When is the Best Time of Year to Sell Your House in Seattle?

Jul 31, 20190 comments

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re thinking about when the best time is to sell your house in the Seattle area. Although our market is not as hot as it was in the past, the real estate cycle remains fairly predictable year-over-year. Many people want to sell their house during the peak Spring selling season, and for good reason. Sellers can typically get a higher price and sell faster than they can at other times of the year. Here’s some data for you to consider before selling your house.

Related Article: Seattle Housing Market Predictions for 2019

Real World Data

According to a Realtor.com analysis looking at U.S. housing data from its website, the first week of April is the best week to list in order to fetch the highest selling price. In the Seattle market, that held true with April 7th being the best week to list a home. Homes listed during this week were able to list for 17.8% more than homes that listed at the beginning of the year.

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Redfin also released data from 2017 and 2018 showing that Thursday was the best day of the week to list your house for sale. Homes listed on Thursday got between $3,000 – $3,500 more than homes listed on Monday. Wednesday was the second-best day to list your house.

However, keep in mind that listing during the hottest time of year also means that you’re in competition with a lot of your neighbors. Look around at other properties similar to yours, because your house needs to be in similar condition.

Related Article: The Guide to Selling Your Home Fast in Seattle

What’s Happening Around Town?

In the Seattle area, we have a strong spring selling market. The chart below shows how many new homes listed every month in King County for the last three years. This data shows us that May tends to be the strongest month for new listings, as sellers are hoping to get a bump off the previous months’ selling prices. The listing frenzy tapers off in June and relaxes over the summer as people are on vacation and enjoying the beautiful weather. Listings trend upward again in September and October and taper off again in November and December. That is generally how the yearly market goes.

December is the least popular month for listing a home, which makes sense. Typically, your property isn’t going to show the best at the peak of Seattle’s rainy winters. And people tend to place their attention on family and holidays during this month. However, if you’re a buyer looking to strike a deal, this is probably a good month to be out looking.

Related Article: 5 Signs It’s Time to Sell Your House

Chart Data from NWMLS InfoSparks Residential & Condo sales only in King County.

Another factor to consider is how many days properties are on the market during different times of the year. The chart below shows average days on market (the time a property spends in an “active” status before going pending) for King County for the last three years. In January 2019, homes spent an average of 49 days on the market – a significant increase from past years. April, May and June have the least days on market, with an average of 15 days on market in 2017 and 2018. But this year, properties are taking longer to sell. In June 2019, the average was 24 days.

Chart Data from NWMLS InfoSparks Residential & Condo sales only in King County.

Other Factors to Consider

Economic Factors: The local economy and government policies will play a role in the housing market. For example, tech hubs on the east and west coast have seen tremendous home price growth, driven by the high-paying jobs and demand for housing near those employers. Look no further than Amazon’s announcement of its second headquarters in Alexandria, VA, which caused median home prices there to spike 17.2% this year.

Seattle still has a booming local economy and companies continue to add jobs. Keeping your eye on local economic news can help you position yourself to sell at a good time.

Related Article: Selling a Home VS Fixing it Up

Mortgage Rates: It was predicted that mortgage interest rates were going to go over 5% this year, and that was used to drive home purchases in late 2018 into early 2019. That didn’t happen and mortgage rates have actually dropped below 4% this summer. In fact, the federal reserve just cut rates as well, meaning mortgage rates will be lower for those looking to finance a new home or refinance an existing mortgage.

Personal Matters: Facts and statistics aside, the right time to sell your house may just be when you’re ready.

Selling Your House Privately

If you decide to sell your house privately, you can get a quick cash offer on your house no matter what time of year it is. See our “How it Works” page or Request an Offer now.  

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When is the Best Time of Year to Sell Your House in Seattle?
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When is the Best Time of Year to Sell Your House in Seattle?
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There are a lot of things to consider when you’re thinking about when the best time is to sell your house in the Seattle area. Here's some real world data.
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