Most people would probably rather not find themselves in search of a new place to live during the busy holiday season, but if the timing is right, you’ve just sold a home, or you’ve finally saved up enough to get out of your tiny apartment and into a house, then perhaps the best present you could give yourself and your family is a home for the holidays. Although it is already a stressful time of year and you’re likely not keen on the prospect of heaping on the additional pressures of house hunting, filling out loan paperwork, and moving, you might be surprised to learn that there are several benefits to buying during this time of year. Here are a few that could prompt you to get the ball rolling on purchasing some property this holiday season.
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Less competition. With nearly everyone wrapped up in the demands of the holidays, you’ll find that you don’t have a lot of competition when it comes to viewing homes and putting in bids. Of course, you might not necessarily enjoy the same number of listings as you would at other times of year, but if you’re lucky enough to find the house of your dreams, chances are you won’t have to outbid other buyers in order to get it. After all, how many people will brave the winter weather when they have holiday shopping to do, meals to plan, and decorations to hang?
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Motivated sellers. Anyone desperate enough to list their home for sale during the holidays is probably in a hurry to sell for one reason or another, and this can definitely be to your advantage in terms of having your offer accepted. You may be able to negotiate not only a good price on a property, but also a quick escrow.
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Older listings. Homes that have been on the market for quite a while can offer you a good opportunity to buy during the holidays, when sellers will be short on interested parties and possibly willing to lower their price in order to finalize a sale.
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Soon-to-be listings. If you have a good real estate agent, you might be able to get a jump on listings that are planned for the New Year. Sellers that are hesitant to list a home during the holiday season, when buyers are too busy waiting in line to buy gifts to go out and look at homes, may instead plan to put their property on the market after the hubbub of the holidays dies down. However, if they have their listings planned, your agent may be able to use his contacts to get you an early viewing, potentially delivering the opportunity to put in the first bid on a home that hasn’t hit the market yet, and possibly even nab it before it goes on sale.
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Free time. Many people have time off during the holidays, and if you’re among them, this could be a good time to devote to looking at homes. So put in a call to Roche Realty or your preferred agent to start setting up appointments for home viewings around the holidays so that you won’t have to take any time off work for the task.