Sell your house faster and for a higher price: The best time to sell
When is the best time to list your house for sale online? Everyone has an intuition about the right answer, but what do the numbers say? At Realo, we analysed the houses put up for sale in Belgium since 2015 to see how market supply, speed of sale and extra costs depending on the time of year.
Most properties for sale
First of all, we see that most properties come online in spring and autumn. The biggest contrast is between October and December, from a maximum number of new listings to the absolute low of the year around Christmas. Houses and flats follow a similar pattern throughout the year.
Fastest sales
The question is whether the months of higher activity translate into faster sales. The answer is not straightforward. Houses that come onto the market before the summer holidays tend to sell faster. Specifically, this means that a house in Belgium in 2021 was online for an average of 72 days. If we follow the trend, the same house will generally be sold in May after 66 days and in September after 84 days. So if you want to sell your house faster, it's best to sell in the spring.
Higher price
Based on our previous findings, we could say that spring is an interesting time to sell. However, a larger supply of houses on the market that sell faster may indicate a market where houses change hands more easily and are therefore cheaper. The final piece of the jigsaw is how prices fluctuate throughout the year.
So we see that houses are selling for a higher price again in the spring. In figures, we can say that in 2021 an average house with a living area of 167 m² will be sold in June for €1,929/m², while the same house would cost only €1,885/m² a month later. A difference of around €7,409 in total.
Best month to sell your home
Based on our findings, it is clear that May is the best month to list your home for sale. Despite a greater supply on the market, houses sell faster and for a relatively higher price in these months. It is important to note that these findings are based on historical data and future circumstances may be different.
