When should you list your home? I hear this question almost as often as I’m asked How’s the Market? The best time to list your home depends on your  circumstances. Do you live in Toronto? In what area? What kind of home do you have? Do you need to move by a certain date?

There’s no single right answer because every situation differs depending on the circumstances. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume that you live in a typical home in a good neighbourhood in central Toronto and that you have no time constraints and are concerned only with listing your home at the time of year when you’re most likely to receive the highest possible price. Got all that? Basically, all you care about is listing when you’ll get the best price.

If that’s the case, you should list NOW. Not necessarily today because you’ll probably need some time to get your home ready for market (see Is Staging Necessary?), but anytime between now and about mid-May.

Why? Because the residential market in central Toronto has been very hot of late. There are many more buyers than sellers. Good homes that are in good locations and are well priced are selling very quickly, often with multiple offers and for above their list prices. This is likely to continue for the next little while. By mid-May, the market may start to show some signs of slowing down as many of the highly motivated buyers will have bought, other buyers may get tired of multiple offers and start to experience what we in the business refer to as buyer ennuie (we can turn a phrase with the best of ’em) and everyone starts to get distracted by the nice, sunny weather (we hope).

So take advantage of the market and start getting ready to list. The first and most important step is to call  your agent to determine the best strategy for YOU based on your specific situation. As always, I’m happy to speak to you without any obligations if I can offer advice or help you in any way so feel free to contact me anytime.