The Hidden Fall Selling Window Most Sellers Miss

By William “Bill” Boswell

Bill is widely known as one of New Jersey’s most sought after real estate agents and is a sales associate of Keller Williams Prosperity Realty.

As we reach the back end of August and things begin to quiet down, many North Jersey homeowners are asking themselves the same question: is the selling season over for the year? It’s a fair question, and the answer has genuinely evolved over the past several years.

Understanding where the market stands right now could be the difference between selling your home this year or waiting until next.

1. Consider how much the calendar has changed. Before COVID, there was a fairly predictable seasonal rhythm to the real estate year here in New Jersey. Once the pandemic hit, that rhythm went out the window, and for a time we saw an active selling season nearly year round, with no real dividing lines between the quiet stretches and the busy ones.

Over the last couple of years, as I’ve noted across my platforms, the market has steadily returned to a more seasonal pattern. That shift matters, because it brings back something a lot of sellers have forgotten how to use.

2. Here is what that seasonal pattern looks like. You get the long spring market first, a stretch with a tremendous amount of activity, a wave of new listings coming on, and plenty of buyer demand to absorb them. What most people don’t realize is that the fall market carries a hidden pop of its own.

Historically, there is a stretch running from late September through early November where we see another genuine uptick in homes going under contract. It’s quieter than spring, yes, though quieter is not the same as closed.

3. From a seller’s perspective, the quiet is the advantage. That quieter quality is precisely what makes this window valuable. You’ll be competing with far fewer sellers than you would during the crowded spring market. Buyer demand does soften this time of year, that’s true, since many families are settled into the school schedule and a good number have already made their housing decisions for the year.

The buyers who remain, however, tend to be serious, motivated people who are ready to move. Less competition on your side, and focused buyers on the other, is a combination that works in your favor.

4. The timing is the part to take seriously. The weeks after Labor Day represent one of the prime selling pockets of the entire year to get a home under contract before the winter market arrives. That window is real, though it’s much smaller than the spring market, so it doesn’t stay open long. Miss it, and you can find yourself in the winter freeze before you know it, which is the position you least want to be in as a seller.

Here is what I’d encourage you to do. If you’ve been sitting with the thought of selling and you’re unsure whether now is the right moment, reach out and let me pull the historical trend for your specific town.

When you see how your local market has behaved through these fall weeks in past years, you’ll very clearly see that there is one more genuine spurt left in this market. Timing it well is everything. Call or text me at 973-224-4605, email me at northjerseyluxury@gmail.com, or visit blog.theomegarealestategroup.com.

I’m Bill Boswell with the Omega Real Estate Group, and your search ends here.