When thinking about selling a house in Texas, you have a lot of factors to consider. What price should you sell the home for? How much money should you put into repairs and improvements? How much should you spend on staging, photos, and curb appeal? What are prospective buyers looking for, and when are they looking to buy? Should you sell on the open market with a realtor or by-owner, or should you consider selling for cash to a real estate investor?
One of the biggest choices you’ll have to consider is when you should sell your Texas house. It seems like everyone’s got an opinion on the perfect time based on their own experiences. But it’s important to know that the housing market is constantly changing and shifting. What worked a few years ago might not work now. It’s important to get the right information so you can position yourself for a quick sale. Well, you came to the right place to figure out the best time of year to sell your Texas home.
When Should You Sell Your Arlington House?
Selling a House in Arlington Texas
Before even looking at the best time of year to sell, it’s important to figure out what needs to be done around the house to put it on the market. Unless your house is only a few years old, most places need a bit of sprucing up.
Figuring out what repairs need to be made will be one of your biggest challenges. You may be aware of a door handle that needs to be tightened or some places where you need to touch up paint, but there may be other issues you don’t know about. Usually, it so happens that while accessing the house for repairs, you discover a leak in the roof, a crack in the foundation, or a spot that was destroyed by termites, which are all things that may require more extensive repairs.
If you’re unsure what is going on with your Arlington home, hiring a home inspector would be a good idea. A home inspector can give you a better idea of what all needs to be repaired before selling. Making the fixes now is helpful in the long run because buyers usually request a home inspection and will even prefer the repairs be completed before closing or ask for a price reduction.
When it comes to making repairs, something to keep in mind is to hire professionals, follow local building codes, and get permits for the work. Code violations and unpermitted work can hold up the home selling process and may cause legal issues down the road.
It’s a good idea to figure out what repairs and improvements need to be done in advance to selling your home so that you have enough money and time to complete them before you have to sell and move quickly.
The next thing you need to consider is how you’re going to sell your Arlington home. There are currently several selling strategies that you can choose from when it comes to selling your home. Although there are pros and cons to each, there isn’t one really better than the other. You will have to figure out for yourself what option would be the best fit for you.
Let’s take a look at what your selling options are:
Selling With a Local Real Estate Agent
This selling strategy is pretty popular for its ease. A realtor will handle most of the selling process; the only things you will need to do are make repairs and improvements, declutter, clean and stage the house and keep it clean throughout the selling process. It doesn’t sound too bad, right?
Working with an agent does include usually signing a listing agreement giving the realtor 3-6 months to sell your home and agreeing to a commission of 5-6% split roughly 50/50 with the buyer’s agent upon the sale of the house. So if your agent ends up selling your Arlington home for $250,000, your realtor and the buyer’s realtor stand to make $12,500 (5%) – $15,000 (6%) off the sale of your home.
Selling By Owner
When people see how much an agent can stand to make by selling their home, they think, “I’ll just sell it myself and save the money.” This isn’t a bad idea, but you should be prepared for what’s ahead. Selling a house by owner isn’t easy. Besides handling repairs, decluttering, cleaning, staging, and keeping the house presentable for interested buyers, you will also take on the agent’s role.
The role of the agent includes:
- Setting a competitive price.
- Figuring out a marketing strategy.
- Coming up with a catchy listing description.
- Hiring a photographer.
- Talking to interested buyers and their agents.
- Hosting open houses.
- Negotiating
- Figuring out what title agency to close with.
- Lots of paperwork and phone calls
Selling by owner can end up saving you 2.5-3% upon the sale of your home unless the buyer doesn’t have an agent they are using to purchase your property. If you think you have the time and energy to sell your house by owner, by all means, go for it, but before you do, it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into.
→ Thinking about selling by owner? Find out what documents you need to sell your house on your own in Texas, by clicking here.
Sell to an iBuyer
You’ve heard of those companies that buy your house online; it seems pretty easy and straightforward. The nice thing is you wouldn’t have to list your home and deal with showings or buyers.
Some things to be aware of when working with an iBuyer would include that they usually are a big company, so they may look at buying your home more like a business transaction than purchasing your family home.
They typically aren’t one to negotiate with and tend to offer less for your home.
Their “service fees” or commissions are not cheap; some big companies are known to charge 11.5% in fees. iBuyer’s also may tack on administrative fees or closing costs at the end, which can affect the amount you get to walk away with. Their selling process is pretty streamlined but includes some hefty fees.
Sell to a Local Real Estate Investor
Another selling strategy is to sell to a local home buying company. A home buyer like Four 19 Properties mixes the best of both worlds- selling online but to a local family-owned business and no commissions or service fees. Four 19 Properties is located in the Fort Worth area and works with homeowners looking to sell their homes with less stress.
When you work with a local real estate investor, listing your house isn’t necessary. They would be able to make you a cash offer on your home within 24-hours of contacting them and can even purchase your home within 7-14 days.
They are also as-is buyers so repairs and renovations are not required; they would buy your home in its current condition. They also wouldn’t charge you a dime for realtor commissions, service fees, or closing costs.
If you’d like to work with one of the best home buying companies in Texas, look no further than Four 19 Properties. Out of all the selling strategies, this is the only one that will save you money on repairs, commissions, and closing costs.
The Best Time of the Year to Sell a House in Arlington
If you’re still unsure what selling strategy you’re going to use, that’s ok; no matter what, you should figure out the best time of year to sell a house. Specific housing markets are different, and to set yourself up for success, you’ll want to have the timing just right to have your home ready to list. Of course, warmer months are usually more popular for selling houses and for people to move but say a new company just brought 1,000 new jobs to the area, you will definitely see a home buying increase no matter what month it is.
