a move. The truth is that you can achieve a higher sales price by strategically deciding when you will put your home on the market. Learn about when the market for Ardenwood homes for sale is the strongest and when you can make the highest possible return on your investment. After all, success is most often achieved by ‘wins’ of all shapes and sizes. And timing can be one of the biggest ones.

Nationally, demand is usually highest during the late spring and early summer. The most obvious contributing factor is weather for most of the country. Here, not as much. As soon as the rain stops it’s springtime LOL. There are several more reasons why buyers are more interested in shopping for homes during these times. Families with young children are hoping to move shortly after the school year ends so that they can spend the rest of the summer unpacking and settling into their new homes. Others just received their tax returns and are willing to include the extra cash in their down payment. Longer days allow for more appealing showings after the work day ends because of how homes show better in daylight. Warmer temperatures also play a role in most climates. After all, lawns and gardens start growing and look their best but this is a secondary concern in Fremont because of how little the temperatures actually change throughout the year compared to the rest of the country. Obviously this supports the fact that April, May, and June are especially lucrative months for selling homes. These are great months to target.

However, in Ardenwood as well as Fremont at large, registration for elementary schools happens late February to early March. In a neighborhood like Ardenwood, known for great elementary schools, the first quarter can enjoy a particularly strong sellers market as well.

Nationally, the market at large stays hot through August before slowing down in September and October. However, in Ardenwood many people are from far flung corners of the world and have the time to make the long trip home to visit family during the summer months while their kids are on vacation from school. This means July/August may slow down and actually pick-up a bit in August/September upon their return. Obviously there were acceptions during the pandemic years where not much travel happened.

Families are more eager to shop for homes during weather friendly months of May and June, and often distracted during the darker/colder fall and winter months. Some are busy driving children to and from school and extracurricular activities, while others are preoccupied with preparing for the upcoming holidays. People who don’t have children sometimes have end-of-year work goals to pursue that divert their attention from shopping for homes. Occasionally you will find someone who wants to purchase a new home before the tax year ends so that they can lock in the benefits for the following year, but this isn’t a common occurrence. And unless you have no choice, try to avoid listing your home during the holidays.

The distraction of the Holidays, from Diwali (in October/November) straight through Thanksgiving, Christmas and Chinese New Year (late January to late February) can be the toughest months to sell a home where average sales prices can drop as a result.

The wild card is, of course, inventory. All bets are off if there are few homes available to buy. A seller can have a great outcome in an otherwise tough month to sell. A local real estate expert will understand the nuance of local market strength any given year or season and guide you to making the best choice.

Now that you know the best season for selling a home, you can begin to think about the ideal day and time to put your home on the market. There are two schools of thought regarding the best day to list a home. Some think it’s wise to put your home on the market earlier in the week, so that prospective buyers have plenty of time before the weekend to schedule a private showing or make plans to attend an open house. Others suggest listing your home closer to the weekend so that you won’t miss the chance to engage with weekend shoppers. Many people only have time to look for new listings after the work week is over. If you want the best chance of appealing to both crowds, you can list your home on Thursday. Weeknight shoppers will have one more chance to see your listing before they go offline for the weekend, and you won’t fall too far down the list before Friday night or Saturday morning when weekend shoppers log on for the first time. Of course, as explained, the two schools of thought are most affected by inventory.

You probably won’t have a ton of visibility if you put your home on the market on Sunday. Many open houses take place on Sunday afternoons, meaning that active buyers will be busy seeing properties and probably won’t have time to check for new online listings. Others will be tied up with family activities, and some will be distracted because they are making preparations for the upcoming week. Monday also isn’t a great day to put a home on the market. Weeknight shoppers may see your listing, but they probably won’t be able to take any action (such as scheduling a showing) for several more days. You’re better off waiting until later in the week to make your listing public. That being said, summer months have the advantage of evening showings in full light that can have a mitigating effect. So as you can see, timing should be considered on a case by case basis with the advice of a pro.

Many people know that Thursday is a good day to list a home, but they don’t stop to think about what time of day they should put their home on the market. You’ll often see a flood of new listings hit the MLS early Thursday morning. The problem is that many shoppers won’t log on to check for new listings until later in the day after they get off work. A home listed early Thursday morning could be on the second page of recent listings by the end of the day because of the heavy volume of new homes that just came onto the market. If you want to increase your chances of remaining close to the top of the list at the end of the day, target the late afternoon as the best time to publish your listing. You won’t miss many shoppers during the day, and you’re more likely to remain close to the top of the list by the time the evening comes around.

Again, the wild card is… you guessed it, inventory. Timing advice becomes most critical when there are many listings available for sale and competing for buyers attention. A local real estate expert will understand the nuance of any given week and guide you to making the best choice in this regard as well.

When asked about timing, Anthony Marinelli of the Marinelli Real Estate Team explained, “Timing the market is an ever changing artform that must be practiced. It doesn’t simply follow a calendar or a watch. It demands constant attention by those who give it the serious thought it deserves.”

If you have any questions about Ardenwood real estate, contact the Marinelli Real Estate team, and they will be happy to assist you. Their family-owned real estate company has been helping clients buy and sell homes for nearly 35 years. They rank as one of the top-performing teams in the Fremont market year after year. If you need help in any way, reach out to their office as you think about buying or selling a home. 2023 RealTrends ranks the team in the Top 1/10th of 1% regarding sales volume in California. This is particularly significant as they are a 3 member team competing in the team category where there is no limit on team size.