A Cold and Deadly Winter?

I sit here writing this post in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about an hour west of Philadelphia. I’m from here originally and I’m visiting my parents for the Thanksgiving holiday. The air is brisk, typical for this time of year, and while most of the fall colors are gone from the trees, there are still a few holding on to their reds and yellows while the brown of already-fallen leaves gently blanket the fields. Squirrels, woodpeckers and robins wander in and out of the backyard and the oak trees are still standing as strong as when I was a boy. The low angles of the November sun warm my slightly chilly nose.

My girlfriend is with me this year and I’ve taken it upon myself to show her some of the highlights of the area as it’s her first time to the Philly region. Longwood Gardens was gorgeous and Hawk Mountain was a great drive up into the northern stretch. Yesterday we spent a couple hours at Valley Forge, the area’s most prominent National Historical Park. For those who need a refresher of their American history, Valley Forge is the site of the American troop encampments under the command of General George Washington (yes, that GW) in the cold and deadly winter of 1777-1778. Pushed to the side as the British were occupying Philadelphia, Washington’s troops were short on supplies and food and were constantly fighting disease. 1 in 10 troops died before winter’s end.

We all know that the American troops won out in the end, Washington became our first President, and we stand independent today, but the story of Washington and his troops fighting against those odds and the harsh winter elements is one of American pride almost 250 years later.

Here in Hawaii we certainly don’t have the bitter snows and frigid colds of the Patriots at Valley Forge, but the wintertime can still be a challenge if you’re trying to sell your home. Talk to anyone in the business and you’ll often hear that winter is not the best time to put your house on the market. On the mainland this makes sense as 1) fewer people want to spent their weekends running between open houses when it’s 10 degrees below zero, and 2) people, namely potential house buyers, are more focused on red-nosed reindeer, gingerbread cookies and unwrapping presents.

But in Hawaii, it’s less of an issue in my eyes. It can still be a tougher time to sell than the rest of the year, but if you’re priced right then you have a smaller obstacle than our mainland friends. The show still goes on here. Sure, the holidays still slow us down a bit, but the real estate market now in Hawaii is generally hot and serious buyers aren’t going sit on the sidelines for two weeks full of egg nog if there’s a property to be had that fits their criteria. They’ll buy today.

So if you’re serious about selling your house, then now can actually be a great time to stick out from the crowd if and when your neighbors pull their houses off the market. The real buyers will still be there, so you should be there, too. Whether you’ve got a condo in Waikiki or a single family home in Makakilo, maybe this year you can give your family an extra special present — a successful home sale and cash in your pocket.

If you want a free cash offer for your home, then give me a call at (808) 377-4379 or start your free home analysis here!