Is selling your house in January or February a good idea?

Many people ask what is the best time to put a house on the market to sell your house. In Australia, with school holidays extending until the end of January, some question whether selling your house in January or February is a good time.

However, it’s a time when real estate agents will receive many home appraisal requests.

Why list your home in January or February?

You see, for many of us, we catch up with family over the Christmas and New Year period. Often, we see family we may not have seen in a while or we spend more time with them than we normally would.

Among those we catch up with are our parents. And it’s through this time we realise our elderly parents aren’t what they were. We notice they’re not quite coping on their own. They leave a stove on or struggle to fully turn off a tap. It’s those little things that signal they need more help now.

It’s during this extended time with our family that we realise something has to be done. But, as I’ve witnessed many times, we’re often unprepared for it.

Transitioning a loved one into aged care

Transitioning a loved one into care isn’t an easy process but is something many of us will eventually face.

Often, as children, our lives are already full with our own families.

Then we’re given the task of trying to:

• get one or both parents into aged care facilities that are booked up YEARS in advance,
• access finances quickly to cover aged care costs, yet the house your parents have lived in for 40+ years need some work before it goes up for sale,
• face red tape when you contact Centrelink

and so it goes on.

Dianne Chalk, who outlines transitioning into aged care in Wollongong in this video, is often booked out months in advance with cases.

As she advises, it’s worth being on aged care waiting lists as early as possible.

Preparing a home for sale

Organising and selling your parents home in a timely manner can also go a long way to helping with much of the process.

So you may be wondering what to do to put your house on the market?

I’ve worked with many families through transitioning their loved ones into aged care and there are steps you can take to make the process smoother.

Register for this short course and learn how to best right size your home when moving into aged care.

We have also put together an Insiders Secrets To Selling checklist that will guide you through what needs to be done and provide some smart tips to ensure you only focus on what’s important.

DOWNLOAD YOUR CHECKLIST

For example, getting expert advice is a great first step.

Choose a real estate agent who has a deep understanding of your area. For example, in Fairy Meadow there are a number of agents who specialise in this area – One Agency JD Property Agents is one of those (just in case you didn’t know!).

This agent will also provide some clarity on what you should consider doing before putting your house on the market. For example, that pink wall you had in your childhood bedroom needs to be repainted a neutral colour. And that’s just one simple design tip when selling a home.

A good real estate agent has a database of quality tradespeople whose work is at a more affordable price point and who can help you in this area. The tradespeople should be able to provide you with a timeframe on when work can be completed to allow you to better prepare your timeframe for selling.

Behind the Scenes of moving a parent into aged care

One of our clients, Irene, talked about the emotional journey she took with her mother’s home, but the outcome for her still brings her to tears – one that exceeded her expectations.

One of the important factors for Irene, as she outlines in this video, was choosing an agent who understood what she was going through, as it’s an emotionally challenging period.

Next steps for selling a house in January or February

Selling a house in January can be a great thing for your family if it leads to joy, peace of mind and a better lifestyle for those involved. When it comes to family situations likes this, there is no best time to put a house on the market other than now. Because, unfortunately, not even the best agents can predict the real estate market.

If you’re unsure what sort of price you might receive for your parents home when selling a house in January or February, please reach out. I’d love to help. I’ve been through this process many times, so I understand what you’re going through and can completely empathise with the task you have ahead of you.

But know it’s possible, you will get through this and to ensure you surround yourself with good people as you move through it.

If you have any family or friends that might benefit from real estate guidance, please feel free to pass on my details or share this link. I’d love to be able to help.