This time of year, many people are asking the team at Wolf Real Estate to look at their property and tell them what they can do to make their home show better and be more marketable. The Anchorage real estate market is more seasonal than many ‘lower 48’ markets because Alaskan winters bring limited daylight hours. The lack of daylight shortens the window for buyers to view homes and makes it a bit harder to get good photos.
Alaskan customers often ask us for our opinion on the best time of year to sell their property. We generally tell them that earlier in the season is the prime-time to sell in Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. This is the best time to sell because buyers have been cooped up all winter with short days and snowy winter weather. They have had friends and family in their homes through the holiday season, had to move furniture for decorations and guests, and are starting to think they want a bit more space. Additionally, after two years of covid, more people are working or attending school from home and finding that they might benefit from a different layout.
The seasonal nature of the real estate market in Alaska means there are very few homes on the market between late November and March. During this time families with children are generally committed to a stiff routine until the school year ends in May. People often put their homes on the market to sell in late March or early April, so they have time to sell, close, and move when the school year is over. The closer to summer you list, the more homes hit the market simply because it’s easier to move in the summer, the daylight hours never stop, and families don’t have the restraints of a school schedule.
It is going to be an interesting spring! We keep seeing national stories of a slower market especially in larger urban cities. Remember that real estate is local. You can’t apply too much of what you hear on national news to your hometown market. As of this writing in March, the inventory of homes is low but growing across the board in the communities we serve: Anchorage, Eagle River, Girdwood, Chugiak, and the greater Matanuska-Susitna Valley communities of Palmer and Wasilla. As the market continues to pick up The Wolf Team is here to guide you and help you get the most out of your real estate transaction, no matter the season.
Click the CONTACT US button at the top of this page to get in touch with one of our friendly and knowledgeable agents today!