Would you buy or sell your home in mid-winter? While spring and summer months are the peak season for the real estate market, there are several advantages to putting your house on the market and/or looking earnestly for your new home today. We’re here to share those with you and give you a few tips so you can successfully sell or buy a house early in the year.
Advantages to Selling During Winter Months
1. You Have Less Competition: A perk to selling during the winter is fewer houses are on the market. There’s a greater potential you will sell your house faster when there are fewer houses for buyers to choose from.
2. Buyers are Earnest: You are more likely to show your house to someone serious about buying during the winter season. Many people may be facing a deadline like an expiring lease, a relocation, or a contract on their current home. The fact that it’s not peak season will not deter them from purchasing.
Tips for Selling This Winter
1. Make it Cozy: Make your house feel like a home by adding simple touches that give a potential buyer all the cozy feels. Put a fire in the hearth, prepare fresh-baked goodies, offer warm cider or hot chocolate, or play soft music. Make sure your house feels warm and inviting on the inside to give buyers relief from the cold.
2. Brighten the Exterior: Because it gets dark so early during the winter, add exterior lighting or strategic spotlights to accent your home. Make it visible and inviting outside, so guests won’t overlook your house.
3. Remove Holiday Decor: It may not bother you to have lingering Christmas decorations inside and outside your house, but it may distract a potential buyer. Be sure to remove wreaths, Christmas lights, outdoor inflatables, and other decor before you show your home in January.
Advantages to Buying During Winter Months
1. You Have Less Competition: Because the market isn’t as hot during the winter, you’ll have a better chance of getting your dream home. Less competition means fewer buyers all vying for the same house. Don’t get us wrong; just because the competition is less fierce doesn’t mean there won’t be any. But if your offer is one of four, your chances are much better than if it’s one of twelve!
2. Test The Home’s Durability: You may have a chance to see how a house handles the harsh weather conditions of winter. If you fall in love with a house during the dark, cold, dreary months, then it will only get better from there!
Tips for Buying This Winter
1. Stick with Your Budget: Just because there are fewer buyers competing doesn’t mean you should attempt to stretch your budget. After talking with a trusted lender, make sure you’re looking at houses you can afford. Don’t forget to consider the cost of maintaining the home, HOA fees, and insurance when establishing a monthly payment you’re comfortable with.
2. Be Prepared for a Multiple Offer Situation: You may have less competition this time of year, but there still could be multiple offers on the property you’re interested in. However, that’s not necessarily a problem when you’re working with an experienced agent. Follow our guide for Things to Know About Multiple Offer Situations.
Feeling good about a change this winter? Check out our current listings, and let us know if you see yourself in any of these homes! Refer to our Guide to Selling Your Home to ensure this is the right time for you to sell. If you’re ready to buy or sell this winter, don’t hesitate to contact us at Inhabit Real Estate Group.
