What is the Best Time of the Year to List your Okotoks Alberta Home for Sale?

I’m often asked when is the best time of the year to sell a home in Okotoks or what is the best month or the best day of week to list the house. I’ve written this article to help answer this common question.

When is the Best Time of the Year to Sell a Home?

If you have the luxury of time on your side, and you can plan in advance, there are better times of the year to list a home for sale in Okotoks. This applies to all types of homes from Single Family Homes to Condo’s and Acreages. The optimal time to sell a home for the best possible price is when inventory is at it’s lowest point and buyers are out looking.

A well-presented home that is priced correctly, in a desirable area will often attract multiple offers from keen buyers when listed at the optimal time of the year.

In Okotoks housing inventory is normally at it’s lowest levels in the months of November, December and January. Inventory is at its highest in June, July, August and September.

When we look at sales comparisons over the past 4 years, the months of April, May and June are the busiest and this is when we see the peak sales. So, the best time of the year to list a home for sale in Okotoks is the end of March or the beginning of April. Inventory will be low and buyers will be out looking.

If you miss the spring market the second-best time to sell a home in Okotoks is during the fall market. In Okotoks we often see a spike in sales during the months of September and October. The summer months of July and August slow down as these months are for vacations, family reunions, camping and having fun.

Choosing the Best Time of the Month to List a Home

The last two weeks of March or the first two weeks of April are probably the best times of the month to list a home analytically speaking. This may shift slightly depending on the weather, if its been a long cold winter April would be best, on the other hand if we have had a milder winter, March could work well to beat the Spring market.

What is the Best Day of the Week to List a Home for Sale

Every Realtor I speak too has a different opinion about the best day of the week to list a home. For me personally, its Thursday or Friday and here’s why:

I find people are less focused on Mondays as it’s the start of the new week. Tuesdays are not much better. Wednesday is mid week and some people take Wednesdays off, I never see very much house buying activity mid-week. Home buyers are often active at weekends and they start to plan their weekend house hunting on Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday or Sunday is too late as you will miss the busy weekend buyers.

So, there we are, my suggestion would be Thursday or Friday for maximum exposure. Hopefully an excited weekend buyer will be buy the home. I’ve sold many homes in under 48 hours when listing on Thursday or Friday.

Working with a Realtor

I’ve hopefully given you an insight into the best time of the year to list your Okotoks home for sale but there are many other important aspects to get right. There is no point listing your home for sale on a Friday night in the first week of April if the home is not properly presented for sale.

The house needs to be showing at its best to attract the best offers from the most qualified buyers. The Realtor needs to work with you to make sure everything is ready for the property to hit the market and be listed on the MLS. The Realtor needs to make sure lots of high-quality photos have been taken and everything needs to be ready for buyers to come through the door. A home should never be listed for sale with one photo and note saying more photos to follow.

I would encourage you work with a Realtor who is designated as a Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) , and someone who can help you stage your home prior to the photo shoot. First impressions are so important when selling a home and we want photos that have people saying I want this home before they even step foot through the door.

I would also recommend you to work with a Realtor who understands the Okotoks Real Estate Market. Like many places, Okotoks has a unique and diverse property market. I’ve written a separate page on my website about Moving to Okotoks.

If you are thinking about selling your Okotoks home, condo or acreage, give me a call and arrange for a Free Home Evaluation. I’m always available to chat over coffee and I would love to help!

Contact – Samantha Clement – Okotoks Realtor