Every year at about this time many sellers think it's a good idea to take their home off the market for the upcoming holiday season.The basic reasoning seems to be that buyers will be too busy thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas to bother with buying a home.

This is the biggest misconception in all of real estate!It often surprises clients to learn that right now is when we arguably see the most motivated buyers in the entire twelve month home buying cycle.

There are a few really good reasons for this:

A lot of new jobs will start in the New Year - this is the busiest time for relocation, as people aim to move before their new job starts in January. This means they are, in many cases, desperate to find the right home as soon as they can. What's even more important this year is that we are seeing the most lively jobs market for a long time, so it's inevitably going to be a busy relocation season. Take your home off the market until 2019 and you'll miss this completely...

People like to move before the holidays - The holidays themselves create a sense of urgency with some buyers, who are super keen to be able to entertain in new surroundings. What's even better is that the prospect of the holidays makes these people more emotional and, thus, more likely to make a positive home buying decision. Remember also that your seasonally-decorated home will arguably look at its very best too!

End of year means tax incentives - Another big motivational factor as we approach year end is that buyers may have tax-related motivations for completing their purchase prior to December 31st.

People often have more time to view homes - For very busy people, the holidays present a time when they may be more relaxed and have more free time to view homes. And if you're concerned that this might disturb your own celebrations, don't be. Solving that issue is as easy as setting up times with your agent when your home is unavailable for viewing.

The exodus from California won't stop for the holidays - At the moment there's an added reason to keep your listing alive. The overheating California real estate market is seeing a lot of people relocating out of state and the Prescott area is proving to be very popular among these usually exceptionally well-qualified buyers, who may even be able to pay cash for a very quick sale, especially given the disparity in prices between California and most other areas. It's reasonable to expect this exodus to be a factor as we head towards the conclusion of 2018, for all the above motivations.

Let's also not lose sight of the fact that, when the New Year arrives, all of those sellers who took a break will suddenly return to the market. This means more competition and less robust asking prices than when homes are, inevitably, in shorter supply during November and December.

Unlike many agents at this time of year, here at The Hyland Group we will be making the same very sustained and determined effort to sell our clients' homes as we do at any time. Why not contact us today at 928-445-2100 and discover how we can help you make the most of the fantastic sales opportunities that will arise in the coming weeks.