The Science of Selling: Why a Friday in May the Best Time to List a House

Selling a home is a huge decision. After you’ve spent years making memories somewhere, you want to be sure you’re selling to the right buyer, at the right time, and for the right price.

According to a recent Zillow report, you may have more control over this than you thought. Across the country, their findings indicate that our Dads were right and spring is indeed the best time to list a house. At this time of year, the average US seller can yield an additional $1,500 on the sale price.

Why? Partly, decision fatigue. Buyers may have started their search with lengthy “must-have” lists and strict budgets, but this late in the game, they want to get into their new home as quickly as possible. Often, they are willing to spend more to make it happen.

But we can break it down further. As it turns out, there is a two week window where homes don’t just fetch more money – they sell up to three weeks faster. In Philadelphia, that time frame is May 1st to 15th.

If you’re really strategic about getting top dollar for your home, be sure to list it at the end of the work week. This boosts the visibility of your listing up to 20%, and while most of the country favors a Saturday debut, Philadelphians see the strongest uptick when we list on a Friday.

When all is said and done, is all this planning worth it? You tell us. Philadelphia homes that hit the market on a Friday in the first half of May sold for $2,000 more and 9.8 days faster than the average listing that year.

We’re sold. Give Houwzer a call, and your house will be too: (215) 607-8816.