Buy a Home in Winter and Save Money by:Charles Essmeier
While most people are accustomed to shopping for homes between Memorial Day and Labor day
, that may actually be the worst time of the year to buy a house. The best time of year to go house hunting may be the dead of winter, rather than the summertime.Most houses are bought and sold in the summer for a good reason. That's when children are out of school. Parents understandably want to avoid disrupting their children's' lives if they can possibly help it and moving when school is out of session is a big help towards avoiding some trauma.
Granted, one doesn't always have the opportunity to shop for houses at one's leisure; many people move because of job transfers or job changes, and with those, you pretty much have to move when the even occurs. But if you have control over when you start house hunting, you might do better to wait until the snow comes. Why is that?
The summer creates a seller's market. Buyers are working on tight schedules; they want to get settled into their new houses before school starts again. That being the case, sellers have an advantage, because most of the people who are shopping in the summertime want to get settled quickly. The opposite is true in the winter, when there are fewer homes for sale and far fewer buyers. Most people who have houses for sale in the winter months do so out of necessity. At this time of the year, the buyer has an edge, as sellers are more likely to be looking to sell their home quickly from a much smaller pool of potential buyers.
As such, buyers who shop in the winter may find sellers to be more flexible. They may be willing to haggle a bit more on the price, they may be more willing to allow concessions for paint or carpeting, and they may be more flexible on a closing date. All of these things work to the advantage of the savvy home shopper.
If it suits you to do so, the winter is a great time to buy a house.
About the author
Copyright 2006 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including http://www.homeequityhelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity lending. Chase Credit Cards: A Look at the Top 3 by:Edward Vegliante The Advantages Of An Executive Suite Over A Home Office by:Mark Stone Applying for a Grant - Where and How by:Rebecca Game Great Home Loans in Australia by:Rhiannon Chapo The Advantages Of Reverse Mortgages by:Charles Kirkendall What's a Handset? by:Bob Mrozinski The Disadvantages Of Reverse Mortgages by:Charles Kirkendall Pile, Don't File! by:Karin Vibe Rheymer Stewart Establish Credit and Join a Health Club by:Charles Essmeier The Disadvantages of Reverse Mortgage by:Charles Kirkendall Emini Futures Day Trading : Fundamentals And Simulated Trading System by:Michael Taylor Design For Six Sigma by:Peter Peterka The Hurricane Katrina survivors will be victims again... GUARANTEED! by:Stuart McMaster