Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, I hear some version of the same question: “Should we wait until after the holidays to put our house on the market?”
Sometimes the answer is yes. But not always.
I consider the holiday real estate season to be the relatively short stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. It is certainly not the busiest time of year for real estate, but there can be some real advantages to selling during those five weeks.
The Biggest Advantage: Less Competition
Many homeowners decide to take their homes off the market for the holidays or postpone listing until after the first of the year. Historically, the number of homes for sale drops approximately 9.4% from November to December, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Interestingly, buyers don’t disappear at the same rate. NAR data show that completed home sales have historically increased about 3.9% from November to December.
That combination—fewer homes for sale with buyers still in the market—can create an opportunity for a well- priced, well-presented home.
Holiday Buyers Tend to Have a Reason for Buying
There are certainly fewer casual buyers touring homes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Someone taking time away from holiday shopping, Christmas or Hanukkah gatherings, travel and family time to look at houses is probably not doing it for entertainment. Buyers shopping at this time of year may be relocating for a job, trying to complete a move before the start of a new semester, working with a lease expiration or simply ready to make a purchase.
In my experience, fewer showings can sometimes mean more meaningful showings.
Louisville Doesn’t Shut Down for the Winter
Our local numbers are worth considering.
In December 2025, Louisville homes spent an average of 48 days on the market, compared with 73 days nationally. Louisville’s median listing price remained steady at $272,500, even as the national median listing price declined slightly year over year.
There was still a functioning—and relatively active—real estate market here during the holidays.
There Are Disadvantages, Too
I would never tell a seller that listing during the holidays is automatically the right decision.
Showing a home can be inconvenient at any time of year, but it can be particularly challenging during the holidays. Between house guests, parties, school schedules and travel, sellers may not want the added pressure of keeping the house ready for a showing at a moment’s notice.
There are also fewer buyers in the market overall. Nationally, new listings dropped 29.5% from November to December 2025, a good illustration of just how dramatically real estate activity changes with the season.
And winter isn’t always our most photogenic season in Kentucky. Landscaping is dormant, daylight is short and a beautiful backyard may not show nearly as well in December as it does in May.
What about Holiday Decorating?
I don’t think sellers need to strip all evidence of the holidays from their homes. A Christmas tree, a menorah or other meaningful family traditions don’t need to disappear simply because the house is for sale. A beautifully decorated home can feel especially warm and inviting this time of year.
But there is a difference between festive and overwhelming.
I generally recommend keeping decorations relatively simple, particularly in listing photographs. We still want buyers to notice the fireplace, not just the garland on it, and to see the size of the living room rather than focusing on the Christmas tree.
So, Should You List or Wait?
That depends on the house, the seller and the reason for moving.
If your home will show significantly better in the spring and you have no particular reason to sell now, waiting may make sense. If the holidays would make keeping the house ready for showings miserable, that matters too.
But I wouldn’t postpone a sale simply because conventional wisdom says that “nobody buys houses over the holidays.”
The statistics tell a different story.
There may be fewer buyers between Thanksgiving and New Year’s—but there are also fewer sellers competing for their attention. And the people who are out looking tend to have a reason for being there.
Sometimes being one of fewer homes on the market is exactly where a seller wants to be.
Sources:
National Association of REALTORS®, December’s Market Dynamics: Sales, Inventory and Buyer Trends
Realtor.com, December 2025 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report
Realtor.com, Louisville Real Estate Market Trends, December 2025
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