By Holly Henbest, Realtor

Are you thinking about selling your home this summer? Although summer is typically a slower selling season, with our limited inventory of homes for sale, this could be a great time to sell your home since you won’t have much competition.

Currently, Maricopa County has an average of 1.6 months of inventory of available homes for sale. A balanced market would have closer to three to four months of inventory available, and a buyer’s market would have six or more months of available inventory.

Inventory months are calculated based on how many homes sell on average per month and then equating that to the homes available for sale. So, some neighborhoods will have varying inventory data, but overall, for Maricopa County we remain in a seller’s market.

A lot of people assume the summer months are the busiest months for buying and selling. With kids out of school you’d think it would be a popular time, but most local buyers tend to prefer moving when our temperatures are below 100 degrees, which makes our real estate market “hottest” in the spring and fall.

When our temperatures climb, people aren’t as excited about packing and moving and are more focused on summer vacations, so our summer months tend to have a bit of a slowdown of homes being listed for sale. There are still buyers, but just lesser overall activity. Our market is a big second home, retirement home market and those buyers also tend to prefer the fall to spring season to move.
During the summer months, homeowners often focus on doing things to ensure energy efficiency, but if your home is listed for sale in the summer, you want to be the “cool” house, so energy efficiency becomes a low priority. Instead, you want to focus on ensuring the potential buyers have a great experience in your home. Here are some tips if you’re planning to have your home listed for sale in the summer.

1. Air Conditioning
You will want buyers to linger in your home so turn down the temperature and give them a feeling of relief when they walk in the door. If the home is too warm, they’ll be thinking more about getting back into an air-conditioned car, than really checking out the house.

2. Window Coverings
You may be tempted to close all the window coverings for better energy efficiency, but buyers love the feeling of a bright home with natural light, so leave all the window coverings open.

3. Sunscreens
These are also great for energy efficiency, but you’ll want to remove them. Although a great upgrade, they tend to make homes look dark and dingy and, again, buyers love natural light and bright homes are more inviting.

4. Cleanliness
We tend to gather more dust during the summer, so it’s a good idea to not only clean the inside, but also the outside. A good power wash of your home to clear it of dust and debris is recommended in addition to the windows.
5. Water
We often recommend leaving a note and a few bottles of cold water in the refrigerator and let them know they can take one to enjoy. Buyers are guests in your home, so adding this special touch will make them have more positive feelings while they’re in your home and also spend more time to fully check-out the house.

6. Exterior Plants
Ensure you are watering your yard and exterior plants enough to keep them looking healthy and lush. You don’t want to diminish your curb appeal with thirsty and sad looking plants.

Selling your home in the summer can create a bit more expense with lowering the AC and keeping your home open and bright, but the added investment in showcasing your home will surely create a great return on investment.

Holly has been a Desert Ridge resident since 2000 and has been a Realtor since 2006. She is the leader of The Henbest Team with Realty One Group. Holly is ranked in the top ½ of 1 percent of Realtors in Arizona and is a certified luxury marketing expert. She has been ranked #24 in the Top 50 Realtors by the “Phoenix Business Journal” for the past several years and recognized by “So Scottsdale!” magazine as a Real Estate Superstar for 2019, 2020 and 2021. She’s also been the #1 ranked realtor at Realty One Group/North Scottsdale for the past several years. Learn more at henbest.com.