Most people assume that they should take their home off the market for the holidays. The concern is that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s the traffic in and out of listed homes slows. So, many people wonder why they should bother with all the cleaning and stress over the holidays when they already have a lot on their plates with the parties, shopping and entertaining that naturally comes with the season. This may be true but what many sellers fail to realize is that the quality of the buyers looking to purchase a home at the end of the year is vastly improved. The lookie-loos, the nosy neighbors and the indecisive folks are all weeded out. The fact is that they are busy with their personal lives and, ironically, do not have time to waste your time.  

Investors are looking to “spend” some money before the end of the year to reduce their overall taxable income. They are serious and want to close quickly, before December 31^st. If you aren’t available, they will move on. They do not have time to wait for your stress level to subside. Likewise, many couples relocate cross country and need to start jobs after the first of the year. Quite often they choose to squeeze a marathon home shopping session in over the holiday break and fly into town for a few days. They do not have time to sit around either.  

The choice is yours. You can suspend your listing and tell your realtor to not allow any showings over those two or three weeks in December and January. Or, you can be one of the few left to choose from for those who need to buy. It seems like an easy decision, especially in a tough market.