subject: Why Winter Might be a Good Time for Home Buyers to Home Shop! [print this page] Why Winter Might be a Good Time for Home Buyers to Home Shop!
I don't know where you as the reader are from, but where I live it has been a very long winter - even by Canadian standards. We have had a lot of snow, bitterly cold temperatures, and not many warm breaks in between. The snow is piled high and everyone is ready for spring. Yet some home buyers are uing this as a great time to go house hunting!
Now I have always promoted the idea of buying a home in bad Edmonton weather - in my 10 years of experience as a Realtor, my top 5 real estate deals from a buyer's standpoint has taken place when the weather has been awful outside! The only people who want to sell real estate in bad weather are those who HAVE to sell real estate in bad weather....
Iwas talking to a client yesterday who had spent their Sunday afternoon driving through areas they were looking to buy in.
Why would they A - want to start looking to buy a home in the winter and B - go driving around neighborhoods they were interested in without viewing any homes?
They wanted to see what the neighborhoods looked like at their worst!
When a buyer looks at homes in the summer during the middle of the day, they are looking at it at the home's best. This is fine, and many people like to see homes under perfect conditions. However, they will not see the looming issues that come up when the snow falls - some that may cause their dream home to be a nightmare!
Some things to look for include:
Look for things like road driveability, parking availability, sidewalk conditions - to see if people in that area take care of their properties in the winter.
Look to see if there are any issues with winter snow melting and run off - both on the streets and on lots - to make sure there is no potential for flooding or excessive water build up and re-icing.
Sundays are usually when the most people are home - it will help gauge how busy the area is for traffic, noise, and activity.
BUYERS TIP- By buying a house knowing what the area looks like at its worst - you can enjoy it more at its best!
