Getting ready to sell your Washington, D.C. 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 2024, the average time it takes to sell a home in Washington, D.C. — from listing through closing — is approximately 82 days. That’s 47 days to get an offer, plus the typical 35-day closing period.
- Key factors that impact Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 real estate trends. See the table at the end of this article to compare data from before and after the pandemic and see how drastically trends were affected in your state. |
JUMP TO SECTION
- What’s the average time to sell a house in Washington, D.C.?
- Best time to sell a house in Washington, D.C.
- Best month to sell a house fast in Washington, D.C.
- Best month to sell a house in Washington, D.C. for price
- Tips to get your Washington, D.C. home sold
- Next steps for Washington, D.C. home sellers
- Additional resources for Washington, D.C. home sellers
What’s the average time to sell a house in Washington, D.C.?
The average time it takes to sell a house in Washington, D.C. is 82 days — 47 days to get an offer and an additional 35 days to close. This is approximately 4.7% faster than the national average.
Keep in mind that these are annual averages and the numbers will vary by month and/or season.
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Best time to sell a house in Washington, D.C.
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 Washington, D.C. 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?
Best month to sell a house fast in Washington, D.C.
The best month to sell a house fast in Washington, D.C. is April. The median time it takes for Washington, D.C. homes listed in April to sell is 36 days, which is 11 days faster than the annual average.
» READ: How to sell your house fast
Best month to sell a house in Washington, D.C. for price
The best month to sell a house in Washington, D.C. in terms of sale price is July. The median sale price in July is $675,000, which is 4.3% — or $27,848 — more than the annual average.
Tips to get your Washington, D.C. home sold
1. Get an experienced local agent
One of the most important factors in selling your home for faster and more than you could on your own is to hire an experienced local agent. Real estate agents have access to information that most sellers don't have. By running a competitive market analysis, they'll look at data to optimize your listing price and when it hits the market.
Pairing up with a Clever Partner Agent helps to save you money. You get a full-service listing agent for just 1.5% of the sale price, compared to the average of 3%. This can save you thousands of dollars and ensure that your sale helps to fund your next home or investment.
2. Update the HVAC
In Washington D.C., it gets cold and snowy in the winter and hot and balmy in the summer. This means that you'll need a good heating system and a powerful cooling system. If you haven't checked out your HVAC in a while, it's probably time to.
Your heating and cooling system could cost a few thousand dollars to fix but if it's not fixed before your home goes on the market, your buyer could start haggling the price down. Once that starts, they'll be picking away at several elements of your home. Updating or fixing up this system ensures they'll save money on utilities and will have one less thing to try to negotiate on.
3. Target your market
The market in D.C. is different than many other real estate markets. You have young millennial politicos who make a good wage and who want to move into their first home. They'll have requirements that you're close to public transit and that the home is move-in ready.
You'll have foreign families and dignitaries who want to send their kids to a good school while staying just a short commute from work. You'll also have lots of tech entrepreneurs from D.C.'s burgeoning tech industry. They'll all want convenience from your home so make sure you market that way.
4. Take great photos
When putting together a listing for your home, you're going to need lots of great photos. Most people will be encountering your home for the first time via photos online, not in person. You need to get them excited about your home with photos first.
Hire an interior designer to help stage your home and then get a professional photographer to take photos. While you might have some great snaps from your phone, you need high-end photos taken with a professional camera.
5. Show off what other homes don't have
Your listing needs to distinguish your home from other homes in the region. Rather than talking about the boring details, look at what homes in your region don't have and market from that angle.
If you want to ensure that your listing stands out, you'll need help from an experienced local agent who knows all about why people choose to buy homes in your neighborhood. They'll make sure your listing stands out and that your home follows the trends of what's going on in your backyard.
Next steps for Washington, D.C. home sellers
If you’re looking to sell your home fast in Washington, D.C. and get a great price, Clever Real Estate can match you with a top local realtor from a trusted brand like Keller Williams or RE/MAX.
Clever also negotiates reduced 1.5% listing fees on your behalf. You'll get guaranteed full service and support from your agent, but pay a third of the 3% listing fee most realtors charge.
Importantly, home sellers who list with Clever get their first qualified offer in an average of 24.1 days* — that’s 23 days faster than the average time to offer in Washington, D.C.. Find a top local agent and get a 1.5% listing fee now!
Want to find a top local agent without overpaying on realtor fees? Clever negotiates 1.5% listing fees with top-rated realtors from name-brand conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and Berkshire Hathaway.
Get guaranteed full service for half the rate these agents typically charge. Schedule a free, no obligation consultation with a top local agent today!
*Average time to offer for Clever home sellers
