Wintertime Moving Guide
If a winter move is on your calendar, it can be intimidating when the date starts closing in. Even though it may seem stressful, there are some benefits to moving in the wintertime that you could never get if you’re moving in the summer months. Here are just a few reasons it’s smarter than you might think to schedule your move for the wintertime.
1. Lesser-Tapped Markets
When you choose to sell in winter, you’re selling to a much more serious crowd than you might be in summer months. Many employees receive year end bonuses, giving them the extra money they need to buy a home for themselves or their family. For this reason, winter is often the time many people choose to relocate to a new city or start looking for a bigger home to upgrade to. January is also a big time for companies to relocate their employees. There’s also often a sort of baby boom in late summer and early fall, causing a lot of families to look into buying a new home in the winter, a few months after they’ve welcomed a new member into their family. And, since so many houses are up on the market in the summer, people who are just considering buying a new home are out looking. In the winter, you have a semi-exclusive and more serious group of people out on the market looking at homes, so you’re more likely to have someone buy as opposed to in the summer, when many people just want to see what options they have if they choose to move.
2. Show Off Your Winter-Proof Home
Selling your home in a cold city in the wintertime allows you to show off how well-equipped your home is during the winter months. This is something you can only say if you’re selling when it’s warm out. Being able to demonstrate to potential buyers that your home can keep the cold out as part of the tour is a big plus to buyers who need to be worried about winter-readiness.
3. Lower Supply = Higher Demand
During the summertime, the housing market is flooded, making the market very buyer-focussed with plenty of houses up for sale. This leads to sellers compromising on prices in order to sell their home in competition to the mass of options. As we mentioned before, when selling in the winter the potential buyers who will be viewing your home are going to be much more serious in their search. With less options to choose from, the chances of you needing to lower your preferred asking price of your home are slim, and the chances of you selling are high.
Yes, there are certain hurdles to jump over in the cold that aren’t present when the snow melts – it can get overwhelming to sell in the winter if you don’t plan for it. That’s why we’ve put written out a couple of tips that will help you prepare for winter-specific moving situations. If you follow these tips, your winter move will be smoother than ice! For more moving and packing tips, check out our extensive list that can help you out in any situation, no matter the time of the year.
Plan With Daylight in Mind
When scheduling your move, be sure to remember that it gets darker a lot earlier in the winter months. When moving, there can be a pull to get everything done as fast as possible, but in the wintertime, it is very important to be realistic with the possibility of delays caused by the weather and the daylight. In these months, it’s a great idea to allot two days for a trip that would usually take one day. You want to stay safe on the roads and planning ahead can make your trip much safer, and less stressful in the process.
Be Mindful of the Weather (Here and There)
Being sure that both your home or storage unit is cleared of snow and ice is incredibly important when making your move in the winter. Slipping on ice or losing efficiency due to an unexpected snowfall can be a frustrating setback that can be avoided with preparation and preventive measures, and are worth it when injury could be the result. Being mindful of the weather conditions along your route and at your destination are also key factors to consider when choosing your moving date. Be sure that safety is a priority during a winter move, but if you take time to prepare, you can limit the inconvenience that this can lead to with little extra effort during the planning process.
Trust the Professionals
When the conditions are less than ideal, it is always a great idea to turn to a moving company to make your move efficient, and to ensure your belongings are transferred safely. Local moving companies know how to deal with the weather, and do so with safety as a priority. They’ve been doing it longer than you, no matter how avid a house-flipper you may be. The experience of a trusted moving company can be your greatest asset during a winter move, and can take an immense amount of pressure off of your chest, making your relocation easier than you ever thought it could be.
We hope these tips reassure you that a winter move can go well, even if it seems stressful. As long as you’re aware of the risks and you plan ahead, your winter move can go just as well as any other move. It’s not just moving, but even selling in the winter has its benefits! Although it can sound stressful and even scary, there are actually a lot of great benefits that you won’t get when you’re selling at any other time of the year.
No matter when you’re moving, you’re going to want to work with a team that knows what they’re doing. Especially when it comes to winter moves, you need a team of professionals with experience who you know you can trust. That’s Palmer Moving. So give us a call today from a free moving estimate and a Palmer representative will be happy to answer all of your questions.
