Spring is often said to be the best time of the year to buy a home. This time of the year is typically when supply and demand are at their highest, making it easier for buyers to find their perfect home.
However, during the spring, there are also more buyers in the market, meaning more competition. As a result, there’s less room for negotiation, which can lead to paying more than necessary for your next house. It can also be more difficult to find a qualified realtor as most will already have their schedules full during the spring.
So, considering these factors, could the real best time of the year to buy a home be the fall? Let’s take a look at the advantages of buying a home during the fall.
Less Competition
First and foremost, shopping for a home in the fall is less competitive than doing so in the spring. While inventory is lower, so is the amount of buyers in the market.
As a result, you will likely have more room for negotiation as sellers may not have any other interested buyers. This can lead to you getting a much better deal on your new home than you would at any other point during the year.
Motivated Sellers
Often, sellers put their homes on the market during the spring. If the listing is still available during the fall, it may be because the seller wasn’t able to find a buyer during the busy spring season.
In these cases, sellers may be willing to sell their homes at lower prices as they become motivated to find a buyer as quickly as possible. As a result, you may be able to find homes for below their market value during the fall.
Close Faster
Selling a home is often a time-sensitive issue. Whether it be because they want the sale to count for the current tax year or because they are starting a new job at the beginning of the next year, there are many reasons why homeowners may want to sell their home before the end of the year.
If you are able to find a seller that is motivated to close by the end of the year, you may be able to finalize your deal much faster than you normally would. When shopping for a home in the fall, look for listings that offer incentives to close by the end of the year.
Weather
Buying a home in the fall will allow you to see how the home performs in a variety of weather conditions. This is good for buyers as performing an inspection in the rain or snow can help identify issues that you may not have noticed when the weather is calm.
Additionally, as trees shed their leaves and flowers start to die, you’ll be able to see how a home’s landscape looks throughout the course of the year.
See Homes Before Other Buyers
Lastly, in some cases, homeowners may put their homes on the market during the fall, remove them during the holiday season, and re-list them during the busy spring season.
In these cases, shopping for a home during the fall will allow you to see homes before spring buyers enter the market. Even if you don’t end up buying a home until the spring, this will give you an advantage as you won’t have to attend busy showings.
While spring is often said to be the best time of the year to buy a home, these factors may be enough to make you consider doing your home shopping during the fall.