Well, it depends on who’s buying it. At each season of the year, there are different types of buyers searching for their Cape house:
Spring: The buyers are out and they all want to be in by Memorial Day or at least the end of school. The problem is that this is also when there is the most competition from other listings.
Summer: It happens every summer: They came for the sunshine and lobster rolls and left with a Cape house. This is, in fact, how my own family ended up on Cape Cod.
Fall: Judging by traffic, I would say about 60% of the second homeowners on Cape Cod come back to their Cape house for the holidays. Most fall buyers are aiming for October or November closings.
Winter: Did you know that the rental bookings start to heat up right after the holidays? Cape House landlords need to have their properties purchased and ready for the January/February rental season.
Caveats: If you’re on the market in August or December, prepare for some slow stretches. August seems to be everyone’s vacation time, and then in December people are preoccupied with holidays. That said, the folks who shop when nobody else does usually are doing so with a sense of urgency (tax timing, 1031 exchange, relocation, etc.). So while your showing appointments may be low in quantity during those months, they’re apt to by high in quality.
