April 14, 2025, 5:10 p.m. ET
- About 70% of potential sellers believe now is a good time to put their homes on the market
- Nearly 80% of homeowners say they are considering selling their home out of necessity
People are always going to be buying and selling homes regardless of the conditions of the nation’s real estate market. But after years of homeowners trying to wait out elevated mortgage rates before selling their properties, many potential sellers are getting the itch to finally put their home on the market.
The week of April 13 to 19 is said to have an ideal balance of market conditions that favor home sellers more than any other week of the year, making it the best week to sell in 2025. In a recent survey by Realtor.com, about 70% of potential sellers share that optimism and believe that now is a good time to sell their properties.
“Though the housing market is challenging, today’s sellers are optimistic about selling this year because of their ability to take advantage of the increased value of homes and an expectation that buyer offers will meet their asking price,” the survey reads.
Here is why sellers say they’re feeling more optimistic about listing their properties on the market, and how they’ve prepared so far, according to Realtor.com.
How long have homeowners been waiting to sell
Overall, about 61% of potential sellers said they’ve been thinking about selling their home for more than a year. Of this percentage, 46% have been considering it for one to two years and 9% have been considering it for two to three years.
With this, homeowners who have been thinking about selling for more than a year are more likely to feel locked into their home (55%) due to mortgage rates, according to the survey.
“The holding pattern feels all-too-familiar as homeowners wait out high mortgage rates, hoping for some relief,” the survey reads. “Half of those who have a mortgage feel ‘locked in’ due to high mortgage rates that remain well above the current interest rates that many homeowners have on outstanding mortgage debt, and that effect grows for those who have been thinking about selling for more than a year.”
Why homeowners are optimistic about selling
A majority of the homeowners surveyed said the potential that their home will sell for a high price is the biggest reason they have optimism about selling their property this year.
About 46% of potential sellers said they expect that they’d get their asking price when selling their home, while 35% of potential sellers believe they’d get more than their asking price when selling. And only 13% said they think they’ll get less than their asking price.
As for time on the market, about 57% of respondents think it will take the average amount of time to sell their property. But 18% believe it’ll take less time than usual to sell, and 22% believe it’ll take longer than usual to sell.
About 36% of respondents also said that they believe neither themselves or the buyer will have to make any significant concessions during the home-buying process. On the other hand, some potential sellers think the buyer will have to make more concessions (27%), while other potential sellers think they’ll have to make more concessions (30%).
Realtor.com cites that the expectations for favorable outcomes when selling are most prominent in regions with more homebuyer demand compared to regions that have more competition between sellers.
“While some markets, such as in-demand areas in the Northeast and Midwest, support this optimism, sellers in the well-supplied South and West could find more seller competition than they bargained for,” the survey reads.
Most homeowners are considering selling out of necessity
Nearly 80% of potential sellers said they are considering selling their homes out of necessity, according to the survey.
With this, about 34% of respondents said it’s because they need more space, while 255 said it’s because they need to downsize. Other necessary reasons for selling include needing to move for family (21%), a life event (18%), for work (15%) or because they can no longer afford their current home (10%).
The biggest reason for selling, for 46% of respondents, as per the survey, was to find a different community. Selling to make a profit (36%) and selling because buyers have shown interest in their home (21%) are also among the top reasons homeowners said they are considering selling their home this year.
A majority of homeowners have already prepared their property to sell
While a majority of respondents are only considering putting their properties up for sale this year, about 96% of them have already taken steps to research and prepare their homes to go up on the market.
These steps include checking the value of their home (71%), researching the prices of homes in their neighborhood (61%), determining home improvements to make before selling (50%) and making small fixes, cleaning or decluttering (48%), among other things.
On the other end, 60% of respondents have taken concrete actions to start the selling process. This includes things like contacting a real estate agent (36%), having an inspection done on their home (27%) or actually listing their home for sale (22%).
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
