Anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be a small surge of properties hitting the market in Seattle this spring.  In several zip codes, December showed a drop-off of listed homes not related to sales taking place (the pace of sales in December was sluggish).  This could be attributed to listing contracts expiring or being cancelled with the aim of "trying again in the Spring". 

 

If true, this could mean that sellers may want to shoot for listing their homes earlier in the season -- late February or early March -- to precede any surge of homes coming on the market.  The downside to this is that you won't have the benefit of blooming flowers and trees to complement your home.  The upside is that you may be on the market with fewer properties competing for buyers in a buyers' market.