When you’re a homeowner the question of “when is the best time to move?” is not a simple one to answer. There are so many factors that can affect whether or not you’ll be able to move quickly and how much you’ll get for your house, from country-wide economic conditions to the condition of the home itself. Below, we’ll guide you through 6 factors you should consider when selling and buying a home so you can decide on the best time to move for you.
When is the Best Time to Move?
1. Time of Year
The spring and summer months are the most active for the real estate market as the good weather makes it easier for potential buyers to attend viewings, fathom actually moving (no one likes the idea of unloading all their things in the snow), and move while their kids are out of school and can get a fresh start at the beginning of the school year.
While warm areas will be less affected by this than cold (people are more likely to be willing to move in the winter in Florida than they are in Wisconsin), the holiday season also slows everything down. All of this makes Spring and Summer the best time of year to move.
2. Economy
We’ve seen the housing market go through some major changes over the last five years or so – the pandemic drove up demand hugely so houses were flying off the shelves and people were willing to pay well over their listing price for them. Today, things have calmed down. While confident realtors will tell you the market has simply gone back to how things were before the boom the pandemic created, there’s no denying that houses aren’t moving as quickly and often not for as much as before.
Currently (March 2023), many people are worried about rising interest rates and the high cost of living, meaning they have less purchasing power than before. Similarly, whether or not there is significant job growth (currently fairly healthy throughout the US) will also impact how many people are in the position to buy a new home.
While it’s good to be aware of all these factors so you can set realistic expectations for what your house may go for and how quickly it may sell, know that it is not always possible to time selling your home at a time when the economy is good. Unless you’re willing to wait years before moving, you may need to sell your home during a time when the economy isn’t as healthy as you’d like.
3. Local Demand
Local housing market conditions can vary greatly based on factors such as the economic health of the area, crime rates, local amenities and businesses, school ratings, and recent events. Again, these aren’t things that are within your control, but it’s good to have an idea about how local events will affect how quickly your house will sell and for how much.
If there is construction around your home or if a new amenity is in the process of being built that will make your home a much more attractive proposition, it may be worth waiting until it is complete to move.
4. Home Condition
A home that is in good condition and decorated in a way that appeals to a wide range of tastes will be easier to sell, regardless of almost all the other factors on this list. If you want to get the most money for your home or have it sell quickly, you can consider doing some low-cost renovations and fixes before you sell.
5. Moving Costs
If you want to know when the cheapest time to move to a new home is, it’s in the winter. As we said in our first point, not many people are keen on moving home when it’s cold and wet out, so you can often get moving services for cheap if you move in Fall or Winter. Similarly, moving mid-week will help you lower costs even further.
6. Personal Needs
While all these factors can play a part in helping you decide when to sell your home and move to a new one, it should come down to when you need and want to move. Often, we don’t have a huge amount of choice; we need to move for a new job, because we’ve met a new partner, or our children have to share a room and we want to make sure they have rooms of their own before they go to high school.
If you need to move, delaying your life a few months in the hopes of making a little more if the economy improves really won’t be worth it. Unless you want to wait for a specific event to occur (such as building work to complete nearby that may put off buyers), you should move when you’re ready to start new somewhere else.
Sell Your Massachusetts Home Fast
Moving house is fraught with uncertainty – you don’t know when your house will sell or when you can commit to buying a new home. If you want to move on your terms and not wait around for a buyer to turn up, selling to a cash home buyer may be the best next step for you.
We buy homes for cash in Massachusetts, which gives you the power to move on your terms. We can close in as little as 2 weeks or give you more time to get your next home lined up and ready to move into. You don’t need to wait around for your buyer to get their mortgage in order or sell their current home to make the sale possible – we’ve got the cash and can complete the sale as soon as you’re ready. All you need to do to get started is contact us with a few details about your home and we’ll get back to you with our best cash offer. You don’t need to do any staging, renovations, or negotiations – it really can be that simple to find a buyer for your home. To find out more or to get a cash offer for your Massachusetts home, click here.