The holiday season is not distracting determined buyers from finding their new homes. Pending sales of homes hit an all-time high for the month of November, according to the latest statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. But while buyers are persisting, sellers are staying on the sidelines. November’s report, which covers 23 counties around Washington state, also shows the number of new listings plunged to the lowest level in 11 months, with King County having the overall lowest inventory level at 0.96 months.

Why are so many would-be sellers missing a key opportunity to get top dollar for their homes? Many have the misperception that the holiday months are a bad time to list a home. On the contrary, this time of year can be an excellent time to sell. Here are 3 reasons why:

1.  Holiday Buyers Are Highly Motivated—While the number looking may be lighter, those who are out there are serious. This time of year, nobody has the spare time to be out browsing, especially when it’s dark and soggy by 4:30pm. If they’re looking, chances are they are intent on purchasing.

2.  Homes Typically Show Better—Creating that warm, cozy feeling to help buyers fall in love goes hand-in-hand with the holidays. Between the decorations, the smell of holiday baking, and roaring fire, your house likely feels most like a home during this festive time of year.

3.  Fewer Homes Mean Less Competition—Most sellers don’t want to hassle with their home being on the market during an already busy time of year. But for those who can manage it, less competition means greater opportunity for receiving a strong, solid offer.

While a typical market might warrant waiting until spring, our market here is anything but typical. Seattle and the Eastside continue to defy all forecasts, with little indication of home prices or activity leveling off soon. Even with the inevitable rate increases, we expect 2017 to be another banner year for real estate.

Another though there may be a perception that a hot market means a home practically sells itself, now more than ever it is critical to be working with an experienced, full-service broker. A highly competitive market often means more challenges and potential pitfalls for both buyers and sellers. In order to fetch top dollar with a solid buyer, a listing requires thoughtful preparation, sophisticated marketing, and strategic negotiation. While a listing may generate multiple offers, at the end of the day, it only matters if it makes it to closing.

Ask anyone shopping for a home in the greater Seattle area—it’s brutal out there. Lack of inventory, bidding wars, and rising prices have sidelined many well-qualified buyers and dissuaded others from even entering the race.

However, some key market factors may indicate that relief is in sight. For many discouraged or burned out buyers, the next few months might be the right time to reinvigorate their home search.

The highly competitive market of King County is driven largely by lack of inventory. With demand far exceeding supply, there is a backlog of buyers. But July numbers indicate we are seeing a much-needed uptick in the number of homes for sale. Housing inventory in the region is up 7.6% from July 2015. While we are far from a balanced market, more homes means less competition amongst buyers.

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For those buyers willing to stick with it, this time of year can also mean less competition due to a distracted buyer pool.  There is a cadence to the real estate market, and typically the month of July is the peak. This year was no exception; our pending sales hit a record high in July. But activity tends to taper in August, as families shift their focus to taking advantage of the last days of summer and getting ready for back-to-school.

Lastly, while home prices are still rising, the majority of this year’s appreciation has likely already occurred. In King County, the median sales price of $505,000 was up 15 percent from twelve months ago when it was $439,000, but down slightly from June's figure of $510,000. We expect to see an increase of inventory from sellers who want to sell before the end of the year, but with more modest increases in price.

While it still takes tenacity and working with the right broker, the key message for the battled buyer is: don’t give up. The next few months will present the best opportunity to find a home this year.