3 Reasons to Consider Buying a House in the Fall or Winter

Sharing is caring!

3 Reasons to Consider Buying a House in the Fall or Winter

As the summer comes to a close, you may be a little panicked if you still haven’t closed on a house yet. Sure, you could wait until next spring when the real estate market starts to pick up again. But why don’t you stop to think about some reasons that buying a house in the fall or winter may work to your advantage!

Trudging up ice-covered steps, and constantly taking your boots and coats on and off when you get to properties never sounds fun! The idea of buying a house in the cold of winter may seem frightful, but some of the perks can be quite delightful! 

Related: 3 Reasons Your Property Isn’t Renting

I’m sure it is pretty obvious in most markets that house sales drop quite significantly after August. This is where most of the perks come in though! 

Reasons That House Sales Drop

There are a lot of factors that go into house sales dropping, but here are a few obvious reasons: 

• School started back up – families will typically wait until the summer to move their kids
• Colder weather makes house hunting more difficult and less appealing
• Holidays also create busyness as people travel and make big plans
• Cold weather means less curb appeal to houses – so sellers don’t want to list their beautifully landscaped house
• Overall less inventory of houses to choose from

Even though it may not be as appealing to go house hunting during the colder months of the year, there are some perks to being the only buyers on the hunt! 

Related: 5 Ways to Winterize Your Home

3 Reasons to Consider Buying a House in the Fall or Winter

1) Less competition 

I would say that the biggest perk of buying a house in the fall or winter time is that there are definitely fewer buyers in the market.

Since there are fewer people looking to buy a house, your competition drops dramatically. This is great news because now you won’t have to compete against tons of other people to win a bid on a property! 

You can take your time looking at the available properties on the market. It won’t be as much of a race to get your offer in before another buyer.

This is a huge bonus if you live in a hot market. Houses are still being sold, but not at the same pace as during the summertime.

2) Motivated sellers

Also, another perk to there being fewer buyers is that the sellers become more motivated. Sellers may be more willing and eager to make a deal with you.

You may be the only person interested in their property this time of the year. If they let you go, they might find themselves sitting around waiting for the next interested buyer. 

Because of this, you may be able to be a bit more demanding with your post-inspection addendums. The gutters are in bad shape? It doesn’t hurt to see if the sellers are willing to fix them or give you concessions for them! 

3) Inspectors, Appraisers, and Movers Galore! 

Since house sales drop in the colder seasons, these companies don’t get as much action. You should be able to get your inspections and appraisals scheduled quickly.

Not only that, but movers will be more readily available and at your service. You will have more access to these professionals because they won’t be very busy. 

Related: First-Time Home Buyers Guide

Even though many would say that buying a house in the spring or summer is the best, fall and winter definitely have their own perks.

Let's Get Social!