Scott P. Rogers
Funkhouser Real Estate Group
540-578-0102  •  email
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Monday, December 20, 2010
Actually, yes....  Last year, between December 15 and January 14, buyers wrote contracts on 43 homes in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.  Compare this to the past twelve months (page 6 of my most recent market report) and you'll find that seven of the twelve months didn't show too much more contract activity than was seen between last Dec 15 and Jan 14:
  • lowest seven months of contracts: 45, 48, 51, 54, 59, 60, 60
  • highest seven months of contracts: 74, 74, 84, 95, 121
Do remember, however, that even though those 43 sales weren't too much lower than quite a few other months of the year, it is still a small percentage of the currently active inventory (829 homes).

Thus, in the next month (+/-) we'll probably see about 1 in 20 homes go under contract.  The key question here is WHICH homes it will be that sell?  Perhaps those:
  • priced most competitively
  • in the most desirable locations
  • in excellent condition
So....if you're considering taking your house off the market for the next month:
  • other hopeful sellers will appreciate it, as it will reduce the competition
  • you won't miss out on a tremendous amount of buyers (likely 43-ish)
  • you will miss out on about the same number of buyers as you do roughly six out of twelve months of the year
Whether you're hoping to sell a house in the next thirty days, or just enjoying the one you're currently in, I hope you have a great holiday season!