Here are the best months in the D.C. area for selling a home

It can be a tricky to figure out when is the best time of the year to place one’s home on the market. Thankfully, HomeLight has crunched the numbers and determined that sellers in the D.C. Metro area should list in September or October.

According to HomeLight, homes that are sold during this time frame got at least 35 percent higher of a price for their home than if they'd listed at any other time during the year.

When it comes to why these months in particular are the best for selling, HomeLight Chief Operating Officer Sumant Sridharan said, “We see several driving factors around the reasons for higher prices in the fall. The summers can be very humid in D.C., so many prospective homeowners leave for vacation destinations during this time, only coming back in August. September and October are attractive months [because] the weather is warm, but really cools down heading into November.”

Sridharan also said that the election season tends to have a big effect on the D.C. region’s real estate market too. During this time, she said, “Transplants flood D.C. in the fall prior to November elections, driving up demand across the city."

Not every real estate market report agrees with this, though. In March 2016, Zillow reported that the best time to sell a D.C. home is actually in the spring, between April 16 to 30. During this time frame, listings sell an average of 18 days faster and 1.1 percent higher.

According to the Washington Post, there really is no bad time to sell in the District.

“As long as your home is priced properly, any time of year in the D.C. metro is a good time to sell your house,” reported the Washington Post.

• Here is the Best Time to Sell Your House in D.C. [Curbed DC]

• Ask the real estate expert | When is the best time of year to sell your home? [The Washington Post]