There are a lot of mixed opinions when it comes to listing your home in the winter. Do you wait until the new year? Is better to wait for the hot spring market? While the springtime is still deemed as the best time to list your home, the winter offers some unique benefits.

Here are a few reasons why you may want to consider selling your home this winter

Low Inventory

As we stated above, spring is the most popular time to sell. Why? There are swarms of buyers looking to move into a home before the start of school. This creates a highly saturated market with a lot of competition and a chance that you may have to cut your asking price in order to sell. The winter offers you the opportunity to sell in a low inventory market with way less competition. Less competition means more buyers coming in your doors. With more potential buyers competing against each other for your home, you will likely see higher offers.

“Most sellers still think they need to sell in the spring, but that means there is more competition for buyers’ attention,” says Matt Van Winkle, founder of Re/Max Northwest in Seattle.

More Time Off

Yes, the holidays may be hectic but they do offer more time off work. More time off gives workers more time to attend open houses, schedule showings and browse through popular sites like Zillow or Trulia.

Serious Buyers

With the weather getting nicer and the inventory rising in the spring, there tend to be a lot of “window shoppers.” If you have potential buyers facing the snow and ice to tour your space, you know they mean business. There also tend to be more motivated buyers in the winter for a variety of reasons like tax benefits, a job relocation or fear of losing their dream home in the spring market.

Holiday Bonuses and Payouts

We all know that the year’s end means work performance reviews, potential bonuses and some retirements. What does that mean for sellers? A potential buyer receiving a great work performance review and bonus could be rewarded with enough for a down payment or more. Workers looking to retire could walk out with a nice payout. This time of the year tends to give people more money to spend and more confidence to purchase a home.

Corporate Relocation

January and February are the most popular months for corporate relocation. For many, that means having to quickly pick up and move. Those with families scramble to find a place so their kids can get quickly settled in school. What does that mean for sellers? A buyer looking to get things done and a very quick closing.

A Winterized Home

Winter is the perfect time to deck your home out in all your best holiday decor. The winter offers a special opportunity to make your space warm, cozy and inviting without having to stress too much about landscape and curb appeal.