Why Staying Listed Through the Winter Can Be a Smart Move in Merritt, BC

If you’re thinking about selling in Merritt, winter can feel like the “wrong” time. Snow on the ground, fewer open houses, and everyone’s busy with the holidays. But here’s the funny thing: winter is often when sellers accidentally help buyers… and the sellers who stay listed can benefit.

Let’s break down why staying on the market through the winter in Merritt (and the broader Kamloops & District area) can be a really solid strategy right now.

1) Interest rates are in a much better place than the “scary” years

A ton of buyers have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for rate stability — and we’ve been getting exactly that.

• The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25% on December 10, 2025. Bank of Canada

• On the mortgage side, sources tracking real, shoppable rates are showing mid-3% options for insured 5-year fixed and mid-3% variable in December 2025 (depending on borrower profile and down payment). Ratehub

What that means in normal-human terms: buyers can qualify more comfortably than they could when rates were higher, and confidence starts creeping back into the market.

2) Buyer demand doesn’t disappear — it gets more serious

Winter buyers are usually not “just looking.”

In Merritt, a lot of winter buyers are motivated by real-life stuff:

• job relocations (hello, resource + trades world)

• relationship / family changes

• lease endings

• “we’ve been watching for months and we’re finally ready”

• investors shopping when competition is quieter

Even when overall BC activity cools month-to-month, economists are still pointing to stable rates as a key ingredient that can help stimulate sales going into 2026. British Columbia Real Estate Association

3) Less competition: a bunch of sellers take their homes off the market

This is the big one.

When sellers pull listings for the holidays, the “pool” of available homes shrinks — and the ones that stay listed naturally get more attention.

In the Kamloops & District region, the number of listings taken in November 2025 dropped meaningfully compared to the prior month (314 vs. 452), and overall inventory also fell month-over-month (1,731 vs. 1,940). Interior REALTORS®

Merritt’s market is smaller by nature, so when inventory tightens even a bit, it can make a noticeable difference in:

• how often your listing shows up in searches

• how many comparable options buyers can “replace you with”

• how much negotiating leverage a buyer feels they have

4) Winter listings often photograph and show better than you think (if you prep right)

“Winter showing” doesn’t have to mean “cold, dark, and sad.”

A few simple moves can make your home feel like a warm cabin-commercial:

• crank the heat slightly before showings

• lights on (everywhere)

• clear walkways + salt for safety

• a clean entry mat + somewhere for boots

• swap burnt bulbs, tidy cords, hide the shovel army

• if you’ve got a fireplace: this is its Super Bowl

When it’s done right, winter can actually help your home feel cozier and more inviting than a busy spring weekend where everyone’s sweaty and rushing.

5) You can win the “timing game” while everyone waits for spring

Spring brings more buyers… but it also brings a flood of new listings.

If you stay listed through winter, you get a crack at:

• buyers who need to move now

• buyers who are watching and waiting (and jump when the right one appears)

• less competition before the spring rush hits

And if you don’t get the outcome you want by late winter, you can always pivot: refresh photos, adjust strategy, re-launch hard in early spring — but you didn’t miss the serious-buyer window in the meantime.

Quick FAQ

“Won’t my house sell for less in winter?”
Not automatically. Pricing is driven more by condition, presentation, and competition than the month on the calendar. Winter can reduce competition, which is often helpful.

“Do buyers even shop around Christmas?”
Yes — fewer of them, but they tend to be more motivated (and less flaky).

“What if we’re worried about showings during bad weather?”
Totally fair. We can set showing windows, require reasonable notice, and keep it manageable.

The bottom line for Merritt sellers

Staying listed through winter can be a smart play because:

• rates are steadier and more buyer-friendly than the recent past Bank of Canada+1

• serious buyers are still out there (and economists are watching stable rates as a tailwind into 2026) British Columbia Real Estate Association

• competition often drops as sellers pause listings, tightening inventory month-to-month in our broader region Interior REALTORS®