Decorating for the Holidays

Are you the kind of person who puts up increasingly elaborate Christmas decorations every year, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving?  Do you bake dozens of cookies and special ethnic Christmas treats, filling your home with delicious odors for weeks before the actual holiday?  Do you entertain during the holiday season, keeping your house in tip-top shape for viewing?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may be a candidate for putting your home on the market now.  While there are fewer buyers at this time of year, it turns out that the ones that do look are more serious, on the whole, than the average person.  They also tend to want to move more quickly, as they may be starting new jobs after the first of the year.  Therefore, you can both reduce your competition by listing when others do not, and increase your chances of a serious buyer or two.

So, if you are up for keeping your house clean and tidy for the next few weeks, and you are otherwise ready to list, go for it.  Just remember that Santa will leave soot when he comes down the chimney, so don't schedule any showings for early on Christmas morning!

Thanksgiving

Despite the woes of the real estate market, there are many things to be grateful for this season, as always.  For those of us who are healthy, most people would rate that as enough to be happy, all by itself.  For those who have family with them, especially at the holidays, ditto.  For those who have enough to eat, a place to live, a job, and friends, that's enough for most of the world.

Could the real estate market be better?  Of course.  Could transactions be easier?  Of course.  Would it be nice for us to be a little higher up on the food chain?  Undoubtedly.  But, every once in a while, and more often for some, we get to feel good, when we help a family, a business, or an individual find the perfect space, especially when they take the time to tell us.  And we get calls from loyal clients and friends who think of us for their real estate needs and those of their colleagues and relatives, and that's nice as well.  Bottom line:  we're in a helping profession, and we're glad to be of assistance.

So Happy Holidays to all of our clients and friends, and may the coming season be full of joy, good cheer, and closings!

It's That Time of Year Again

Every year at this time, I remind people of my strongly-held belief that the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving is the best time to buy a property.  Heating bills have begun. This year, even plowing bills have begun.  The holiday season is not quite upon us, but the end of the year is beginning to loom.  Anything that is going to get done by December 31st has to be in the works very soon. 

Add all of those factors up, and you come to one conclusion:  If you want to buy a property this year, act quickly.  Make your offer right now, and hurry to close by the end of the year.  You are likely to get the lowest price if you buy now, and take winter worries off the hands of the current owners.  Owners will be worrying that they might not sell until spring, and they will be at their most receptive. 

What are you waiting for?  Stop reading, and call your real estate agent immediately!

It's the Buying Time of Year Again

Our agents have heard me say this every year, but it's time to say it for this blog: The best time to buy a house is between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Sellers are ready to sell, as they start to pay heating bills, think about plowing, and head into the holidays. Buyers are mostly settled into new homes or forgetting about buying until spring. It's hard to show houses in the winter. There's snow and ice, not to mention cold. Parking and driveways can make open houses and showings tricky. Although many homes show well when they are decorated for the holidays, most families are busy at that time of year and don't want to have to keep their homes clutter-free and ready to show. Most buildings look better in light, and there isn't much of it in the dead of winter. All of that adds up to the realization that, if you haven't sold your home within the next three weeks, you probably aren't going to sell it until the spring.

Despite that chilling thought, there are sellers who want to move at this time of year. For one thing, some have tax reasons for wishing to close before year end. Some have jobs or commitments in other places. Some are tired of the selling process, and some have another home waiting for them. Some just want to spend the winter in a warmer place. All of those people are competing for the buyers still looking when winter comes. Therefore, if you are an eager seller, you are most likely to compromise on the price at this time of year.

Buyers can capitalize on these factors to negotiate for a better price as the weather gets cold, especially if the home is empty and sellers are worried about freezing pipes and empty oil tanks, or even just heating and plowing bills. This is the time of year when a month of expenses can easily become six months of expenses, and sellers will take that into account.

If you are a buyer, particularly a buyer with cash, here's your chance! Don't waste it--buy now.

A Sweet Surprise

Well, it's snowing, so winter must be here! It's beautiful, but I'd be willing to wait for snow until the Christmas rush is done. This week is a blur of Christmas parties, Board meetings, and holiday preparations. I don't even have our Christmas cards out yet.

One really good thing has happened this week so far, though. I was reading the Commercial Record Monday morning, and I saw that we were voted as the best statewide real estate company by readers in an online poll! I usually think that those contests are rigged, but we didn't even know that this one was going on, which made the results particularly sweet. I was also happy to see that our joint venture mortgage partner, Webster Bank, was voted as best community bank. We think so, too! What's most encouraging is that the people who would have voted in this contest, who are bankers, lawyers, and real estate professionals, understand that national firms aren't better. In fact, they seem to feel that they aren't quite as good!