Getting ready to sell your Alabama home? Here’s how long you can expect it to take — and some tips on how to speed things up (and still get a great price).
- In 2021, the average time it takes to sell a home in Alabama — from listing through closing — is approximately 89 days. That’s 54 days to get an offer, plus the typical 35-day closing period.
- Key factors that impact Alabama home sale timelines include local market conditions (e.g., buyer demand, job market, rising home values, etc.), time of year, and your property’s type and condition.
- Your agent’s listing strategy (pricing, marketing, networking, etc.) and the buyer’s financing situation — i.e., the amount of time it takes for them to secure loan approval — will also influence how long your sale ultimately takes.
Read on to learn more about how long it takes to sell a house in Alabama and get some pro tips on how to speed up your sale, get better offers, and save thousands in the process.
Editor’s Note: The data in this article may be slightly skewed because of COVID-19’s disruptive effect on 2020 real estate trends. See the table at the end of this article to compare data from 2020 and 2019 and see how drastically trends were affected in your state. |
JUMP TO SECTION
What’s the average time to sell a house in Alabama?
Average Time to Sell* | Average Price* | |
|---|---|---|
National | 86 days | $704,881 |
State | 89 | $386,377 |
*Based on Realtor.com Data (December, 2020) | ||
The average time it takes to sell a house in Alabama in 2021 is 89 days — 54 days to get an offer and an additional 35 days to close. This is approximately 3.5%slower than the national average. Keep in mind that these are annual averages and the numbers will vary by month and/or season.
Best time to sell a house in Alabama
In addition to the average days on market and list price data, we’ve compiled data on the BEST (and worst) times to sell your Alabama house based on what’s most important to you:
- Fastest Time to Sell: When should you list your home if you’re looking to sell quickly?
- Highest Sale Price: What month should you list in to get the best possible price for your home?
» LEARN: the best time to sell in Alabama
Best month to sell a house fast in Alabama
Month* | Days on Market** | |
|---|---|---|
Best Month | August | 35.5 days |
Worst Month | January | 76 days |
*Based on Realtor.com Data (December, 2020) **Days on market doesn't include the amount of time it typically includes to close (about 35 days) | ||
The best month to sell a house fast in Alabama is August. The median time it takes for Alabama homes listed in August to sell is 35.5 days, which is 18.5 days faster than the annual average.
» READ: a comprehensive guide on how to sell your house fast
Best month to sell a house in Alabama for price
Month* | Average Price* | |
|---|---|---|
Best Month | September | $278,648 |
Worst Month | December | $249,950 |
*Based on Realtor.com Data (December, 2020) | ||
The best month to sell a house in Alabama in terms of sale price is September. The median sale price in September is $278,648, which is 5.2% — or $13,843 — more than the annual average.
Tips to get your Alabama home sold
1. Time the market
As we have seen in the data previously listed, being able to time the market is an important tool. It can make as much as a $30,000 price difference in how much you sell your home for and how long it sits on the market. However, Alabama is different than most states because selling in the summer means you can sell quicker, but selling in the spring means you can walk away with the highest profit.
It is essentially up to the seller to decide which is more important. Some sellers need their home sold quickly if they’re relocating for a job. Or, some sellers need their home sold for the highest amount possible in order to pay off a mortgage or front a down payment for their new house. At the end of the day, a real estate agent will help you find a happy medium between the two.
2. Price your home competitively
Pricing your home competitively will help you sell your home quicker. This is what we saw with the average days spent on the market in Alabama. Since the spring and summer months are typically a seller’s market, there are going to be many sellers that you need to compete with. Having a listing price that’s not too low or too high will bring in more buyers and hopefully help you stand out among the competition.
3. Work with a real estate agent
Working with an expert in the real estate field is going to benefit you in all aspects. Not only do they have extensive market knowledge to help price your home, they know how to work with buyers. Real estate agents will also be able to help stage your home whether that be giving you a referral to a professional or doing it themselves. The same goes for getting professional photos of your house for listings. If you really think about it, why wouldn’t you want to hire an expert to do all the nitty-gritty work for you?
» READ: Top Alabama Real Estate Agents
4. Negotiate like a pro
How you handle the negotiation is going to really make or break your sale. You don’t want to scare away buyers with unreasonable conditions, but you also don’t want to offer anything that might leave you with little to no profit. Again, this is when a real estate agent is going to come in handy. They have experience working with buyers and their agents and will be able to quickly determine what the buyer wants from the sale.
If you are deciding to sell your home yourself, otherwise known as FSBO, you will need to brush up on your negotiating skills and do some research to see what helps sellers profit during the negotiating process.
5. Offer to make upgrades
If you think about the home selling process from a buyer’s perspective, they probably want a home with the least amount of necessary upgrades and repairs. In fact, they probably won’t want to even offer a higher price if they know they’re in charge of fixing things in your home. This is when it might be a good idea to invest some money into necessary upgrades and repairs.
Not only will this increase the value of your home, but it incentivizes buyers to pick your home over another seller. Some ways you can do this are upgrading the siding or exterior of your home.
Do some basic landscaping or add grass if you never had any. Replace or repair any damaged or outdated windows. Sometimes that can even be as easy as adding shutters to the exterior or painting window frames. You can even create open space by taking out a non-load-bearing wall or removing the kitchen island.
Next steps for Alabama home sellers
If you’re looking to sell your home fast in Alabama and get a great price, Clever can help.
Clever negotiates reduced rates with top-rated real estate agents throughout Alabama. Get full service and support for a flat $3,000 listing fee — or just 1% if your home sells for more than $350,000. You’ll still have to offer a buyer’s agent commission, per the standard rate in your area (typically 2.5-3%), but overall, you’ll still save up to 50% on standard commission fees.
» LEARN: more about low-commission real estate agents
Importantly, home sellers who list with Clever get their first qualified offer in an average of 24.1 days* — that’s 30 days faster than the average time to offer in Alabama.
Sell your house fast and save thousands!
Work with a top local agent for a fraction of the typical cost.
*Average time to offer for Clever home sellers in 2020
Average time to sell in 2019
2019* | 2020* | |
|---|---|---|
Average Time to Sell in Alabama: | 97 days | 89 days |
National Average: | 80 days | 86 days |
Average Sale Price in Alabama: | $198,417 | $386,377 |
National Average: | $307,750 | $704,881 |
Best Month for Speed: | August, with an average of 51 days on market | August, with an average of 35.5 days on market |
Best Month for Price: | May, with an average sale price of $214,000 | September, with an average sale price of $278,648 |
*Based on data gathered from Realtor.com and Zillow Data Center | ||