While there are many factors that come into play as to when the best time is to sell a home, there are seasonal advantages. Nationwide, statistics prove that from March to April or May is when sales activity reaches its highest point for home sales. Traditionally, the spring brings warmer weather and a general feeling of optimism. Buyers come out of the woodwork at peak buying season. The downside to that, is that so do home sellers. So if you decide to sell around that time, you can expect more competition.
Selling you home in winter makes a lot of sense, especially in warmer climate states such our beloved Southern California. For the most part, we have pleasant weather which is conducive to putting your home on the market. And the good news is, since many people still have the mentality that they will wait for spring to put their home on the market, you have less competition.
Let’s talk about our local market here is the Inland Empire, and we will focus on three cities that are very representative of the overall market conditions in the IE: Fontana , Rancho Cucamonga and Redlands.
Months supply of inventory: A strong indicator of whether the market is cool / warm / hot.
Fontana has the shortest amount of inventory with just over 2.5 months of supply with 347 homes for sale.
Redlands has just over three months supply with 162 homes for sale.
Rancho Cucamonga has just over 3.25 months supply. with 360 homes for sale.
All of these stats are as of Dec 13, 2018.
Anything less than three months is considered a HOT seller’s market. If your home is in Fontana, you stand better chance of selling quicker, all other things being equal. BTW, Google indicates that 1,600 searches are conducted every month for “Fontana Homes For Sale”. Fontana home sellers.. want to know how much you can get for your home? Click here for a free market analysis.
Redlands and Rancho Cucamonga are trailing slightly in the sense that they have a little more inventory and slightly higher months supply than Fontana. Nonetheless, the market is still active right now. As you can see from this chart, new listings have been dropping recently, in part a seasonal decline and also more people are staying put for a variety of other reasons.
Overall, this 2018 Holiday season is a great time to put your home on the market. Inventory is tight all around, interest rates have been climbing but not to the point that housing affordability is a major problem here in the Inland Empire, although there is strong indication that rates will be going up even higher. If rates do continue to move up, that will limit the number of buyers who can afford your house, so the best strategy is to sell when you can obviously get the most for your home.
If you have considered selling and your are in the IE, find out how much your home is worth. You can get a free market analysis here. And of course, if you just want to pick up the phone and call someone.. you can reach me at (909) 915-9581.
