Wednesday may be hump day, but Thursday is money day for home sellers.
According to a study released by Zillow — you guessed it — Thursday is the best day of the week to put a house on the market. Sellers who do that can see an increased profit of $1,100 or more because that’s when buyers start scoping out showings they want to attend, Zillow said.
It gets even better if a seller picks a Thursday in the second half of April, when the typical U.S. home is expected to sell for 2.8% more, or about $9,300, the study showed. The reverse holds true for the first two weeks of November, when listing a house is associated with a 3.5%, or nearly $12,000, discount.
Historically, spring is still the best time of the year to sell a house, but Los Angeles bucked that trend in 2021; according to Zillow, with December having a typical sales price differential of $25,000.
San Francisco led the way in the differential sales price depending on the time of year a house was listed. A seller could expect to make an additional $106,000 by listing in late February, or $96,000 less by listing in late October, according to the study.
Regardless of when they are listed, homes are selling quickly, according to the study. The difference between the periods with the fastest sales (late January through April) and slowest sales (August) was only three days last year, compared to a difference of 12 days in 2019.
"With inventory as low as it is, home sellers can expect a quick sale pretty much year-round," Zillow economist Nicole Bachaud said. "Even as frantic buyers are snapping up homes days after they hit the market, and often bidding them up above list price, there is still value to be had by listing a home during the right time of year, which is in the spring in most cases. This is a friendly market for sellers, but those who are simultaneously buying need a firm grasp on the right tools and strategies to win their next home."
