Spring is the best time to sell your home, right? That conventional wisdom prompts many sellers to take homes off the market as autumn turns to winter or to wait to list until spring blooms. But is that rule of thumb true? The answer may depend on the climate where you live and whom you ask.

In warm climates, it may not matter when you list your home. In cold, snowy areas, there may be sound reasons to wait until spring. “Much of the decision is weather dependent,” says Diana Hathaway Timmons, a Gig Harbor, Wash., consultant who helps agents market homes. “Cities like Los Angeles or Miami don’t have as much of a distinct selling season as other areas. What may work in Florida may not work in Michigan.”

Rob Corcoran, an agent with Keller Williams Realty in Salt Lake City, has no reservations about advising sellers to list during the winter. “In spring and summer, you have a lot of lookey-loos,” he says. “But when it’s 35 degrees, people looking for homes are serious buyers.” Another plus, says Corcoran, is that homes are often their most presentable during the holidays because homeowners may be hosting parties and guests.

“Hogwash,” says Elizabeth Weintraub, a broker-associate at Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, Calif. Weintraub agrees that serious buyers are out during some winter months such as November and January — but not between Thanksgiving and the new year.

“During that time, if I see that a property has been on the market since November,” she says, “I go for the jugular and negotiate hard on price because I think those buyers really need to sell, and I’m probably the only game in town.” Not surprisingly, Weintraub advises sellers to take a home off the market during the holidays and relist it in January, when it will attract more attention as a new listing.