Marketing your Bellingham Home in the Winter
In the past fourteen years that I've been a Realtor it seems I get asked the same question every winter about selling a home this time of the year. I do believe one of the toughest times to sell a home is usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas and even up to the New Year. But in all honesty, after the holidays are over real estate sales in the Bellingham market should continue on a normal pace.
This year in particular would be a golden opportunity to start marketing your home right after the first of the year. In the Bellingham real estate market over the last 9 months we have had about a seven month supply of homes available for sale. If not one new home came on the market and at the pace that homes are selling at it would take seven months to clear that inventory. In the past 30-45 days inventory has been steadily coming down and not just because of what I like to call "Seasonality", the period between Thanksgiving and the first of the year. The inventory in our Whatcom County real estate market has also been coming down also because sellers have been frustrated with having their homes on the market for much longer time periods than normal.
With that said I believe that if I was thinking of selling a home soon I’d get a jump on this market and list your property as soon as the holidays end. The economic conditions are actually ripe for a turn around, especially with interest at the lowest mark, 6.11 percent in fourteen months. You have an unemployment rate at its lowest in 36 years, so most workers in the Bellingham market are fully employed. You have retail sales for Whatcom County at its highest point in six years, consumers are spending money. Also with the amount of homes for sale on the Bellingham mls at a downward slope there will obviously be less competition. Factor all these market conditions in and it's actually going to be a great time to sell your Bellingham, WA home. I know I keep mentioning Bellingham, but I mean Whatcom County wide as well, especially in hot markets like Lynden, Ferndale, Birch Bay, Semiahmoo and Blaine.
So if you’re really thinking about selling your Bellingham home in the New Year it might be prudent to do it sooner than later in the spring when listings start to build up on the market. Good luck and remember I’d love to help you with your real estate needs in Whatcom County, whether you’re buying or selling. Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you a Sold sign in your yard!