Now is the time to start preparing your home for sale if you want to catch the waves of buyers who enter the US real estate market during late spring and summer.
Some owners may delay, believing a better time to transact is just around the corner.
However, as an experienced agent, I've found that observation can reflect a little bit of stage fright before the seller decides it's time to press the button.
So, is 2025 a good time to sell?
There are two strands to this answer – firstly, have all your personal circumstances lined up to indicate you're ready to upsize or downsize? Are you in the right headspace? Are you ready to begin a new chapter in your life?
If the answer is yes, or “I'm getting there”, then 2025 is definitely a good time to sell your home.
If you're not ready then, until you are, no year is going to be suitable.
Your decision to transact should be based on your own situation, primarily.
All the other facts and figures should take a secondary role in influencing your decision.
Of course, sellers want to know their real estate ambitions will be supported by market behavior – that's only sensible.
So, let's take a quick look at market sentiment.
Building equity: Given the average time an American owns their home is more than seven years, you'll have built equity in your home thanks to all those mortgage repayments. Better still, values are up 44% compared with 2018. So, you've got a nice asset.
Market mood: Buyers continue to face a shortage of properties, and this lack of supply has bolstered prices.
Local scene: To really understand how the market mood would assist your sale, talk to a trusted agent – and I'm happy to help out – about our neighborhood. We'll drill down on price trends, average time to sell and buyer behaviors.
Mortgage costs: Since the change of presidency, this is probably the trickiest question of them all. Tariffs threaten inflation, the Federal Reserve says. So, in response, it's being super-cagey about dropping the cash rate from 4.25%-4.5%. The last time it had a chance to make a cut, it didn't. However, it promises action later this year.
Fluid situation: The real estate market is a shape-shifter. The moment you think you've got its vibe, it changes on you. While homes for sale are at a historic low across America, it's not going to stay like that. Listings are beginning to rise in metro areas as folks stop stalling in belief mortgage cost relief from the Fed isn't coming anytime soon.
It's personal: Going back to this theme of your personal circumstances, you should assess whether your home is now fit for purpose. Is the family growing, and does every child need their own room? Or are you now an empty-nester? Either way, they're both common motivations for selling.
