Brown houses don’t sell.

Bury a statue of Saint Joseph upside-down in the yard. He will help sell your house.

It’s a bad idea to list your home for sale in the winter.

The first statement is demonstrably false. The second is, for now, unsupported by scientific research. And the third?

Hoa Hoang, broker/owner of Hoang Realty in Augusta, countered this misconception with statistics. Consider:

In the first quarter (January-March) of 2019, a total of 2,775 units were sold in Maine, according to MREIS (the Maine Real Estate Information System).

Those results were down slightly from those of record-setting 2018, Hoang acknowledges. But they also prove that Maine homes do sell during the cold months. In impressive numbers.

“The world doesn’t come to a halt, even in a Maine winter,” Hoang said. “People still experience life changes, in their jobs or families.

“Sometimes, they need to move within a short time frame. They are motivated, serious buyers and that’s good for sellers.”

There are other buyer motivations, of course. By year’s end, people dreaming of second or vacation homes look ahead to warm weather and dream a little harder, whether of a modest Maine camp or a shingled oceanfront “cottage.”

They seek to buy ahead of spring, to maximize their time at the new place. Investors do the same, to benefit from the most rental weeks.

People’s slower lifestyles in the winter are a plus, Hoang said. “People have more time to do their research, and thanks to the Internet, bad weather isn’t a barrier.

“And with inventory seasonally reduced, your house stands out even more amid fewer listings,” she added.

It will stand out all the more (especially in the snow) with a bright green Hoang Realty sign out front.

Please visit hoangrealty.com. Contact owner/broker Hoa Hoang at 207-623-0623; 207-485-1485; or hoa@hoangrealty.com.