I got a phone call last week from someone thinking about selling their home. 

The question I asked was, "How long will it take me to sell my house?"

My answer was, "Well, that depends..."

As of today, there are 550 homes for sale in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. In the last 12 months, 434 homes have gone under contract.

While the math would seem to indicate that it takes at least a year for something to sell, that's rarely the case. Some homes have been on the market for well over 1,000 days.  Some homes have gone under contract in one day. There is no precise answer to this question.

It depends -- it depends on whether the home is priced at the "sweet spot." 

The sweet spot -- that's the price that gets buyers excited. That's the price when offers start appearing. Did you know that the median days on the market for Lake Forest houses that have found their "sweet spot" is less than 35 days? That's means when the house is priced right -- it sells fast.  Even the most unloveable houses have a sweet spot -- it's just a matter of finding it.

If a home has been on the market and it hasn't gone under contract within 90 days at a certain price, what makes a seller think the next 90 days are going to be a lot different?  Sure that elusive buyer may show up. But why wait?  In a declining market, houses that sell quickly usually sell at a higher price than those that linger waiting for a buyer. 

Want to sell your house?  Find the sweet spot and it will sell!