Why are all the West Bloomfield lake listings disappearing?

Enjoy the fall colors around the lake

You have probably been scanning the West Bloomfield lake home listings for months.  You know most of the homes by heart now.  In October you have been watching all the lake house listings in West Bloomfield and you are probably seeing some of them dropping off.  You may be wondering where have all the W Bloomfield lakefront homes for sale gone?  There are two reasons why the homes are just disappearing off Realtor.com, Homes.com, Trulia, Zillow and other real estate sites.

1.)  One of the main reasons is in the fall lakefront home sellers pull the lake listing off the market until spring when the weather is nicer.  It is a fact that our hottest market is from April to late August.  Home buyers on or off the lake are out in force during that time because of the weather and because the children are out of school.  People are more apt to move during those months so it does not disrupt the kids or they have time to get ready for the new school or school system.  You can’t move in the middle of the school year with kids.  It would be too disrupting for them to have to pull out of one class and be enrolled in a whole new school mid term.  It would be really tough on the kids and most parents will not subject the kids to that.

Is it smart to pull it off the market?  I believe it is for several reasons.  Number one.  If the house sits on the market all winter you are only going to get low ball bids the longer it sits on the market.  If the market is continuing to go up, next year the lake home might be priced just right.  So why let it sit in the cold months and get low ball bids?  Number two lake homes sell better when the sun is shining off the water.  It just completes the package.  It is hard for lake home buyers to see or visualize the lake shore and lake when it is covered in ice and snow.  Number three.  There are fewer lake home buyers out in the winter simply because of the cold, nasty weather and not wanting to move the kids mid stream.

It is hard to tell what the lake looks like in January

2.)  The second reason is what I call “fall lake effect” selling.  At the end of the year some lake home sellers get tired.  They may have looked all year and some might have been looking for a couple of years.  They get tired of looking.  They want to be on the lake.  They may be looking at a specific lake.  The buyer just pulls a trigger on a lake house so they can be on the lake next year.  In some ways it is settling.  Some lake home buyers don’t want to take the chance of home prices going up.  Some don’t want to miss the chance of an “OK” house going off the market.  So they pull the trigger and buy the lake house.  Many times they pay close to list price even though the West Bloomfield lake home has sat on the market all summer.   That is why I call it the “fall lake effect” of W. Bloomfield homes.

Look at the beautiful fall colors on Lake Orion

It happens every year.  I cannot explain it any more than I have.  I just know it happens from my experience as a lake realtor and watching the market each year.  I believe it is all about the buyer wanting to be on the lake next year.  It’s about getting the best lake home that you can from what you have seen over the year.

I hope this explains where all the lake front homes for sale have gone.  It is the same whether it is a waterfront home in Oakland County or Livingston County.  There are fewer lake listings during the winter months.  I tell my clients to be patient and as soon as spring hits there will be more for you to look at.

If you are thinking of listing your lakefront home in West Bloomfield or any community around Metro Detroit give me a call or text at

(248) 310-6239

My three strong points that will help you sell are:

1. Tremendous marketing of your home
2. I really know how to stage and prepare your home for sale.  Tips that are cost efficient and time efficient.
3. Good negotiator.  My goal is to help you get the most for your money without letting the deal fall apart.

If you have questions about buying or selling feel free to reach out to me via email too!  My email is yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

Russ Ravary your Oakland County lakes area realtor!