Are you considering selling your house based in The Couve but not sure whether it’s the right time to do so? Determining when to sell your home requires understanding The Couve selling market from different perspectives. In our “Go with the Flow” series, we’ll be focusing on houses that are located in Clark and Skamanina counties. Think of this as our glimpse into The Couve real estate insight as our unique transparent “behind the scenes” and proactive approach to help you with a successful home selling process outcome.
When selling in The Couve in Washington, we’ll be referring to these Southwest Washington main cities: Vancouver, Camas, and Washougal.
Tip: Understand yearly inventory timing cycles and what to expect to help plan your home selling process.
Go with the Flow
Let’s talk about The Couve selling market patterns that you’ll see throughout the year. This way you can know what to expect when selling your home and learn to adjust based on what’s going on. I’ve seen many potential sellers unsure or hesitant because they didn’t know how to go with the flow. Instead of being reactive, you can learn and start to be more proactive with guidance from your Realtor (like me) to establish a more strategic home-selling strategy to reduce the stress in the process.
Here are the housing market activity trends you’ll want know to about:
- Yearly
- Weekly
- Sellers vs Buyers Market
- House prices
- Time of day traffic
- Interest rates
I’ll be discussing with you each trend activity during the “Go with the Flow” series with inventory patterns as well as insights. In this post, I’ll share more about part one focusing on what to expect when selling a home throughout the year.
Yearly
Is there the best time to sell a home in The Couve? That depends on your reasons and goals for selling. There are various reasons that may be part of The Couve selling: relocating, upsize / downsize, divorce, and death. The timing of selling may not always be under your control (such as job relocation or a death). In general, think of selling a home as an up-and-down cycle of busy and slow times throughout the year. However, the timing of selling a house may fall into when buyers are interested in buying and moving. When and how quickly your house sells will depend on establishing a strategic plan with your Realtor (like me) to define your goals and expectations when selling in The Couve.
By Quarters
It can be confusing when watching or listening to the news, you may find that those who are reporting information on the housing market talk about how inventory is based on the quarters. Many times, the information is sensational and can create unsureness. With talks about fed, mortgage, interest rates, and stock prices, this can lead to paralysis. Keep in mind that The Couve selling market activity can fall in between the quarters.
At a high level for housing quarterly, view the inventory similar to a bell-shaped curve, where houses on the market and buyers’ interests either rise or slow down. Typically, quarters 2 and 3 have increasing trends, and quarters 1 and 4 with decreasing trends with houses selling and buyers’ interests.
Seasonally
The Couve selling houses on the market follow more seasonally rather than quarters. Keep in mind that some “season” weather can start early or linger longer than usual.
Spring and Summer
Spring would be from March, April, May, and Summer would be from June, July, and August.
Keep in mind the following when selling your home in The Couve:
- May compete with neighbors and other sellers who are thinking or wanting to sell during this time as well
- Expect buyers to be pickier and not settle for just anything
- Increase housing inventory around March/April peaking around May/June and decreasing end of July/August
- When there’s a longer Winter, expect a late Spring market
- When there’s a shorter Winter, expect an early Spring market
- Nicer weather can attract more buyers
- More daylight can increase the number of showings
Fall and Winter
Fall would be considered September, October, and parts of November and Winter would be November, December, January, and February.
Keep in mind the following:
- May see the house stay on the market longer
- Expect not as many buyers out looking
- With less daylight and colder weather there may have less showings
- With the holidays, may see processes take longer, especially at the County offices
- Expect buyers may be looking for deals and ask for concessions
The Couve Suburban Houses Near Schools
If you live near a school or within the boundaries of a good school district, you’ll attract more buyers when this is a buyers’ priority. Here are some trends to know:
- Towards the end of the school year (May and June), you may see other houses come on the market (more common by elementary)
- Buyers can be flexible to move in after the school year has ended
- May see multiple bids for desirable homes in good condition that are close in proximity to the schools
Rural and Property Houses
If you live in the more rural areas in The Couve or have some land, you’ll attract more buyers that are looking for a different pace or want privacy. Some expectations to keep in mind:
- Being on days on market tend to be longer (typically longer than 45 days)
- Being on septic and well tend to be a deterrent with buyers unfamiliar with the setup
- Understand that the house isn’t for the typical home buyer that is looking for close amenities
How Does This Help You?
When you understand how The Couve selling market trends for the year either based on the quarter, season, or whether focused on being near schools, you’ll be able to “Go with the Flow” with less stress when you’re looking for the home you want. There can be exceptions of course, however, if you want to know what to expect for your own The Couve home selling, reach out to me for a home strategy session and we can start to develop a proactive plan to help you through the home journey process.
Next up!
Now that you understand the yearly trend, let’s get you familiar with how to navigate with Go with the Flow Part 2: Weekly! These additional insights will help save you time and stress!
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