Cactus League Vacation Rentals: When is the best time to buy or sell a home?

Monique's Featured Listing:

5758 E Ironwood Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85266
5 Bed | 4.5 Bath | 3,906 SqFt | $875,000

Welcome home to The Preserve, a gated community surrounded by open space on a large cul de sac lot in North Scottsdale. Beautifully updated kitchen highlights as the central gathering space for friends and family, along with steel appliances, gas stove, dual ovens, dry bar & wine cooler, a true entertainers dream. Family room features a gas fireplace for those cozy winter evenings. Private backyard oasis at its best with a large covered patio, built-in bbq area, pebble-tec pool, spa, water feature,fire pit, and play set perfect for the kids or grandchildren. Master suite is spacious featuring his/her own vanities, garden spa tub, separate shower, and a large master closet with custom built-ins throughout. Home office features floor to ceiling cabinets. Don't forget about the separate entrance casita for your overnight guests. Don't miss this North Scottsdale gem!

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Friends and Clients —

One of the most frequent questions I get is:

"When is the best time to buy or sell a home?"

I'll give you my thoughts on this in a second. But first, I want to challenge the idea that there is a "best" time to buy or sell. Here's why:

1. Mortgage rates jump around

Mortgage rates fluctuate daily, much more quickly than the overall housing market.

And even a small change in rates could mean a large difference in real home prices — whether you're selling or buying. These changes are unpredictable, making it hard to ever be sure of a "best" time to buy or sell. But that's not all.

2. Statistics only tell part of the story

National and state real estate trends are the averages of millions of different transactions. When you boil them down to a few numbers, lots of details get lost.

The fact is, home prices and demand can vary county to county, neighborhood to neighborhood, and even home to home.

While it's nice to have a simple indication of where the real estate market is going, you still need to look at local conditions first. Which brings me to my final point:

3. Your personal circumstances matter

Your own goals, family situation, financial outlook — all of these matter enormously when deciding when to buy or sell a home.

After all, buying or selling a home is not just a one-time decision. It's also the beginning of a new period in your life.

And that's why deciding if you should buy or sell is not a matter of timing the market. Instead, it's about looking at complex external factors such as prices and mortgage rates and seeing how they line up with your unique circumstances.

Perhaps you're disappointed that I don't have a simple answer for you. But I hope you'll agree with me that there is no simple answer.

That's not to say it's impossible to make a smart decision about when to buy or sell.

I have a lot of experience working with both buyers and sellers around Phoenix area. So if you are considering buying or selling, and you're wondering when you should enter the market, then give me a call at 602-413-8195.

You can tell me about your specific situation. Based on that, I can give you my best advice on the matter.

In the meantime, if you are considering buying, I want to let you know that a couple of great homes have recently come on the Phoenix area market. You can see them here:

Click here for all available Phoenix area homes for sale

And if you're considering selling and you'd like to get an idea of how much your home might be worth in the current market, here's a simple home value calculator to help you out:

Enter your home address here to find out what your home is currently worth

Have a great day,

Monique Walker

RE/MAX Excalibur