5 Great Reasons to Go House Hunting During the Holidays

House hunting

House hunting in December provides a buyer numerous advantages. Take advantage of each one and start looking for your dream home today!

The kids return to school, trees lose their leaves, pumpkin-flavored everything hits the stores, and we don our favorite warm sweaters. Some celebrate Halloween and put candy makers in the black for another year. Then, before we know it, it’s time to plan a bountiful Thanksgiving Day feast and start decorating for Christmas. Are the holidays really a viable time to buy a home? With all the festivities and merrymaking taking place until New Years, who even has time to sell a home? But the holidays are the perfect time for house hunting, and here are five great reasons why it makes good sense.

Merry Christmas! Let’s Go House Hunting!

Because everyone else is planning feasts and vacations or checking off gifts from their gift list, house hunting during the holidays can pay off in a big way for a buyer.

  1. There are fewer buyers

Most people are busy celebrating, attending, hosting, and opting out of house hunting. I mean, who wants to be out in cold, snowy weather anyway? And fewer buyers means less competition and less stress for you.

  1. Home sellers are highly motivated

Since home sellers are highly motivated to sell in December, they are open to negotiations. The number of homes available to choose from may be small, but sellers are much more flexible. And you might get a better deal!

What makes a home seller so motivated to sell in December?

  • Relocation

If they have school-aged children, they may want to get into a new home before the last half of the school year begins.

  • Their Home was Listed in the Fall

Sellers may be feeling anxious that their home is still on the market after Thanksgiving after having listed it back in September. And they may have grown weary of staging and leaving their home each time strangers want to walk through it.

  • Tax Advantages

– A contract in hand before the end of the year can be beneficial to a seller for two reasons.

– A landlord incurs a loss on a rental property and wants to claim that loss as a deduction for the same calendar year.

– A seller expects a salary raise after January 1. This could subject them to a higher capital gains tax on the sale of their home if it sells for a large profit. It would be financially advantageous to sell the home before their raise in salary kicks in after the first of the new year.

3. Buying before year’s end brings tax perks in April

Homeownership allows you to deduct mortgage interest and property taxes in April. And that can add up to a lot in dollars saved. Property tax deduction caps at $10,000. Homeowners are allowed to deduct the interest on mortgages up to $500,000. This is down from the current $1 million.

And if you itemize your taxes, many closing fees are tax-deductible. Check with your accountant about this.

  1. You’ll get a more accurate idea of what you’re going to live in

Houses for sale in the spring always look irresistible due to their curb appeal. Newly-planted flowers, lots of natural light, budding trees, warm temperatures, and fresh air make house hunting an encouraging endeavor. But cold, dreary weather has a way of revealing things about a home that need attention. Ask yourself, “Can I live with this draftiness or poorly lit kitchen next year?”

Cold weather also reveals issues to inspectors that they wouldn’t normally find if the home was being inspected in a warmer season. But make sure your home inspector checks how well the air conditioning unit works and what condition the roof is in if it’s covered with snow.

  1. Professionals are more accessible

December is a slow month for movers, inspectors, and mortgage brokers, too. This makes them available to help you move right away.

Real estate agents and lenders usually have fewer clients in December which makes them eager to get your home purchase closed before December 31. And because they have fewer clients in December, they’ll be more readily available and have more time to answer questions.

House hunting during the holidays is advantageous for buyers because of the season’s activities. So, go ahead. Avoid overwhelm and ring in the New Year with the purchase of a lifetime! And don’t worry. Santa will find you in your new home!

Call Charles D’Alessandro to start house hunting in Brooklyn this month.  Contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, at (718) 253-9700 ext. 206 today or click here now.


Charles D’Alessandro

Your Brooklyn Real Estate Agent with Fillmore Real Estate

718-253-9600 ext. 206

[email protected]

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