We want to move next summer. When do we actually need to start?
About nine months out — which surprises people, because the transaction itself only takes two or three. The rest is everything before the sign goes up: decluttering a decade or two, the small repairs you've stopped seeing. Add a pre-list conversation about what's worth doing and what isn't, plus lining up where you're going.
A summer move, worked backward: list in March or April. Finish prep by late winter. Make the fix-or-not decisions after a January walkthrough. Start the sorting now, one room at a time, before any deadline makes it miserable. If you're buying on the other end, start the lender conversation the same month — pre-approval is the slowest fast thing in real estate.
(The pattern I see every year: households that start "too early" coast into their move. Households that start in April sprint through it.) Starting early costs a walkthrough. Starting late costs money, sleep, or both.
I wrote this answer, and I stand behind it. I'm Chris Deutsch, a Minneapolis Realtor (MN #20382264). Twenty-five years of walking these neighborhoods, checking basements, and sitting across kitchen tables from people making exactly this call. I re-check every answer and date it — this one was last verified .
If your situation is more specific than the market, that's the one worth talking through. Email me at chris@lakesarearealty.com.