Everyone knows that during the winter months the housing market slows down. To a near crawl, if we’re being honest with ourselves. And while there are some obvious benefits to buyers when purchasing in the winter, there are some little known ones as well. Here are the three biggest benefits you’ll reap when buying in this cold, sleepy season.
Fewer Homes are on the Market
Sellers know that there just aren’t the number of buyers during the winter as there are during the hot, busy summer months and so, many simply don’t even put their home on the market during this time. That means that there will be fewer homes for you to choose from, and why is that a good thing? Because you won’t have so many homes to go see, you won’t be left asking yourself questions like ‘Was there a third bath in the Apple Street home, or the Main Street home?’ and you won’t be rushed into making an offer just so you can close the deal before someone else snaps it up. You can simply take your time knowing that while sellers may be in a rush, you don’t have to be.
The Flexibility of Sellers
When sellers have dozens of buyers knocking on their door, they can afford to be very. very choosy as to who ends up with their home. They can put all kinds of conditions on their offer, and ask that you send a deal (and later close that deal) as soon as possible. But without all those buyers on the market, sellers simply can’t be that finicky about who they sell their home to. Again, they’re in a rush and you’re not, which gives you the upper hand and ultimately, a better deal on that home.
Real Estate Agents Slow Down Too
Just like sellers are busy dealing with buyers during the summer months, so too are real estate agents. From April to August, the phones of real estate agents don’t stop ringing, and they’re always in a rush off to see their next client. But do you care about any of that? Of course not! You want your agent to be there whenever you need them, and not feel as though you’re being rushed through an appointment or brushed off altogether when the time comes. That’s just another benefit that comes with buying in the winter – you won’t be! The chances are that during this season, your real estate agent is also very slow and looking for business. And they’ll most likely be more than willing to spend as much time with you as necessary, whenever you need them.
You may not want to sludge it out in the ice and snow during these months to go look at homes, but you can really reap many benefits if you do. Not only is there a great chance that you’ll get a better price for your home, but it’s also very likely that you’ll get better service along the way too.
