Nearly every real estate market has a seasonal effect. Who hasn’t asked the rhetorical question, “Doesn’t the market slow down in the winter months,” or “Isn’t the real estate market seasonal, so that it picks up in the spring and summer?” That is true almost everywhere in the U.S., but it is not true in Sequim, Washington. I’ll explain why in this article, and how this effects a buyer like you.
Seasonal Real Estate Market
Almost all buyers in the Sequim area are retirees, so Sequim buyers do not need to coordinate the selling of their current home and the buying of their next home in Sequim based on children getting out of school in the spring or planning for the start of school in the fall. Most retirees moving to Sequim are in total control of their time, and they have no seasonal restrictions.
This means we have a steady number of buyers coming from all over the U.S., and they are coming every day of the week and every week of the year. Even in our small market during the recession of the last decade, buyers were closing on an average of 20 houses every month, even the winter months of December and January.
Seasonal Effects
This does not mean more people don’t show up in the summer months. They do, but beautiful sunny weather brings out everyone in greater numbers. But we don’t have the substantial seasonal market you might be used to in your part of the country. I sell homes all year long in the Sequim area without the seasonal impact I’ve seen in metropolitan areas.
This is why it is a big mistake for sellers in this market to say, “Well, nothing sells in the winter, so we’re going to take our house off the market until the spring.” Buyers are showing up every day of the year. Sales do pick up a little in the spring and summer, but homes are selling all year in Sequim and the seasonal effect is not as great as metropolitan areas.
Last Updated on September 6, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
