Have you been wishing the time was right to sell your home? The time has arrived!

Many financially stable home owners have wanted to sell their homes for various reasons over the past year but have either had no luck or just decided to wait. If you are one of these homeowners you should seriously consider putting your home on the market now. Why? There are a variety of reasons:

• Lower inventory. Everyone knows that the housing market has been flooded with short sales and foreclosed properties, but the first time home buyer tax credit had a significant impact in the number of houses on the market. Just about every first time home buyer who qualified for the credit and was able to purchase a home has done so. This has helped to lower the number of available properties, making it more likely that your house will sell.

• Extended tax credit. Most of the first-time home buyers who were going to buy have already done so. But some haven’t. The tax credit has been extended until April which may be just enough time for those who weren’t quite ready to be so.

• Expanded tax credit. The credit was not only extended, but expanded to include first-time home buyers with higher incomes and current home owners. This opens up a whole new group of people who will jump at the chance to buy a home and cash in on the tax credit.

• Low prices. Perhaps you have been concerned about selling your home for less than it is worth. This is a valid concern and has kept many financially stable home owners from listing their home. But consider this: your new home will cost you less as well. It’s quite possible that you may be able to find a home in your price range that you will not be able to afford when its value increases.

• Expanded tax credit. (Again) The expanded tax credit might include you! If you were to purchase a new home before April, then you will qualify for the $6500 tax credit, if you meet the requirements. This just might help to offset any loss you could incur based upon lower property values. Add it to your down payment and you could afford a more expensive house.

• Money for fix-ups. Home buyers hoping to find a house ready to move into with little more than a change of paint color, have been rather dismayed by the condition of many foreclosed homes. Even homes qualifying for short sales could be in need of major TLC simply because a distressed home owner does not have the funds to make repairs. This makes buying a house from a financially secure home-owner a much more attractive to most buyers.

• Flexibility. Another problem that home buyers have found when trying to buy a distressed property is the time it takes for a bank to respond to an offer. You may find a home-buyer who needs to close in two weeks, or one who low-balls an offer and needs several back and forth offers to agree on a reasonable price. You have the flexibility to handle this situation, whereas a bank may not be able to meet their needs.

Now tell me, can you think of a good reason not to list your home? Give me a call and we will get things started.

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Looking for a home in the Edina area? Visit my website. When you are ready to visit any of these homes, or if you would like to list your home, contact me, Chris Prescott, at (952) 944-1728 or via email.