The market is hot, has been hot, but will it stay hot? That’s the ultimate question of the minds of many homeowners. It seems like homes are going under contract as soon as they are listed these days, so you might have started thinking about how nice it sounds to be on the sellings of things.
Is it all it’s cracked up to be or are you going to be getting more of a headache than you’re hoping for? That answer isn’t a simple yes or no, but here’s a few thoughts about why it might or might not be the right time for you.
It’s A Seller’s Market
That’s the plain truth of the market right now. No matter where you are looking throughout the country, inventory is lower and therefore prices are high. At best, homes seem to be on the market only for a few weeks, if that. That might make you want to sell like never before but have a little caution along with that though.
If you are selling in a market like this, you’ll likely have to buy in a market like this. When that comes to mind, things might feel a little less exciting. Maybe that’s not your case. Say you’ve got a second home that you’ve always considered selling, now might really be the time.
Maybe you are someone who used to travel for work and that meant it made sense to have a second home elsewhere. With the rise of remote work, that might not be the case for you any longer and if you are offloading a second home in a case like that, now might really be your time.
Consider All The Costs
When you do this, the numbers might not excite you like they originally did, especially if selling your home means you’ve got to turn around to purchase a new one. The number your house goes for is not the exact number you are going to get either. Keep a seller closing costs calculator handy so you’ll know a more realistic number or what you’ll actually get in your pocket.
Don’t forget about all the fees that are going to come along, from commission, taxes, and fees. All of those are going to eat into the profit you might have thoughts about originally. With that in mind, the market is seeming to stay high, so you might still be making out higher than you ever expected.
Remember The Bigger Picture
Really think about what your mortgage is looking like before you think too much further. If you’ve recently refinanced, is it really worth going through selling when you’ve finally eased whatever financial woes you might have been facing? If you’ve locked in a good interest rate, it really might be worth just keeping on to that and being thrilled you have it.
With that in mind, most of us don’t own our home outright. If a mortgage is part of your monthly expenses, selling might not be all that exciting afterall. That’ll be up to you though after a long hard look at your equity and what that number means for you in the purchase of a new home.