Buying a Home During the Holidays

This is the season to be buying.  House hunting during the holiday season could be the way to go for you if you are in the market for a new home.

Whether you are searching for homes for sale in St. Thomas, Ontario, Parkhill, Ontario, or looking at London Ontario Real Estate in general, we have a few good strategies that might just help find you the house of your dreams, despite the seemingly oddball time of year to be on the search.

There Will Be Fewer Buyers Out There

The lead-up to Christmas and New Year will definitely see fewer people out house shopping – many will have their minds, and schedules, preoccupied with other tasks associated with the season.  This strategy could open the doors to a less stress-filled buying process; chances for multiple offers will be lower.

In fact, you may be on your own – a negotiation between just you and the seller, via your respective real estate agents.

Sure, it’s probably fair to say that there will be fewer listings as well, but then again, if a homeowner is entertaining showings and offers during the holiday season, they are probably a motivated seller, which could definitely work in your favor.  It’s a chance for you to use this slight lull to your advantage.

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Read Also:

• 7 Common Mistakes When Buying Homes and How to Avoid Them
• Buying a Home As-Is: 10 Warning Signs You Can’t Afford to Ignore
• The Main Differences Between Buying a Condo vs. Buying a House
• Buying House in Another Country: Translation of Documents

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You’ll Ensure a Winter-Ready Home

During the warmer seasons, you’ll have a good idea of how a house behaves in nice weather.  It’s wintertime, though, when a place is really tested.  Your walk-throughs and inspections during the holiday season will allow you to identify more of its weather-related strengths and weaknesses.

The condition of the windows, doors, the furnace, how the floors feel underfoot – all these become evident as the cold weather sets in.  Look past the decorations and you may just find flaws that ultimately cause you to back away from the purchase.

On the other hand, a quiet purring furnace, coupled with frost-free, draftless windows, may just convince you that the house you’re inspecting is the right one for you.

Year-End Incentives

Your agent, the seller’s agent, the homeowner themselves – all of them may have personal or business reasons why they want to see a sale go through before the end of the year.  This might allow you and your agent to exercise a bit more leverage than you might have at any other time of the year.

Whether the selling agent is urgently looking for another sale to close their year, or the homeowner has financial or tax reasons which are spurring them on to see a deal done – no matter what the circumstance, you could benefit from the pressure of the calendar.

Situations like this can arise, and work in your favor – they aren’t mentioned in the listing, but they are frequently out there.

If you are in the market, don’t let the time of year stop you from looking for London Ontario Real Estate – and if there’s anything we can do, please contact us.  We’re always happy to help.