December can be a good time to sell your Las Vegas home

If you have been thinking of selling your Southern Nevada home but are waiting until after the holidays, you are missing out on valuable opportunities. Valley real estate experts say with fewer homes on the market in December, sellers can make more money and sell their homes quicker than in January or February.

"Statistics show that you have a 20 percent greater chance of selling your home in November or December than in the entire first three months of the year combined," said Leslie Carver of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties. She should know. In 2014, Carver's real estate team sold 167 homes for $42.4 million, making her one of the valley's most successful real estate sales executives.

"This month, there are about the same number of people looking for homes as there are in January and February, but significantly fewer homes to choose from," Carver said. "So the homes that sell this month usually sell more quickly and at a better price."

According to statistics by the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, there was a 64 percent increase in new listings available for sale in January 2015 vs. December 2014. Last December there were 3,024 new homes added to the Southern Nevada Multiple Listing Service. In January that number jumped to 4,661.

"And the buyers during this time are more serious than other times of the year," Carver said. "They are not what we call 'looky-loos.' They are serious about buying a home and many want to complete the purchase by the end of the year, which makes timing important."

According to industry analyst and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties corporate broker Forrest Barbee, homeowners can sell their homes quickly if they do their homework.

"There are many homes currently on the market that are improperly priced," he said. "With the low number of homes on the market this month, properly priced homes are getting multiple offers and often selling within 30 days."

Carver said there are additional benefits to selling in December.

"With fewer transactions happening during the month, lenders can also process loans faster," she said. "And the end of the year also brings deadlines. Corporations looking to relocate employees and investors generally want to complete transactions by the end of the year. It is a great time to sell a well-priced home in Southern Nevada."

For more information on selling a home in Southern Nevada, call Leslie Carver at 702-595-3980 or visit Forrest Barbee's regular blog with local real estate statistics at ninedots.net. Both Carver and Barbee are affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties, a division of Americana Holdings.

Americana Holdings operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchises in California, Nevada and Arizona. Together they comprise the fourth-largest franchise in Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' global organization. Both are leaders in their respective markets with 25 offices and nearly 2,500 agents combined.

In 2014, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices was named Real Estate Agency Brand of the Year by consumers in the 26th annual Harris Poll EquiTrend study of the largest real estate networks. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has 54,000 agents in 1,600 offices nationwide and an international network of 80,000 real estate agents and 2,800 real estate brokerage locations around the world. Call Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties at 702-796-7777 or visit bhhsnv.com for details.