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 Home sales begin to take on momentum in the
spring, peak in June and July, and taper off in August. But, on a
sunny day when the yard is well manicured, the gutters clean, and
the basement is dry, it’s hard to evaluate if the house can stand up
to the harshest elements.
It’s hard to hide a leaky roof or wet basement when the snow and
rain take over in the winter. It might be best for buyers to wait
until the holidays to make an offer on their dream home.
People are more likely to move in the summer than in the winter
regardless of region or climate. Sellers are often encouraged to
wait until spring to list their home, but if they are serious about
selling and the price is in line with the market, there is nothing
wrong with listing in the winter.
For buyers, less competition in the winter means they can often get
a great house at a great price. The following short videos from real
estate agents in different areas of the United States show that
regardless of where the real estate transaction takes place, winter
can be great time of year to make a home purchase:
Stacy Duffy
from South Metro Denver Real Estate in Colorado
Dennis
Schaffhausen from Woodbury Real Estate in Minnesota
Pam Butera
from The Pam Butera Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Greg Potts
from GS Realty Team in Weatherford, TX
While popular opinion dictates that spring and summer are the
hottest months of the year to purchase a new home, many real estate
agents believe there are very good reasons to wait until winter.
The next two videos share ideas about why winter
is a great time to buy a home: Xtreme Truth,
a youtube channel, suggests there are "Five
good reasons to buy a home during the holidays"
- Less market activity means less competition
for the house you like.
- Motivated sellers who are serious about
selling.
- Potential tax advantages for some people
buying before the end of the year.
- Better interest rates tend to happen during
the holidays due to the limited demand for among lenders.
- Faster closings are motivated as all parties
want to have transactions done before the end of the year.
[to top of second column] |
 Dan Hamilton of Hamilton and Co. of Keller
Williams Greenville Upstate in Greenville, SC agrees there are "Five
very good reasons for selling a house in the winter with very little
variation"
- Fewer homes for people to look at means you
get more attention on your home.
- First quarter job relocation.
- More motivated buyers’ not just lookers.
- Fewer days on the market because sellers are
more realistic about pricing.
- Higher than average sale price.
While reason tells us that spring and summer
is the best time for house hunting and moving there are very
logical reasons for shopping for a house and moving in the off
season, winter. Many life experiences dictate when a person
might need to buy and/or sell a home and moving in the winter
might just be the best time.
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