Selling Your Home After the School Year Starts

JOHN RICE ASSOCIATE BROKER | REALTOR

bus house pic cropped

Each year as the school year starts again I receive the same question from sellers. “Is it too late to sell this year?”

Often the summer months have moved too quickly and after Labor Day has pasted people start to turn towards Fall, Winter and so on, thinking all to often the window for selling has past them by.   Or has it?

3 Things To Help Determine if FALL is the right time for you:

1.  The Fall is SECOND BUSIEST SEASON for home sales. Year after year, West Michigan shows a similar pattern for homes sales. Spring is a busy time of year for sure, but FALL is the second busiest time of the year.  May, June and July report the highest sales each year, but it’s little known that showing activity is strong in late September and remains strong through the end of the year, with strong sales figures reported October, November and even December.

2. School year is important to those moving out of their current PUBLIC school district. However consider these alternative potential purchasers:

  • Downsizing Buyers – Often this is the PERFECT time for those looking to downsize.  They may have just sold their home or in many cases want to establish themselves in their new location BEFORE selling their existing home.  What better time to do it then before the snow and holidays come? They’ve enjoyed the summer months and are now prepared to take action before it’s time to fly south for a few months.
  • First Time Home Buyers – Many times this group of home purchasers are over looked for their influence on the market.  However consider that without them, the entire “move-up sales” cycle could not occur.  With that in mind most First Time Home Buyers have enjoyed the summer and still function with a “summer off” type routine so FALL is an opportune time for them.  Many First Time Home Buyers either had a lease run out during the late spring or summer (and are now month to month) or will have their lease coming due in the next couple months – making this the perfect time to showcase your home to them.  Purchasing a home is in many cases still less than renting and First Time Home Buyers are VERY much aware of the 40% increase in rental rates in the past 3 years.
  • Move-up Buyers within the same school district or private school. School year sales are largely driven by buyers motivated to change PUBLIC school systems, however when the considering the group of those looking to stay within the same school district or those in private school, the potential purchasers family will only benefit from the move.

3. Less Competition: Let the misconception WORK FOR YOU! By Fall, less dedicated sellers start throwing in the towel and free up the market. The above points 1 and 2 identified showing serious buyers are ready to purchase. Let the time of year work for you and capitalize on it!

Consider the above 3 points as you think about your own scenario.  Feel free to reach out to me with specific questions – I am happy to answer them!

 

We would love to hear from you!

Let’s connect and get you on the path to success!

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A few words from our clients:
John helped us sell our house when we moved out of Grand Rapids 3 years ago and recently helped us purchase a new house when we moved back. He is very professional and knowledgeable of the area and market. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell.
S&K Weber
We moved to the Grand Rapids area 11 years ago and John was very patient as we found our first home and made the experience absolutely seamless! When we were ready to sell and buy again we knew to reach out to John. As we remembered and appreciated, John is an absolute professional and was and advocate for our best interests at all times during this wild market. We found great value in our new home and he helped us get top dollar for our sale. Grateful to have him on our side though the whole process. You won’t be disappointed!
Lance W
We have worked with John multiple times now, both buying and selling homes. We 100% recommend him and he’ll always be our go-to realtor for any future real estate needs. John is experienced in the industry and well-known and respected. He is extremely professional and knowledgeable, on top of being an all-around nice guy. He is responsive and answered all of our questions along the way. We asked John for several referrals for other services (lender, cleaner, etc.) and we were very happy with all his suggestions. John is honest and will listen to your concerns/opinions. He is never pushy, but gives great advice based on his years of experience. We are so thankful for the guidance we received from John to make our recent home buying and selling experience successful and quick! If you need a realtor, call John.
G&E Webb
It was a wonderful experience working with John. His professionalism, honesty, experience, and knowledge of the Grand Rapids market, helped us in multiple ways. John sold our home in one day, was honest about what we could expect from offers, and was spot on. As we progressed toward finding our new home, again, he was extremely knowledgeable about the neighborhoods, home values, and history of the homes. We are more than happy to say, that he helped us find our dream home within our budget! Anything I needed, he was there through emails, texts, or phone calls. He definitely put in a lot of work for us. Without a doubt, I will ask for his assistance again when the time comes. Thank you John!
T&A Lascari
We have worked with John to sell 1 home and buy 2 homes and he is an incredible realtor! He is professional, prompt with communication, honest and patient. We had quite the list for what we were looking for and John was always available to answer questions and get us in to look at a home. His knowledge and connections in the industry made both the buying and selling process go smoothly. We simply cannot recommend John enough!
Chase and Nicole O
Purchased and sold with John, he is: Professional, an extremely good communicator, precise, and acted on our behalf 24/7. He kept us up to date on listings for purchase and preparation advice for selling our home. He was knowledgeable about neighborhoods. Photography for sale of our house was impressive. We were appreciative of the guidance regarding making offers, inspections, when to list our home, writing contracts, detailed review and presentation of offers on our home and being realistic about our purchase of new home. Great experience, Great Realtor.
J&G Junod
We can’t say enough good things about John. He is an awesome realtor! We bought our home with his help and just recently sold it with his help. He is highly knowledgeable about the Grand Rapids area market and his expertise and professionalism has shown through both times we worked with him...John is a wonderful communicator and a genuine person. His sincerity has been evident in his commitment to making the purchase and sale experience as seamless and informed as possible. We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have worked with John and strongly recommend him without reservation!
E&T VanBuskirk
John Rice is hands down one of the best realtors in the Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. We have utilized him as our realtor on two separate occasions, once over 10 years ago, and again over the last several months to buy/sell. He is incredibly knowledgeable and uses his expertise to help guide you in your choices throughout the realty process. He is professional, kind, has impeccable attention to detail, responsive, and clearly loves what he does. Choose John for your realty needs…he is the best of the best!
Amanda W