Putting your home on the market can be an exciting next step, as it brings you closer to your future goals. It is understandable that once you decide to put your home on the market, you want it listed as soon as possible. However, a number of factors play into the success of your listing, and a big one is what day of the week your property goes active on the multiple listing service (MLS). Here is all you need to know about the best day to list your house and what day you should avoid.
The worst day
If prospective buyers are out looking at properties over the weekend, they will be visiting those that they had already heard about before the weekend started. But if you list on a Sunday, you might get a few hits, as all the prospective buyers in your neighborhood will likely only be attending showings the following weekend. When there is an entire workweek between your listing going active and open houses, buyers that would have been interested in your home will have had their attention drawn to other properties.
Even if a buyer is thinking about real estate on a Sunday, they will still need to make plans for the following weekend with respect to showings. Those buyers will instead have their minds on the work they have to complete for the week, errands that need to be run, family matters that need to be taken care of, et cetera. It is unlikely that a prospective buyer will be searching for Paramus open houses on a Sunday or Monday, for example. It is not until later in the week that people have a solid idea of what their weekend will look like.
Listing your home on Sunday could push your property to the bottom of buyers' lists, and while it will not prevent your home from selling, it could start you off on the wrong foot.
The best day
Once all the first steps have been completed, such as decluttering, photography, staging, and everything else you need to do to get your property ready, there can be a sense of eagerness to list the second the property is ready. While many real estate investors know that the time of the year can affect a listing’s success, it is less common for people to know what day of the week is best to list a home. That day would be Thursday.
Once the work week is over, buyers have the time to sit down and look at new listings that their realtors have been sending them. The most recent properties to go active will obviously be at the top of that list. By having your property listed on Thursday, all realtors in the area with clients looking for a home like yours will be able to send your property to their clients right away. Those clients will all see your property at the top of their notifications and will be more likely to schedule a showing. First-time home buyers especially lean on their realtors for advice, so making it easier for those realtors to get your listing to their clients is helpful to you as well as them.
Just like how being the first person in a day to be interviewed for a job has benefits, so does having your property seen first. If prospective buyers are going to a showing at your property bright and early on a Saturday morning, they will have your property in their minds for the rest of the weekend. Without even realizing it, they will compare all other properties to yours, and if those other properties fall short, they will give you a great offer.
Everyone wants buyers to see their property as being the best. By having your property go active on Thursday, everyone searching for, say, homes for sale in Bergen County will see your listing and will be able to immediately schedule an appointment. Friday would also be a good day to list if you wanted to wait until the end of the work week. Some buyers may start planning their weekends on Friday, so listing then would allow those buyers to quickly see your listing and plan to attend a showing.
The takeaway
The easiest way to make decisions regarding your property is to imagine yourself as the buyer instead of the seller. When you were going through the process of buying, what was going through your head? When were you sitting down and focusing on the listings your agent had sent you throughout the week? Taking these things into consideration can increase your chances of smooth sailing through the entire transaction.