Let’s take a look at each season to determine when the best time to sell your house in Arlington, Texas would be for you.
Spring:
Spring is usually one of the popular seasons for buying and selling your Arlington home. Buyers tend to look for houses as the weather warms up, so preparing your property in the winter months to sell in spring usually makes sense. Other factors that make spring a buying season are tax refunds, nicer weather for moving, and summer break for kids. You can definitely see why spring is typically the most popular season to buy and sell in Arlington, Texas.
Summer:
Summer tends to be a popular season for buying and selling too. Most of the reasons buyers shop in the spring apply to house hunting in the summer as well- school breaks, warmer weather, and longer daylight hours to hit up open houses and home tours. Although, summer is a favored time for vacations, which may account for a bit of slowdown. Another reason for less interest may be because it’s simply too hot to shop comfortably.
Fall:
Sometimes the beginning of fall can be a popular time for people shopping for a new house. Usually, it’s right before school starts and the weather gets bad that buyers may urgently be looking for a place, which can benefit you. However, you may come across some off-season shoppers looking to move because of a job transfer, work layoff, short sale, or family issues like divorce, which may also make them more sensitive to price.
Winter:
Traditionally winter is the slowest season for home sales because of the cold temperatures, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. People are still buying houses during the winter months and tend to be more motivated. The other advantage is that there is less seller competition, more time off to move because of the holiday season, tax benefits, and you’ll get more attention from agents because they have fewer listings during the winter.
Best Months to Sell a House in Arlington, Texas
The best months to sell a house fast in Arlington, Texas for more money are from April-September, with July being the best month. Generally, it takes 3 months to close on a home, so if you were to list your Arlington home in April, you could sell your house for 2.77% more than the yearly average and sell in that sweet spot.
If you would like to sell your Arlington property fast, the best time to close on your home sale is probably the month of August. Usually, it takes about 3 months from listing to closing, so listing your Arlington home in May could help you sell your house 5 days sooner than if you list any other month.
It’s important to remember that these are the all-time trends; every year is different. For example, in 2020, the best time to sell a house fast was from October- December.
Every year is different and ultimately, the best time to sell is when it’s best for you.
Know When You’re Ready To Sell
The best time to sell your house is when you’re ready to do it. Selling a house isn’t easy, so you’ll have to be prepared to take on the challenges of what lies ahead. Selling a house can be emotionally draining, especially when you’ve invested time and money in getting it ready to put on the market.
So, the first step is to make sure you’re emotionally prepared to do this; if this was a family home, full of memories, you should be in a good place to say goodbye. If you’re ready to part ways to upgrade your home or need to move to start fresh financially, then you’re already one step ahead.
Ultimately, when you’re ready to sell is the best time because selling a house, no matter what, will take effort on your part, whether that be to make repairs around the house, find a listing agent, keeping the house clean for showings, or packing everything up to move.
Although the time of year does play a role in the success of selling a house in Arlington, that isn’t the only factor. Competition may be fierce, so make sure to do everything you can to showcase your home. Besides making necessary repairs, you may be advised to do some updates around the house, which is totally up to you. If it’s been a few years or decades since the home has been updated, you’ll have a better chance of selling with some improvements. Another option is to acknowledge the need for renovations and reduce the asking price so buyers can make changes on their time and with their money.
If you’re thinking about making the improvements yourself, make sure you do some research and find out what would be the best return on investment. Usually, kitchens and bathroom renovations have a good return on investment but, of course, are the most expensive and time-consuming to complete.
If you’re getting bogged down by all the repairs you’ll need to make any improvements you want to do around the house; you can always consider selling your house as-is. By selling to an as-is buyer like Four 19 Properties, you’ll be able to move out without having to make any repairs or renovations. Furthermore, you’ll be able to sell your Arlington home within a week or two or longer if you need more time.
You wouldn’t have to worry about timing things just right to have your house ready to list because you can sell your house to Four 19 Properties at any time. You’ll be able to focus on packing, moving out, and starting fresh in your new home as opposed to worrying about when your house is going to sell.
It’s definitely worth looking into if you’re saying, “I need to sell my house fast”, because you can sell your house fast if you work with a buyer like Four 19 Properties.
Conclusion:
Selling a house is a fine art that takes planning, strategizing, and preparation to get your home to the finish line and putting that “SOLD” sign in the yard. Unfortunately, there isn’t a special formula or industry secrets that will instantly get you an offer, but you can plan the timing of your listing just right to better your odds. As you’ve noticed, the Arlington, Texas real estate market can change from year to year, so the best thing to do is shoot for the summertime to have your house ready to list.
If you’re in a position that you need to sell your house fast or just don’t like the uncertainty of listing a home, you can always work with a local real estate investor like Four 19 Properties.
Four 19 Properties works with homeowners all over Arlington, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls, and more. They are a BBB accredited business with an A+ rating and have excellent Google ratings.
The nice thing about working with a home buying company like Four 19 Properties is that the best time of year to sell a house in Arlington is anytime.
If you’re interested in getting a cash offer for your house or finding out more about their home buying process, visit their website for more information. You can also give them a call; their team would be happy to answer any questions you may have or explain more about the company.
Besides purchasing new houses, Four 19 Properties also buys inherited properties, homes facing foreclosure or bankruptcy, full of stuff or trash, termite damage, storm damage, unfinished construction, problem tenants, liens, and so much more!