The Winter months offer some unique opportunities for buyers and sellers.
So, ignore your instincts to let your real estate dreams hibernate, contact us today!
If you buy or sell your home with Beaumont & Associates anytime between Jan 1st - Mar 31st, 2020, you will receive a $200 Home Depot Gift Card*.
*upon completed transaction
Still not convinced? Read the Top 5 Reasons to Buy or Sell in the colder months:
TOP 5 REASONS TO BUY DURING THE COLDER MONTHS
1. Quicker Transactions
During the winter months there are fewer real estate transactions meaning mortgage lenders have fewer loans to process, title and escrow companies have fewer closings to process, and home inspectors have fewer inspections. All of these can be motivating factors that lead to quicker transactions and closings for everyone involved.
2. Motivated Home Sellers
Sometimes, a home on the market during winter months is a “must sell” situation. Perhaps the seller is motivated to sell because of a job or life change. Real estate agents know these kinds of situations can result in a seller who is more willing to negotiate, whether it's on price, closing costs, or closing date.
3. Less Competition
In most markets, winter is when the available housing inventory is at its lowest. Lower inventory can mean fewer buyers to compete with on that home you want.
If there are fewer buyers in the market, the seller may be willing to negotiate on price. Fewer buyers competing for homes also means the chances of multiple offers on a single property decrease. Often, this results in buyers gaining the upper hand over sellers in the negotiations. The laws of supply and demand are always at work in real estate sales.
4. Real Estate Agents Can Focus on You
During the slower winter months, your real estate agent has more time to give you their undivided attention – they will be working harder for you. These low-activity months for sales encourages agents to try just that little bit harder to negotiate a sale. With extra time on their hands, they are better able to help you find the right home, negotiate the best deal, and close the transaction quickly.
5. You Get to Assess a Home’s Condition in Wintertime
Winter can be the toughest season for a home. The cold, moisture, and wind will test the home’s ability to insulate and protect its residents. When you view the home, you’ll get to assess first-hand how well the insulation works, for example. Significant problems are more likely to appear as well, such as if it’s drafty, if the HVAC system works well, and so on.
Buying a home in winter provides the opportunity to discover things that otherwise might not be noticeable in warmer weather. Such information can be extremely useful in your decision making and your negotiations about the final price of the home.
TOP 5 REASONS TO LIST DURING THE COLDER MONTHS
1. Less inventory = more attention
Because everyone thinks they shouldn’t list their property under threat of snow and ice, there are very few homes to buy at the start of a new year. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still potential buyers on the prowl. And if your house is the only game in town, you’re likely to have a lot more interest than in spring when the market is saturated.
2. First-quarter job relocations
Companies tend to place and/or relocate their workers during the first quarter of the new year. This means that every winter, there is an assured populace that’s looking for a new home, quickly. And good news for your asking price: This group often has some credited moving expenses to burn through.
3. No landscaping, no problem
Listing your place in the spring or summer means keeping up with the landscaping (curb appeal!), which can be arduous. During the winter months, the living is easy. If there’s snow, you shovel — that’s pretty much it. No after-work and weekend hours toiling to maintain your outdoor space, and no stresses about its supposed inadequacies.
4. A faster home sale
It’s counterintuitive but true: Homes actually sell more quickly in the winter months! There’s no general consensus on exactly why this is true, although low inventory is quite likely a big part of it. Also, in winter, most people just don’t want to slog through showing after showing. Instead, they want the buying process to be over and done with, and so they’re more willing to pull the trigger.
5. A higher listing price
Another surprise: Statistics show that homes actually sell at a slightly higher price in the winter. This can be in part because of a fear of rising mortgage rates — rates tend to go up in the spring — which might cause a buyer to be more willing to pay a higher price upfront. Whatever the reason, it’s a happy discovery for many people who finalize a home sale when the weather outside is frightful.
So whether you are looking to buy one of the homes for sale in Windsor-Essex, or sell your current home, we can help you every step of the way.
To learn more about how we can help you buy or sell your home, contact us today.
