Best and Worst Months to Sell a House in Texas This Year

Selling your house or any other residential property isn’t as simple as making a listing on the local real estate market and waiting for the potential buyer, and this is true whether you’re selling the property yourself or through a real estate agent. 

The truth is that home sales are complicated, and there are just too many factors to consider when selling a home. Traditionally, homes in Texas typically spend some 77 to 90 days on the housing market (DOM), from the day they’re listed to the day the deal with the homebuyers is closed. 

While this is slightly faster than the national average, if you’re impatient, you can always sell your house fast for cash to a company that buys houses. However, home sellers who are looking to try their luck on the current market need to pay attention to several factors, one of which is the time of the year or the best and worst months to sell a house. 

Texas Real Estate Overview

The entry into 2024 paints a picture of a rather dynamic real estate market that is currently in its mixed phase. There has been a notable influx of new listings, which could potentially signal the shift towards a buyer’s market. 

However, this is balanced out by the fact that the current market features all the signs of the seller’s market. Despite the new listings, the housing inventory remains historically low, and the new job growth and economic opportunities in Texas are making the homes sell faster than ever. 

No matter the case, the median sale price currently stands at around $325,000, but there are significant regional price variations, so the overall median sale-to-list ratio remains close to 1. This means that some areas favor the buyers, while others favor the sellers. 

If you’re a seller who has the luxury of choosing when to sell, this guide will provide you with the knowledge of when is the best and the worst time of the year to sell a house. 

Best Time of the Year to Sell Your House in TX

The best time of the year to sell your house in Texas depends on your goals as a home seller, but there are some things you need to consider. Simply put, certain months of the year are more favorable, and selling in that time might earn you higher net proceeds. 

Texas is a large state with a diverse geography, resulting in a varied climate. Unfortunately, mild climate isn’t really a thing in the Lone Star state, which is actually known for extreme temperatures in the summer months, particularly in the western and southern regions. The northern and panhandle areas can experience more extreme cold weather during winter months compared to the rest of the state. 

This, naturally, affects the market trends, and the late spring and early summer months are typically referred to as the housing season of the year. The warmer weather enables more serious home buyers to go house hunting and touring open shows. 

Families also typically move during warmer months and toward the end of the school year, thus driving up the competition between sellers, which ultimately might affect the asking price. Late summer in Texas, though often scorchingly hot, still might pose an opportunity for home sellers and realtors. 

Most of the homes have already been sold by late summer, which reduces the competition and provides longer showing times, which is beneficial to sellers looking to show off their property’s curb appeal. 

The market often slows down significantly in the fall, but you can still come across a more serious buyer who typically has to relocate for work. 

Worst Time of the Year to Sell Your House in TX

The least favorable time to sell a house in Texas is usually during the late fall and winter months. Fall is when the school year and a rather busy holiday season start, and market conditions begin to drastically slow down since people tend to stay closer to home once the temperature drops and days get dark earlier.

While a fairly rare occurrence, Texas often makes the news for its harsh winter storms, which also affect the home market. Colder weather, which often borders on the extreme, can deter potential home buyers from house hunting, which leads to a decrease in market activity. 

Additionally, it’s more difficult to stage open houses during winter because the days are much shorter. It’s also more difficult to move as well, partially due to cold weather and partially due to the holiday season. The buyer demand dwindles, and homes listed during some of the slowest months of the year usually mean that they stay on the market longer, resulting in a reduced selling price. 

Best Month of the Year to Sell Your House in TX

The best month of the year for home selling in Texas depends on numerous factors, like market conditions, economy, interest rates, etc. Spring and summer months remain the best time of the year to sell the house, and historically speaking, the best months of the year are May and June. 

The trend shifts back and forth between May and June, depending on the aforementioned factors, but houses listed during these months in Texas typically spend the least amount of days on the market compared to real estate listed during earlier or later months. 

The same applies in terms of sale price. May and June typically feature higher prices, mostly due to the fact that homes sell faster during this time. This is inspired by the combination of favorable weather, as previously discussed, but also end-of-school-year timing and increased daylight, which makes May and June an ideal time for both sellers and home buyers. 

Worst Month of the Year to Sell Your House in TX

Winter months are some of the slowest months when it comes to the real estate market. The days are shorter, which impedes the open houses and other related work. Given that the holiday season falls around this time of year, it’s rare for anyone to want to relocate during this time. 

The market conditions during December and January are in stark opposition to the near-ideal conditions of May and June, as people either rush toward the holidays or settle and return to their routines after the holidays.

This also has an impact on the market; people aren’t searching for houses as much, which means that some houses spend a longer amount of time on the market. Eventually, sellers might even have to adjust the price in favor of buyers just to sell their home during the winter months. 

Do You Sell Your House in the Winter or the Summer?

Ultimately, selling your house in the winter or the summer comes down to personal preferences, personal needs, market conditions, and many other factors. If you’re selling yourself or employing a real estate agency, your best chances are during the summer months. 

Warmer weather also allows you to address certain issues around the house, renovate if need be, and address any potential issues that might adversely affect the home pre-sale inspection. Additionally, you can also work a bit on your front and back yard, keep the lawn mowed, and driveways and pathways clean to increase the curb appeal of your home. 

That way, you can sell your home faster and increase your net profits thanks to a nicer curb appeal and a more favorable market during the summer months. Cold weather associated with slower months won’t allow you to do that much work; rain and snow make open houses more difficult to perform, and people aren’t generally buying, which can affect the asking price. 

However, selling your home in the winter doesn’t have to be so difficult. You can simply sell your home to a cash-buying company, which is generally a much faster way to sell your property in the winter months when the market is slow. 

In most cases, these companies will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your unique circumstance and shoulder all the forthcoming expenses associated with the sale of your property. This type of approach allows companies that buy houses for cash to present you with an equitable offer, enabling you to sell your house fast for cash. 

Conclusion

Texas has had among the largest net population gains in the past few years, mostly driven by growing jobs and economic opportunities in the state. That positively affects the overall state of the real estate market, which is seemingly well-balanced but varies seasonally from seller’s to buyer’s market.

Spring and summer months (between May and June) remain the most favorable months of the year to sell your house, mostly due to increased market activity, as well as generally higher median sale prices. 

Lastly, those selling in winter months are no longer sentenced to spending months on the market, complemented by lower prices prompted by the market’s inactivity. Simply contact a company that buys houses; we buy houses in Fort Worth.