Looking for a great deal on a home?
The winter presents more opportunities for saving than you may think.
In terms of price, the winter months are among the best of the year. December is the best month to buy a house, with seller premiums only at 3.3% (compared to 9.2% in June). Two other winter months, January and February, also see sellers taking less than they do in the late spring and summer.
As a buyer, you can find great deals during the winter months. However, to find the best deal on your new home, you not only have to leverage the market to your advantage, you also have to utilize the right strategy.
Here’s how you can do both:
Know your strengths as a homebuyer
Since the best months to buy a home are in winter, if you’re looking at this time then you’re already in a good position. But do you want even more good news?
During the winter months, fewer buyers are house shopping. Less competition more leverage for negotiating a better deal with the seller.
At DLP Realty, we are sure to remind home buyers of the fact there’s less competition in the winter competing with other buyers’ offers can create stress and lead to paying more than you should on a property. You don’t want that (and we don’t want that for you!)
As you can see in the chart below, home sales dip during the cold season. This makes sense. When it’s miserable outside, fewer people want to go through the hassle of selling and shopping for homes.
Source: Federal Reserve
Most sellers I meet during the winter are highly motivated to sell their homes quickly. This gives you, the home buyer, an advantage in negotiations. The chance to get a great deal on a home increases when a seller is eager to close.
Find off-market deals and older home listings
Though the winter may be the best time to buy a house may be during winter, one problem still exists: a lack of inventory. As data from the National Association of Realtors shows, buyers have fewer available homes to choose from in December through March.
Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem. By browsing through off-market deals and older home listings, you can discover a greater variety of homes that suit you.
To find those homes, you must:
1. Hire the right real estate agent
The best real estate agents have the right networks and resources for finding off-market deals. For instance, at DLP Realty, our Success Managers have access to a database of thousands of potential sellers at any given time.
Additionally, through programs like our Elite Preferred Buyer Program, you can gain instant access to off-market, for-sale properties that you won’t see on Zillow or even MLS. This gives you a larger selection of homes to choose from – and a better opportunity to find a great deal.
Finally, we run more than 150 listing appointments per month at DLP Realty. We make it easy for buyers to compare homes and prices This way, you can find a home that has what you need at the best value.
2. Use every available resource to find older home listings and off-market deals
Did you know that you can access older home listings?
Search engines and home listing sites are a good place to start. You can filter results to show only older listings. However, this still won’t show you everything.
To discover those true off-market gems, you’ll need to work with a partner that has stored listing information from MLS. Their database can uncover past MLS listings in your area (homes that were listed but never sold). Since some of these sellers may still be interested in selling their properties, this strategy can help you locate amazing deals.
At DLP Realty, we specialize in doing exactly that. We leverage our database to find older home listings that suit your needs. We also proactively contact homeowners to determine whether they’re interested in selling their homes. All of this is done to help you find the best home deal during the winter months.
Consider home buying programs
71% of homebuyers find the process overwhelming, according to a Harris Poll. That’s understandable house hunting, negotiating, and applying for a mortgage can be a hassle, and coming up with the downpayment can get cumbersome.
On top of all that, many buyers face the catch-22 of real estate: buying and selling a home at the same time. You can get stuck owning two homes (or no homes), and that’s a problem.
Ultimately, you need a solution that allows you to sell your home quickly while finding a new place at the same time, allowing you to take advantage of the home deals available during the winter months.
We at DLP Realty have innovative solutions for making that happen. For example, you can sell your home quickly and get a good deal on a new home through these two DLP Realty programs:
The Immediate Buyout Program: Get a cash offer on your home within 24 hours, all with no showings, no commissions, no repairs, and no hassle! And you’ll have cash in your pocket within 7 days, which is money that can be put towards your downpayment on a new home.
24-Month Love It or Leave It Guarantee: If you buy a new home with DLP Realty during the winter months, we’ll leverage our resources and network to find you a large selection of homes (including off-market deals), and negotiate the best possible price on a new home. Even better, we’ll make you a guarantee: If you’re not satisfied with your new home in the first two years, we’ll buy it back from you and sell the home for free.
There are many home buying and selling programs out there that can make winter property shopping go even more smoothly than you could’ve imagined. With the right strategy, you’re guaranteed to find a great deal on a new home.
Find your dream home in the winter
With less competition and more motivated sellers, winter is a buyer’s market. Use the market to your advantage, and you can find a good deal on a home.
It’s important to keep in mind that more inventory exists than you may see at first. By partnering with the right real estate agent and utilizing all available resources, you can find suitable older listings, coming soon listings, and great off-market deals.
There are also many ways to ensure winter home shopping success. Through our buyer and seller programs, such as the Immediate Buyout Program and Elite Preferred Buyer Program, you can guarantee that you’ll sell your current home and land a dream home—without any hassle or issues.
We at DLP Realty can help with every aspect of your winter home shopping. Give us a call at (610)–421–4610, or click the link below.