Join Club

Ask Adam: When Is the Best Time To Sell?

This periodic sponsored Q&A column is written by Adam Gallegos of Arlington-based real estate firm Arbour Realty. Please submit follow-up questions in the comments section or via email.

Question: When is the best time of year to sell a home in Arlington?

This is a question that comes up quite a bit. I’m going to share a couple tools I use to analyze the peaks and valleys of market activity. As usual, I’ll also share my opinions.

Google Insights provides a graphical analysis of when people are searching various subjects. Obviously real estate is the subject of interest for this article. It seems that year-after-year there is an incline in the amount of people searching for real estate that starts around the beginning of the year and peaks in July. There is then a decline that continues into November. As you might guess, the number of searches for real estate are the lowest during the winter holiday season. This is a demonstration of interest level, but does it translate into sales?

RBI provides a graphical analysis of real estate sales activity based on information collected by MRIS (our local multiple listing service). As you can see in the chart (right), sales activity follows a very similar trend to that of Google searches for real estate.

According to these charts, late spring and early summer are going to give you largest audience for the sale of your home, especially if you have identified families with children as your target market. I’ve found that many parents prefer not to have their kids switch schools in the middle of the year. They often like to start looking for homes in May and June.

This is also the time of year when the most homes are on the market, so there is naturally more competition between sellers. If you are not targeting families with children, then I don’t think you need to feel as constrained to May and June. You may do just as well during one of the shoulder months.

If at all possible I recommend not listing your home in November, December or January. People are distracted by the holidays, it’s not the most desirable climate to be shopping for a home and if you have a yard it is not going to look its best this time of year. To be on the safe side, take some pictures of the exterior of your home when it is in full bloom so that you can display them if you do have to sell your home mid-winter.

Another consideration I’ve been hearing about lately is the election. If there is a transition to a new president, it will cause people to move in and out of our area. That said, I can’t find any evidence that this event would create a significant enough amount of movement in Arlington for you to benefit from planning around it.

Other non-seasonal factors you should pay attention to are interest rates, limited time tax incentives and employment rates.

If you are considering the sale of your home and would like a look how your local market is performing, please feel free to send me an email: [email protected]

Recent Stories

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 6850 times… so far. 📈 Top stories The following are the most-read articles for today —…

This past week saw 32 homes sold in Arlington. The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $205,000 while the most expensive was…

Tree canopy in Arlington County is lower than it was in 2016, according to a new privately-funded study paid for local residents.

Time is running out for your chance to win a National Landing prize package worth $500! Entries for ARLnow’s inaugural Big Night Out giveaway close tomorrow (Friday) at noon. The…

Is home ownership a goal of yours in 2023? Now is the time to make it happen! Grab a (virtual) drink with the area’s top Real Estate experts, learn all about the home buying process and on how you can get $1,500 towards your closing costs immediately!

Did you know the average Arlington renter will spend $150K in 5 years of renting? Stop paying down someone else’s mortgage! Join us for a Rent vs. Buy Happy Hour on Wednesday, April 5th at 6 p.m. via Zoom. If this time doesn’t work, we also are offering times convenient for your schedule!

A lot has happened in the local market since the beginning of the pandemic. Sip on your drink of choice and learn from Northern Virginia, Arlington and Washingtonian Magazines top producing agents! We will discuss the latest market updates, the home buying process and rent vs. buy cost savings. Please RSVP by clicking here.

Call/text Manavi at 703-869-6698 with any questions!

Submit your own Announcement here.

Synetic Theater Camps are a wildly fun, highly accessible choice for young people who love moving, playing games, and making memories. Registration is open now for Summer Camps (sessions June 20-August 25) and there are even a few spots left for Spring Break camp, April 3­-7.

Located in National Landing, these performance-based camps are designed for students of all ages – no theater or performance experience required.

Led by professional teaching artists, campers learn acting, movement, and technical theater skills through the lens of Physical Theater. Physical Theater incorporates acting, movement, dance, mime, and acrobatics. If you’ve seen a Cirque du Soleil performance, you’ll find many similarities.

Most first-time campers are new to the performing arts, and teaching artists are well-versed in engaging students at all levels. Parents and campers report that one of the best parts of Synetic is the community, with many families returning year after year because they feel a strong sense of belonging.

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

WHS Spring Festival

Join us at the WHS Spring Festival on April 22, 2023, from 10am- 3pm at Wakefield High School(main parking lot). Come out to shop, play, and eat!

Shop local vendors, arts & crafts, new and used items, food vendors/trucks, and

District 27 Toastmasters 2023 Virtual Conference

District 27 Toastmasters invites you to its annual conference where you can hear phenomenal speakers, attend professional development and personal growth seminars about leadership, negotiation, communication, teamwork, and mentorship. Learn how to develop your personal story and how to improve

×

Subscribe to our mailing list