November through January is typically the most challenging time to buy a new home. However, if you use the downtime to your advantage, your odds of snagging a great deal increase! Holiday sellers tend to be more serious and completion is less fierce with fewer bidding wars. To make this transaction smoother during an already stressful season, make sure to hire a reputable real estate agent that you trust- like me! 🙂
1. Have a clear path forward
Knowing what you want and staying organized allows you to act quickly when you find a home you want to pursue. Having your pre approval ahead of time, is a huge advantage you do not want to miss out on. Most sellers won’t accept or even look at your offer without a pre approval letter. In as little as 10 minutes, my preferred lender can make this happen for you. Check out my preferred lender page for more details
2. Look for motivated sellers
For those listing their home during the holiday season, they must have a good reason for it. Work with your real estate agent to target those motivated sellers and you’ll be more likely to negotiate a sweet deal.
3. Less competition
The holidays are stressful enough, so most people tend to put their home buying decision off until the holidays have passed, if they’re able. While there may be fewer homes on the market, there are also fewer buyers, which should equal less competition when wanting to pursue a home.
4. Faster closings
In a general sense, everyone involved in a real estate transaction wants to complete the transaction before the end of the year. Buyers want to settle in their new home and sellers want to relocate before their new job starts in the new year. Motivated parties should make the closing process go as smoothly as possible, however as the buyer, you can do your part by having all of your paperwork together. Team work makes the dream work!
5. Tax benefits
Depending on your financial situation, and what your tax liability looks like for the upcoming calendar year, you could qualify for some tax benefits purchasing a home this time of year. Make sure you talk to your accountant for specific details.
6. Don’t spend your closing funds, keep them separate from your holiday spending
It’s super tempting to go all out for the holidays, but it’s important to keep your spending at bay until after you’ve closed and your loan has funded. When the offer on your dream home gets accepted, you might appreciate that more than a black Friday deal.
7. Be careful not to open new lines of credit
I know the deals the stores offer may seem tempting, but it can hurt your buying power if you secure a store credit card just to save a few bucks up front. Be sure to wait until after your loan has closed and funded before opening up new lines of credit.