7 Reasons to Search for Your Northwoods Dream Home This Fall
Summer is the most popular time to buy and sell houses, but hunting for your dream home in the Northwoods this autumn has several advantages. Here are seven reasons you should consider buying a house this fall.
1. Cost savings. Motivated sellers are often more willing to negotiate and accept lower offers. For the following reasons, among others, sellers are more motivated in the fall than they are in the summer.
· In the summer, some Northwoods sellers are contemplating making a change. They put their houses on the market to see what happens when many starry-eyed tourists will be around to make an offer, but they may not budge from the initial asking price. But if the house is still on the market come fall, you can be pretty sure that the seller is serious.
· Sellers who put their house on the market in spring may become weary of having their houses on the market by the time fall rolls around.
· Tax incentives may motivate sellers to close before December 31st.
· Sellers may be motivated by the looming winter weather that makes it more difficult to move.
· There is less competition in the buyers’ market in the fall than in the summer, and sellers are aware that offers are likely to be fewer and further between.
2. Even more cost savings. Fall homebuyers are likely to save money in other ways, too, including these:
· Better mortgage rates
· Lower rates from contractors and painters
· End-of-year and holiday sales at home improvement and decor stores
3. More face time with your real estate agent. While the incredible real estate professionals of the Northwoods provide you with impeccable service all year, agents are very busy in the summer and may have less time to spend with you. In the fall, they have more time to get to know you. As a result, as a fall homebuyer, you are likely to have a quicker response time from your agent, quicker confirmation of showings of houses on your must-see list, and greater access to perfect-for-you houses that may otherwise fly under your radar.
4. A clearer picture of the neighborhood. In the Northwoods, seasonal residents are interspersed with year-round residents. Summer and winter house hunters may assume a neighborhood is busier or quieter than it actually is during other times of the year. Looking at a neighborhood in the fall allows an opportunity to see who’s around all year. Fall homebuyers with children will also be afforded a peek at the local schools, bus stops, and bus routes during the academic year.
5. Costly flaws come out of hiding. This transitional time reveals flaws that aren’t apparent during a dry summer and are completely covered by the snow in a few months.
· Blustery days are great for checking if the windows are drafty or if the house is poorly insulated.
· On a rainy-day showing, check for leaky roofs and evidence of flooding in the garage, basement, lower living level, and around the property.
· Blessed with a warm, sunny day this autumn? The air conditioner probably won’t be turned on this late in the year, so you can check if there are any parts of the house that become oppressively hot.
· Looking for the silver lining to dreary November days? Flaws are more visible in the diffuse light of gray fall days than in the harsh glare and shadows on a bright, sunny day. If you love a house in the less picturesque days of gray November, it’s pretty safe to say you’ll love it in emerald-green June, rich golden October, and powder-white January, too.
6. More flexibility. While there’s often a rush in the summer for families to move before the start of the new school year, both sellers and buyers are more likely to be more flexible on move-out and move-in dates during the fall.
7. House hunting with a view. An added bonus of driving around various neighborhoods at this time of year is experiencing the Northwoods’ spectacular fall foliage and all the while encountering far fewer cars on the road than during the summertime.
We wish you all the best on your search for your dream home Up North this fall!