Nile Lundgren, founder of the Lundgren Team at SERHANT., with $550M in sales, answers should I wait until spring to sell starting with supply: "In Manhattan, inventory is scarce." From Nile's seat, sellers will have to take a little less. Waiting has a cost: every month you wait, you keep carrying the apartment.
If you are weighing a sale in New York this fall or next spring, you can reach Nile Lundgren and the Lundgren Team at SERHANT. here.
Should I wait until spring to sell, or list this fall?
This post does not forecast the market. Nobody can tell you what spring will bring, and a season on the calendar is not a pricing strategy. What you can control is the cost of waiting, the condition of the home you list, and the price you ask for it.
Waiting has a cost. A seller who holds out for spring is not standing still. The bills keep coming, and the decisions get pushed back.
On supply, in a voice note he recorded on October 19, 2026, Nile put it this way: "In Manhattan, inventory is scarce." Scarce supply does not mean a seller sets the terms. From Nile's seat, sellers will have to take a little less, and buyers have to get out and make a lot of offers.
Buyers also shop the same way in every season. In Nile's words: "When buyers have choices, they compare. Your home is not shown alone. It is shown the same afternoon as two or three others."
So the real question is not fall versus spring. It is whether your home is ready, and priced for what it is, on the day it goes live.
What is the cost of waiting to sell an NYC apartment?
The cost of waiting starts with carrying costs. As long as the apartment is yours, you keep paying for it: your mortgage if you have one, your monthly maintenance or common charges, real estate taxes, insurance and utilities. Those bills do not pause while you wait for a better season.
There is also the cost of time. If you are buying your next home, a sale you have not started can hold up the purchase you want to make. If you are relocating, the move waits too.
And there is the cost of a plan you never made. Waiting and hoping is not a plan. If you decide that spring is right for you, use the months between now and then to get the home ready, so you are not starting from zero when you finally list.
Nile's prep steps start the same way in any season. In his words: "Walk the home with your agent before you spend a dollar." Then work backward from the date you want to list. In his words: "Set a schedule backward from your list date: repairs, then paint, then staging, then photos."
What should I fix before I list my NYC apartment?
Start with the items a buyer will notice. In Nile's words: "Fix anything that makes a buyer, an inspector, or an appraiser stop and ask a question."
His rule for repairs: "if it will be on the inspection report, fix it before the buyer finds it. A repair you choose costs less than a repair a buyer negotiates."
Do not overspend, either. In Nile's words: "You are preparing a home to sell, not finishing the home you wish you had lived in."
In New York City, the work is usually inside the apartment itself. In Nile's words: "If you are in a co-op or condo, check your building's rules on work before you hire anyone."
Then edit the space. In Nile's words: "Staging is not decorating. It is editing, so a buyer can picture their own life in the space." His first step: "Declutter first. Half of what is in a room should leave before a single photo is taken."
Photos come last, and they matter most. In Nile's words: "Most buyers meet your home online first. The photos are the first showing." And: "Professional photos after all of the above, never before."
For his full fix, stage and leave-it lists, read What should I fix before selling my house?
How should I price an NYC apartment if I sell now?
Price for the home you are actually selling, not the one you hope a buyer will imagine. In Nile's words: "Price for the condition you are actually selling."
Price against the homes that truly compete with yours today, not against a headline in either direction. A buyer will see your apartment next to the others on the market that week, so that is the comparison that counts.
If you plan to sell without making repairs, be deliberate about it. In Nile's words: "As-is is a strategy. It is not a default. It works when the price already reflects the work, and when you have decided that on purpose."
From Nile's seat, buyers have to get out and make a lot of offers. A home that is ready, well photographed and priced for its condition gives those buyers a reason to make one on yours.
To see what your apartment would compete with today, browse current New York listings here.
For more on why sales are slow while sellers hold their ground, read Is the housing market frozen right now?
FAQ
Is it a mistake to wait until spring to sell in NYC?
This post does not forecast the market. Waiting has a cost: your carrying costs keep running while you wait. From Nile's seat, sellers will have to take a little less.
What does it cost to wait to sell?
At a minimum, the carrying costs of the apartment for every month it stays unsold: mortgage, maintenance or common charges, taxes, insurance and utilities. This post does not put a number on it, because every apartment's costs are different.
Should I sell my apartment as-is?
Only on purpose. In Nile's words: "As-is is a strategy. It is not a default."
Where do the views in this post come from?
The line "In Manhattan, inventory is scarce." and the views on sellers and buyers are from Nile Lundgren's voice note of October 19, 2026. The quoted fix, stage, photo and pricing lines are from his post What should I fix before selling my house? The line on pricing against the homes that truly compete with yours today is adapted from his post Is the housing market frozen right now? The cost-of-waiting guidance is general guidance, not a quote.
How do I contact Nile Lundgren about selling my NYC apartment?
Call (917) 453-4526 or use the contact page at nilelundgren.com/contact.
Nile Lundgren, founder of the Lundgren Team at SERHANT., with $550M in sales. Licensed in New York and Florida. RealTrends Top 1 percent. Cast member of Netflix's Owning Manhattan.
Call (917) 453-4526 or contact the Lundgren Team at SERHANT. at https://nilelundgren.com/contact
