Tips On Selling A Home In The Summer Months

Selling a Home in the Summer Months in STL

For St Louisans, we pretty much know that July and August are going to be hot and sticky. Selling a home in the summer months in St Louis brings on a unique set of challenges from the winter months. People are busier in the summer months and a little bit more distracted, so you are not only competing with other homes but also with play-time schedules, vacations and our weather.

The Muny in Forest Park — Forest Park in Summer

In the summer of 2022, we are facing unprecedented issues. The effects of COVID-19 are lingering with several cities either threatening to re-instate the mask mandates or have already done so.
Interest rates are going up from historic lows forcing buyers to adjust their price point.
The early spring market in St Louis in 2022i s suffering still from low inventory. We are experiencing multiple offers on many homes. Many homes are selling within the first few days with multiple offers.
Most home buyers make the choice of where to buy based on affordability, amenities and major life events such as a new job, growing family or older kids moving out, says Treh Manhertz, a Zillow economist.
The mass shift to remote work — even part-time — is now another factor in homebuyers’ decisions.

Sellers, it is more important than ever to “rev it up”. These tips should give you a jump start over your competition for selling a home in the summer months:

Curb Appeal: make sure your lawn is lush and green. Best practice is to keep the grass a little longer and maybe cut it twice a week. Plant a few annuals for bursts of color.
Air Conditioning: Please, please, please keep it cool. I have shown homes where the temperature inside was higher than outside. All the buyers wanted to do was leave.
Outside living spaces: Selling a home in the summer months gives you a great opportunity to show off your outdoor living spaces. If you have a patio or deck, make sure it is staged. Buyers are going to be looking for places for the kids to play, places for the pets and where they will be barbecuing. Outdoor living spaces are a high priority on buyers’ wish lists.

Urban adirondack
Light and bright: Good daylighting is preferable in both summer and winter months. It is a balancing act between direct sunlight, ambient light and artificial light. Read here for tips on good daylighting.
Ice Cold Lemonade: Previously, my advice here was to find a spot where you would like your potential buyer to pause and see the beauty of your outside living space — the patio, the fire pit, the perennials — by setting out a basket of cold refreshments. No more. And I haven’t thought of an alternative yet.