When Is the Best Time to Sell a House in San Diego?

It’s not uncommon for homeownership to lose its appeal, even in San Diego. When you’ve got a lot of repairs to deal with—and not enough cash to get started—or you’re upside down on your mortgage and recently lost a job, even a small house can become your biggest problem. It’s not wrong to just want your weekends back, too, for building a side business or spending more time with the kids. Not everyone likes using their free time repainting the house or mowing the grass. So, if you want to sell the burden that was once your home, you should.

It can seem like the best time to sell a house in San Diego is any time of year since California homes are almost always in demand. But some seasons are better than others. So, if you have the luxury of time, you may want to wait. However, that doesn’t mean that if you need to sell the house fast, you’re out of luck. In fact, we’ll look at both scenarios so you can choose the right time for you.

Some Months Are Better Than Others—Even in San Diego

Nationally, the spring and summer months are typically good times to sell a home. For many regions around the country, weather influences this pattern. Would-be buyers simply don’t shop for a house when it’s cold and windy or snowing outside. Most people don’t want to take on a new mortgage around the holidays, either. That’s why the real estate market starts slowing down starting in early October.

In many respects, San Diego’s market isn’t all that different. Homebuying interest slows down around the fall, too. Though, it has to do more with the holidays than any factor related to weather. That said, the times when people buy homes in San Diego are still a bit nuanced. April and May are the two hottest months of the year. July and August come in at a close second.

The Benefits of Waiting Until the Time Is Right

If you can wait to list your house until one of these months roll around, it benefits you in a few key ways:

• You’re more likely to get offers that reflect the list price. When buyer demand is high, and inventory low, you may even sell your house above asking—especially if your property is the best one on the block and you’ve priced it competitively, to begin with.
• Days on the market (DOM) shrink, which means you can expect to sell your home fast. The Median DOM for houses sold in January of 2019 was 63, according to Realtor. com. By May that number dropped to 49. And this pattern is consistent for more years than not.
• It’s easier to sell a house that needs repairs, especially if the issues are minor. When there is a lot of competition among buyers, people are more willing to take on fixers. So, if your home needs some updating, you don’t necessarily have to be the one to do it.

How to Get the Most Out of the Right Time to Sell

Keep in mind, however, that to get the most out of the right time to sell, you’ll still have to do some work. For example:

• Trying to sell a house with foundation damage, termites, or mold—or that’s saddled with back taxes and other liens—will be difficult at best. The sale certainly won’t happen fast. Most major issues will have to be addressed if you want a fair price and a quick sale.
• No matter how many buyers are looking for homes, you will still have to advertise yours. If you do a “for sale by owner” in California, those marketing costs will come out of your pocket. Hiring a REALTOR® isn’t cheap, either; you’ll pay 6% in commissions on average.
• For homebuyers to make their highest and best offers, they’ll need to see your home and perform an inspection. That means you’ll need to prepare your house to sell by cleaning and decluttering and, then, opening it up to visitors by appointment or during open houses.

Unfortunately, spending extra time or money on a property you don’t want may not be an option—even when it is the best time to sell a house in San Diego. Major repairs take months to perform and can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Marketing the house, whether on your own or with a real estate agent, will cost a lot of time and money, too. And if you’d prefer to sell your home privately because of an illness or family death, showing it to visitors all week is just not going to work.

And we all know how isolation and social distancing can be prohibitive, especially with something as complicated as a home sale. Even then, you’re not without options. Get in touch with a San Diego cash home buyer who is happy to handle all of the details remotely and still offer you a fair price as always. Hope is not lost when you find the right help.

Plus, you’ll have to time everything just right to make sure your house hits the market when the majority of people are buying. Even in the best of times, that can be hard to do. If you’ve fallen behind on your house payment because you’ve been laid off or because your tenants lost their jobs and can’t pay the rent, it will be near impossible—unless you want to risk losing the house.

The Best Time to Sell a House in San Diego Is Up to You

Rather than wait for the right time to roll around, consider seeking advice from a home-buying specialist, like San Diego-based Sell Your House Direct. Real estate markets naturally ebb and flow, but dramatic shifts can happen unexpectedly, too. SYHD takes these things into account while also looking at your unique circumstances.

The team will run the numbers of various selling scenarios to show you which one will likely net you the most profit. It could be that hiring a real estate agent next spring might be worth the wait, particularly if you’re in no hurry and have an updated home. The best time to sell your San Diego house could also be today if the market is uncertain (or your financial future is).

If you need to sell your house quickly, SYHD can help you there, too. They buy San Diego homes directly from their owners and can close in a week or less. They also pay cash and take homes as is. So, if easy is also what you need, SYHD can help. Whatever you decide to do, give them a call first. They charge zero commissions and fees and are always happy to help.