Chances of Selling: “Possibly” vs. “0%, 100% Guaranteed”
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King.”
–proverb
The real estate corollary to the proverb above?
“During a time of year when inventory of good homes is depleted, and lots of “For Sale” homes are temporarily off the market (“TNAS,” or Temporarily Not Available for Showing”), the remaining “For Sale” homes stand out.
Seller Situations: Two Extremes
Whether to temporarily take one’s home off the market over the holidays is necessarily a case-by-case decision.
At one extreme, someone leaving the area for a new job elsewhere is obviously going to keep their vacant (but hopefully well-staged) property on the market.
At the other extreme, a large family with kids home over the holidays, or, a household that’s planning to do a lot holiday entertaining, is likely to take their home off the market.
“Gimme a Break!”; Reduced Visibility
Of course, there are Sellers — some who have been on the market since Summer or even longer (my sympathies) — who simply need a break.
Which is fine, too.
I’d never presume to tell clients what’s best for them.
However, as Realtors like to say, “if your home is officially off the market (vs. just TNAS), the chances of selling are . . . zero.”
P.S.: Only the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database — not Trulia, Zillow or other third-party sites — show homes that are TNAS.
Which means only Realtors can find such homes.
Result: their visibility goes way down.
See also, “TNAS Over the Holidays: How Prevalent?“; “Does TNAS Tweak Buyers’ Interest?“; and “What’s the Opposite of On the Market, But Not For Sale?”
