If your home’s location or size no longer fits your life, moving may already be on your mind. As the holidays approach, the question becomes whether to start the selling process or put your plans on hold.
That decision deserves more than a quick answer based on the calendar. Think about what you need from your next home, how ready you are to sell, and what buying another property would involve.
There are three reasons to consider selling before the holidays: getting ahead of other sellers, reaching buyers who are still looking, and exploring whether your equity could help you move into a better-fitting home. None is a promise of a particular result. They are starting points for a practical conversation.
1. Get Ahead of Sellers Who Wait Until After the Holidays
Homeowners are typically less likely to list their houses toward the end of the year. Holiday plans fill up the calendar, and selling often drops down the priority list until those commitments settle down.
For someone who is ready to move, that seasonal hesitation creates a reason to consider listing before the holidays rather than waiting alongside other homeowners.
Putting your house on the market while others hold off may help it stand out. The point is not to rush. It is to decide whether waiting serves your goals or simply follows what other sellers tend to do.
Start With a Realistic Listing Plan
Before choosing a listing date, talk with a real estate professional about what getting your house ready would involve. Ask for a plan that fits your schedule rather than assuming everything has to happen at once.
Use these questions to organize that conversation:
- What should we address before listing?
- When could we realistically be ready to put the house on the market?
- Which holiday commitments do we want to work around?
- What would make listing before the holidays preferable to waiting?
If your schedule and moving plans line up, starting the process before other sellers return to the market may be worth considering. If they do not, use the conversation to identify what needs to happen first.
2. Reach Buyers Who Are Still Looking
The holiday season does not mean every buyer stops searching. Serious buyers still look for homes during the winter, including people hoping to make a move before their own seasonal deadlines.
Your house may be what one of those buyers is searching for. Working with an agent to list before the holidays gives those buyers an opportunity to consider it while they are actively looking.
That is the useful takeaway: do not assume the calendar alone means there is no audience for your home. Ask your agent about the buyers and competing listings relevant to your property.
Separate Seasonal Reasons From Market Conditions
The original discussion described a cooling market in which housing supply had increased as buyer demand moderated. It also described overall supply as still low, with too few homes available to meet demand, particularly as millennials moved into their peak homebuying years.
Those statements describe the market conditions behind the original article. They should not be treated as a permanent description of conditions whenever you happen to read this.
The article also cited Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, on the demographic reason buyers would continue entering the market:
“The largest living generation, the Millennials, will continue to age into their prime home-buying years, creating a demographic tailwind for the housing market.”
His original observation contrasted that demographic support with an earlier period of unusually frenzied activity. The distinction matters: continued buyer interest is not the same thing as a promise of intense competition for every listing.
For your decision, ask your real estate professional to explain the conditions around your house. Keep the focus on whether listing fits your plans, not on an assumption that every winter market behaves the same way.
3. Explore Whether Your Equity Could Help You Move
Selling is only one part of the decision if you also plan to buy another home. The next question is whether the equity in your current house could help you take that step.
The original article cited CoreLogic reporting that average equity per mortgage holder had climbed to almost $300,000, an all-time high in that report. It described homeowners as holding record amounts of equity.
That figure belongs to the report cited in the original article. It is not a standing estimate of average equity, and it is not an estimate of what you personally have available.
The underlying possibility remains the reason to explore it: your home equity could cover some, or potentially all, of the down payment on your next home. Whether that is possible for you needs an individual review.
Keep the Next Home Connected to Your Actual Needs
Before getting caught up in the idea of moving up, return to why you wanted to move in the first place. A better fit might mean a different location, more room for your household, or a place that simply feels more like home.
Write down what you want the move to accomplish:
- Which parts of your current location no longer work for you?
- What space do you and your loved ones need?
- What would make another house feel like the right home?
- Would you still want to move if the holidays were not approaching?
A trusted real estate advisor can help you assess your equity and discuss how it could support your moving goal. Bring that discussion together with a review of your next-home financing rather than relying on a national average.
Make the Decision Around Your Life, Not Just the Holidays
Selling before the holidays is worth considering if your current home no longer meets your needs. You may get ahead of sellers who wait, reach buyers who are still searching, and use equity toward a home that fits better.
Your practical next step is to write down your reasons for moving and talk with a real estate professional about a workable listing timeline. Then reach out to Ed Parcaut to discuss the mortgage side of your next purchase and how it fits into your selling plans.
