4 Reasons Winter Is A Great Time To Sell Your Home in North Tahoe, CA and Truckee
The beginning of 2019 brought with it some of the lowest inventory levels the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee had seen for sometime. February 2019 crushed us with record amounts of snow which limited potential sellers from listing their homes and hindered buyers from touring. Home sales in January 2020 are on par with those of January 2019, which is not a great sign for our current inventory levels. There are challenges with listing and selling in the winter months but some of the benefits greatly outweigh those.
Low Inventory=Low Competition The biggest advantage to selling in the winter is lack of competition with other sellers. The inventory pool is smaller than the rest of the year, with 2019 having some of the lowest inventory levels we’ve seen in years and 2020 sizing up to be equally slim thus far. In a seller’s market, as we remain to be in, you may find you can sell your home for more money due to this. You can see it in the numbers: Quarter 1 for both 2018 and 2019 had the highest average sale prices over other quarters.
Serious Buyers? Yes Please! Reality Check: Not all people looking at houses are actually in the market to buy, especially in resort markets like Lake Tahoe and Truckee. In my experience, the bigger the holiday, the lower the ratio of serious buyers. That being said, buyers looking in winter tend to be very serious. In summer people may be driving or walking around and see an open house or “For Sale” sign and make an inquiry. In winter, it is just by the nature of it more challenging to see houses and only those that are really serious are making the effort.
Show Off Your Homes Winter-Readiness Winter is a great time to showcase all those fine points that make your home great in the winter and may be overlooked in summer months. South-facing, flat or heated driveways, covered walkways, air-lock entries, new furnaces, generators, the snowshed of your roof, a new roof (though it can be hidden by the snow), all these things may be things that are more overlooked by buyers in the summer months. On the other side of the coin, if you have some difficulties in winter with some of these items, at least buyers are seeing your home at the worst of it.
Show off Your Ski Resort Proximity Skiing and snowboarding is definitely on the minds of those looking to buy in winter. If your home is in a resort like Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Northstar, or Sugarbowl then your high selling season is likely winter! If your home has great access to multiple resorts then this is a great time of year to highlight that to buyers.
If you are considering listing your home in winter months its good to keep a few things in your mind. Snow removal is a constant battle and it is wise, especially if you are an absentee owner, to employ snow removal professionals for both driveways and walkways/decks. Home inspections are a little bit more of a challenge because the age/condition of the roof is much more difficult to ascertain by inspectors. Gather any information you have about the age and condition of the roof to be able to readily answer buyers’ questions. If you know in the warmer months that you might be selling over the winter take some pictures of your roof to be able to share in the future. Buried landscaping is also a huge challenge. If you have spent a lot of time and money landscaping your home you likely want to showcase that to potential buyers. Dig up whatever photos you can and they can be included in the MLS photos. Snow is a reality in Tahoe and Truckee. With so many benefits to selling in the winter it’s best not to let the challenges to dismay you.