{"id":20615,"date":"2024-12-03T05:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=20615"},"modified":"2026-04-15T09:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:50:29","slug":"selling-a-home-in-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/selling-a-home-in-january\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Myths About Selling a Home in January, Debunked by Top Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rumors abound that selling a home in January translates to lowball offers, less interest from buyers, and months spent on the market<\/a>. While spring is still real estate\u2019s busy season, it\u2019s time to take a clear-eyed look at why selling in January can make a lot of sense for some homeowners. If selling your home tops your list of New Year\u2019s resolutions, you don\u2019t want to miss an optimal window to sell in your market or procrastinate when you could be free of this house and into your new one before spring even hits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally think it\u2019s an advantage to list in December, January, and February,\u201d says top-selling real estate agent Sam Flamont<\/a>, who serves Northern Michigan. \u201cMy sellers have had just as much success in January as they had any other time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019ll explore the common misconceptions about selling a home in January and how you can take advantage of zigging while other sellers in your neighborhood zag.<\/p>\n

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Work With a Top Agent to Sell Your Home in January<\/h3>\n

Selling a home during colder months (depending where you live), can be an opportunity but isn’t without its challenges. Working with a top agent can help your home sell faster and for more money, even in January.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Myth #1: No one buys a home in the winter.<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe only difference between selling in January and June is there are fewer buyers in January,\u201d says Flamont. Homebuyers who are in the market in January are often more motivated for a variety of reasons:<\/p>\n

Fewer tourist drop-ins:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Flamont\u2019s Traverse City, Michigan market<\/a>, the area is bustling with tourists in summer months. Showing requests go up in June and July because curious visitors<\/a> in town for the weekend will kill a few hours looking at a property with no intent to buy.<\/p>\n

So while January means fewer tourists and less activity in and out of your home, the buyers who book a tour in January are likely going to be more motivated once they set foot on a property. \u201cNobody\u2019s getting their kids out of the car, putting on their boots, trekking through a foot of snow just to kick the tires. They are serious buyers,\u201d Flamont says.<\/p>\n

Anticipating a full summer season:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of Scranton, Pennsylvania-area agent Ron Thieme\u2019s<\/a> buyers are looking for a second home<\/a> in his market, and the cold weather doesn\u2019t deter them. In fact, the most motivated buyers will come from New York and New Jersey during the weekends to look at homes. \u201cThey want to get under contract before April,\u201d Thieme explains. \u201cThey want to enjoy the whole summer season there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiddie condos and new semester timelines:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cost of college room and board has increased significantly<\/a> in the past 20 years, and many number-crunching parents have decided that buying a condo or apartment for their child will save them money in the long run. If parents want their children off campus and into their \u201ckiddie condos<\/a>\u201d by the spring semester, they\u2019ll be in a rush to buy in January before students head back to school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rumors abound that selling a home in January translates to lower offers and months spent on the market. It\u2019s time to set the record straight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":51179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-add-value","category-preparing-to-sell"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 Myths About Selling a Home in January, Debunked by Top Agents<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rumors abound that selling a home in January translates to lower offers and months spent on the market. 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