I often am asked, “Tami, when is the best time of the year to sell my home in San Diego?” While the question seems simple enough, there are so many factors to consider when considering the best time to sell your personal home. Different from an investment, your personal residence involves so much more than timing the market place for the hottest month of the year to sell. It involves a commitment from you to work on your home prior to putting it on the market, repairing all those irritating broken items in your house you’ve been putting off for a rainy day, it involves painting, cleaning, planting and de-cluttering. Once on the market, you must keep your home spotless and clutter free. Showings can often be sporadic and at inconvenient times, but despite this, it is imperative you make your home available to every qualified buyer who requests a tour. So, the simple question of “when is the best time to sell a home in San Diego?” can turn quite complicated very fast.
There are however, certain months out of the year when fewer people list their homes for sale and hence, you will have less competition. Less competition can often be a positive thing when selling your home. For both 2012 as well as 2013, the 3 months which historically had the fewest new listings in San Diego were October, November and December. Conversely, the months with the highest number of new listings were May, June, July and often August. Pending sales tend to steadily increase February through May and remain high June through August, tapering off slowly in September. 
Another factor to consider when deciding when to sell a home in San Diego, is how long it will take to actually sell. This is often referred to as days on the market. For the past 12 months, the average number of days on the market until sale in San Diego has been 44 days. In 2014, the month with the short market to sell a house in San Diego was May!
The reality is that timing when to sell your home will often be out of most people’s immediate control. Job transfers, growing families, downsizing families, etc. will factor into your timing. However, there are steps and actions you can take to maximize your return, regardless of the time of year you are selling. Well positioned homes, in top condition will always command respect.
Tami McCraw
