As we careen at warp speed from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the joyous (read: stressful) festivities in between, you might be tempted to take your home off the market—or hold off —until after the new year. After all, you’re swamped with cooking, shopping, and decorating, and the last thing you need is a bunch of potential buyers traipsing through your house, right?

Wrong!

In fact, there are plenty of homes listed around the holidays that may command more money, especially if the inventory is limited. If you play your cards right, you may even be able to sell your home quicker than ones listed in the spring. One of the reasons is the lack of competition during the holidays. There are so many different reasons why people won’t list their houses just before or during the holidays—some don't want people tracking in snow and dirt during each showing while others just want to relegate the holidays to family time.

So, while it’s true the market is slower around the holidays, it’s also an excellent time to put your house up for sale. The market is slower mostly because fewer sellers are placing their homes on market, but meanwhile buyers are sitting around with pre-approval letter in-hand just starving for inventory! 

Simply put; It’s a huge, huge mistake to either remove your home from the market during the holiday season, or to not put your home on the market if you're getting ready to sell.

Why? The first reason is painfully obvious: Your house can't actually sell if it’s off the market!

In all seriousness, this time of year can actually be ideal for selling. Just like the 12 Days of Christmas, here’s 12 reasons selling your house during the holidays is an excellent idea: