April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring…. home sales? According to a new ATTOM Data Solutions analysis of 14.7 million home sales from 2011 to 2017, the best month to sell a home is May. This month reaps the biggest premiums above estimated market value, at 5.9% on average, compared to any other month.
The single best day of the year to sell a home, according to the analysis, is June 28, which sees an average seller premium of 9.1%. The other top days to sell a home are February 15, May 31, May 29 and June 21, with premiums ranging from 9% to 8.1%.
“May is a bit of the early bird getting the worm because many home sellers wait until June or July to list their homes, but sellers willing to list a little earlier will face less competition from other sellers,” says Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions. To actually sell a home in May, the home would likely have to be listed in April, he adds.
Below, a breakdown of the best months to sell a home, according to ATTOM Data Solutions:
| 2011 to 2017 Sales of Single Family Homes and Condos | ||||
| Month | Number of Sales | Median Sales Price | Median AVM | Seller Premium |
| May | 1,369,131 | $194,900 | $184,070 | 5.9% |
| June | 1,489,911 | $202,000 | $191,000 | 5.8% |
| August | 1,435,907 | $200,000 | $191,956 | 4.2% |
| July | 1,420,780 | $200,000 | $192,717 | 3.8% |
| February | 894,060 | $172,500 | $166,843 | 3.4% |
| April | 1,242,434 | $186,000 | $179,910 | 3.4% |
| September | 1,263,439 | $195,000 | $189,000 | 3.2% |
| March | 1,186,024 | $180,000 | $174,630 | 3.1% |
| November | 1,079,935 | $191,900 | $187,000 | 2.6% |
| January | 916,374 | $172,269 | $168,375 | 2.3% |
| October | 1,257,043 | $192,000 | $189,000 | 1.6% |
| December | 1,174,540 | $193,000 | $190,000 | 1.6% |
| All Months | 14,729,578 | $190,000 | $184,610 | 2.9% |
Since the best time to sell a home varies from market to market, some regions are counterintuitive to the national trend. In Phoenix, for example, the best month to sell is November, and in Miami, January is the top month. Check out this map to better time your home sales depending on where you live.
PS. In Minnesota, the smartest month to sell is June 🙂