Is Fall a Good Time to Sell Your LA Home?

By Tammy Jerome

Tammy Jerome is an award-winning broker and host of “Selling Los Angeles” on the acclaimed American Dream TV show, with over two decades of experience and more than 1,500 successful transactions.

Every year as we approach midsummer and start looking toward cooler temperatures, I get the same calls. Is fall a good time to sell, or does the market go quiet toward the end of the year?

My honest answer is that the market doesn’t go dormant, and fall may be one of the best times to list. There are only 12 months in a year, and people always need somewhere to live, so any season can be a good one to sell. Fall just happens to come with some real advantages.

Fall buyers come back with renewed focus. By the time fall arrives, summer vacations are over, and kids are back in school, so many buyers return to their home search with a seriousness they didn’t have in July. Here in sunny Southern California, the milder fall weather makes for comfortable showings without the intense summer heat. Cooler temperatures, changing leaves in gold and red, cozy fireplaces, and warm lighting all create an emotional pull that helps buyers picture themselves living in your home. Houses simply tend to feel more inviting this time of year, which is part of why staging and warm presentation help a home make a strong first impression.

Fall lets you get ahead of the spring wave. Listing in the fall lets you capture buyers before the flood of new spring listings hits in March and April. For a savvy buyer, that’s a chance to buy ahead of the spring rush, and for you as the seller, it means reaching people before the market gets crowded. Over the years, I’ve found fall buyers are usually driven by a specific need rather than casually browsing. Many are trying to close escrow before year’s end, settle in before the holidays, or get situated before the next school semester.

Year-end investors get active in the fall. Another group that heats up in the fall is small investors. Some buyers want to purchase before December 31st for tax or financial-planning reasons, and understanding how capital gains work on real estate is often part of that timing. I’m talking about everyday investors here, like parents buying for their kids, or someone who inherited money and wants to put it into an asset that can grow over time. Real estate has long been viewed as one of the more solid, tangible places to protect and build equity, which is why this group tends to move with intention as the year closes.

Fall buyers decide faster. Because so many fall buyers are hoping to be settled before the holidays, they often make quicker, more decisive offers, which can mean smoother negotiations for you. On the buyer’s side, fall usually brings less competition, since plenty of people slip into holiday mode, flock to the malls, and put their home search on pause until the new year. That thinner crowd works in a serious buyer’s favor and in yours.

Spring is more crowded than sellers think. When sellers ask whether they should just wait until spring, I remind them that spring is actually the more competitive season. Because so many people believe spring is the peak of buying season, that’s when inventory swells, and sellers face the most competition. So when fall arrives with fewer homes on the market, your listing is far better positioned to stand out. Think of it this way. In spring, your home is one voice in a crowded chorus. In fall, it’s a solo, and buyers are actually listening. If you’re weighing the timing, it’s worth understanding what a buyer’s market versus a seller’s market really means andwhat waiting can cost you before you decide.

With fewer competing listings and buyers who are often more motivated, your home can draw more attention and potentially sell faster than you’d expect. Sometimes that’s exactly the combination that leads to a successful sale, and knowing what your home could really sell for is the right first step.

If you’d like to talk through whether fall is the right time to list your home, or any other real estate question, I’d love to help. Call or text me at (818) 903-5854, email me at tammyjerome@gmail.com, or visit blog.tammyjerome.com. I look forward to hearing from you.