1. Lesser-Tapped Markets
When you choose to sell in winter, you’re selling to a much more serious crowd than you might be in summer months. Many employees receive year end bonuses, giving them the extra money they need to buy a home for themselves or their family. For this reason, winter is often the time many people choose to relocate to a new city or start looking for a bigger home to upgrade to. January is also a big time for companies to relocate their employees. There’s also often a sort of baby boom in late summer and early fall, causing a lot of families to look into buying a new home in the winter, a few months after they’ve welcomed a new member into their family. And, since so many houses are up on the market in the summer, people who are just considering buying a new home are out looking. In the winter, you have a semi-exclusive and more serious group of people out on the market looking at homes, so you’re more likely to have someone buy as opposed to in the summer, when many people just want to see what options they have if they choose to move.
2. Show Off Your Winter-Proof Home
Selling your home in a cold city in the wintertime allows you to show off how well-equipped your home is during the winter months. This is something you can only say if you’re selling when it’s warm out. Being able to demonstrate to potential buyers that your home can keep the cold out as part of the tour is a big plus to buyers who need to be worried about winter-readiness.
3. Lower Supply = Higher Demand
During the summertime, the housing market is flooded, making the market very buyer-focussed with plenty of houses up for sale. This leads to sellers compromising on prices in order to sell their home in competition to the mass of options. As we mentioned before, when selling in the winter the potential buyers who will be viewing your home are going to be much more serious in their search. With less options to choose from, the chances of you needing to lower your preferred asking price of your home are slim, and the chances of you selling are high.
Yes, there are certain hurdles to jump over in the cold that aren’t present when the snow melts – it can get overwhelming to sell in the winter if you don’t plan for it. That’s why we’ve put written out a couple of tips that will help you prepare for winter-specific moving situations. If you follow these tips, your winter move will be smoother than ice! For more moving and packing tips, check out our extensive list that can help you out in any situation, no matter the time of the year.
Plan With Daylight in Mind
When scheduling your move, be sure to remember that it gets darker a lot earlier in the winter months. When moving, there can be a pull to get everything done as fast as possible, but in the wintertime, it is very important to be realistic with the possibility of delays caused by the weather and the daylight. In these months, it’s a great idea to allot two days for a trip that would usually take one day. You want to stay safe on the roads and planning ahead can make your trip much safer, and less stressful in the process.
Be Mindful of the Weather (Here and There)
Being sure that both your home or storage unit is cleared of snow and ice is incredibly important when making your move in the winter. Slipping on ice or losing efficiency due to an unexpected snowfall can be a frustrating setback that can be avoided with preparation and preventive measures, and are worth it when injury could be the result. Being mindful of the weather conditions along your route and at your destination are also key factors to consider when choosing your moving date. Be sure that safety is a priority during a winter move, but if you take time to prepare, you can limit the inconvenience that this can lead to with little extra effort during the planning process.
Trust the Professionals
When the conditions are less than ideal, it is always a great idea to turn to a moving company to make your move efficient, and to ensure your belongings are transferred safely. Local moving companies know how to deal with the weather, and do so with safety as a priority. They’ve been doing it longer than you, no matter how avid a house-flipper you may be. The experience of a trusted moving company can be your greatest asset during a winter move, and can take an immense amount of pressure off of your chest, making your relocation easier than you ever thought it could be.
We hope these tips reassure you that a winter move can go well, even if it seems stressful. As long as you’re aware of the risks and you plan ahead, your winter move can go just as well as any other move. It’s not just moving, but even selling in the winter has its benefits! Although it can sound stressful and even scary, there are actually a lot of great benefits that you won’t get when you’re selling at any other time of the year.
No matter when you’re moving, you’re going to want to work with a team that knows what they’re doing. Especially when it comes to winter moves, you need a team of professionals with experience who you know you can trust. That’s Palmer Moving. So give us a call today from a free moving estimate and a Palmer representative will be happy to answer all of your questions.
I moved from Royal Oak, MI to Chicago, IL with a stop to pickup more furniture in between. My timeline was quite uncertain until the week of my move and Palmer did everything in their power to accommodate. I don't recall the specific names of my movers, but they were quite kind and jolly while also ...