If you think Spring and Summer are the peak home buying and selling seasons, you’d be correct; however, what many don’t know is that people planning to buy a home in the Spring and Summer months begin their shopping in and around January. In our business, we call this the ‘January Effect.’

During January, buyers begin their average 12 weeks of researching homes and their desired markets before they jump in the market and put an offer in on a home. Google Trends agrees as its shows a distinct spike in searches related to real estate beginning in January; and Beacham & Co. Realtors®– the brokerage I work for – also reports a precipitous rise in visits and property searches on our company website.

The takeaway here is that if you are planning to sell in 2018, the earlier the better. Put it on your To Do list for January. You will get more traction with buyers, have less competition, and be ahead of the curve when it comes to closing and moving during the prime spring and summer months. And, of course I’m here to help when it comes to preparing to list your home, pricing, and all the rest on the journey to sold.

“But Michelle,” I hear from clients, “it’s great to sell in this crazy Atlanta market, but I’m not so sure I want to be a buyer in such a competitive market.”

This is certainly a valid concern. And what I tell clients is that we have lots of tools and tricks we can use to help you find your dream home, right here in Atlanta. How do we do it?

I’m pulling back the curtain to take you behind the scenes to show you how I help my clients find the home that’s just right for them despite the tight inventory. So, promise me you’ll keep this just between us! 😉

First, don’t delay, if you’d like to upgrade your home, plan to list your in January and we can work together to time the purchase of your next home just right. Remember in the housing market, earlier in the year you have time and competition on your side. There’s more time in the year to work with and less competition both in terms of buyers and sellers.

Second, as a Realtor® that specializes in Atlanta and the Westside I keep close tabs on the most desirable neighborhoods and areas. I have personal and professional connections in these areas that I can use to discover homes that may be soon coming to market but have not become public quite yet. I work tirelessly for my clients to find the right home, even in this crazy market. (Don’t take my word, check out the testimonials to see what my clients have said!)

Finally, I’ve often found that buyers have their hearts set on a particular highly desirable, hot neighborhood; however, through getting to know them I help them to discover that the attributes they’re looking for are available in lots of communities they may not have even known about. There are so many exciting things happening in so many areas on the Westside that are on the cusp of being the next, hot neighborhood and I can help you discover those and get in on them before the rest of the crowd.

So, think about listing and beginning your shopping in January. Let’s work together to help the January Effect work in your favor in 2018!

Cheers,

Michelle