Six Tips For Buying A House In The Spring

After a long, hard, possibly extremely cold winter, once the spring arrives, you might feel it’s time to sell your home and find a new one. You’ve had enough time cooped up in your current place to realize that it’s just not right for you anymore and you want a change. Maybe the kids have grown up and moved away, or perhaps you’ve added to your family. It could be that you want to try a new area or your work has meant your commute is now too long. Whatever the reason, there can be many advantages to moving in springtime.

The most popular time for buying and selling homes in American is between April and June, so one benefit of buying a house during this time is that there will be plenty of choice for you. You can go see as many properties as you can and there is sure to be at least one (if not more) that suits you. Conversely, that benefit is also a disadvantage when you’re selling a home; with lots of competition out there you might not be able to get what you want for it. With those pros and cons in mind, here are some tips for buying a house in the spring.

Make Your Choice

If you are buying a home during the springtime and you see something you like you must be ready to make an offer almost immediately. The factors that you like about the property will be the factors that other people like too, and with so many buyers ready to move, if you want somewhere, you’re going to have to go for it. This can be a good thing in some ways; you will get your house hunting over quickly, and you can get on with the planning and packing. In other ways, however, this can be a difficult thing to do because it can feel too hasty.

If you find that you need to sleep on your decision, then it may be too late. However, if this is how you feel then maybe that house just wasn’t for you. You do need to trust your gut instincts especially if you are planning to live somewhere for a long time.

Find A Local Lender

If you find that you keep missing out on properties because the owner has received a number of different offers and never seems to want to choose yours, it could be your lender that is the problem. Although it may be quicker and easier to find an online lender, these can sometimes be viewed with suspicion. A local lender who understands the area and who can be easily obtainable by all parties might make all the difference. Get a preapproval letter from a local bank or specialist mortgage provider, and you could get preference next time you make an offer.

Don’t Worry About The Whys

Houses go up for sale for all sorts of reasons. It shouldn’t really matter to you as a buyer what the personal or business situation is of the current owner. You shouldn’t wonder why they’ve made the decision to sell unless the property has serious structural issues, for example, in which case you will need to know, and it will come up in a survey. All you need to focus on is the house itself.

Trying to dig too deep into the whys and wherefores of a house sale can leave you running in circles getting absolutely nowhere whilst someone else jumps in with an offer and leaves you with nowhere to go. If the home meets your requirements and is in the best area for you, and you get a good feeling about it all, then make an offer and start the process of moving.

Speak To A Specialist

No one knows property better than a realtor, and no one knows property in the area you’re hoping to move to better than a local realtor. If you are looking for a specific type of home in a certain area, it makes sense to get in touch with a realtor who can find it for you. If you are intent on moving to the mountains of Colorado, for example, then picking Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties will do much more for you than finding an online agent who may be able to sell homes but who won’t be able to help you with the specifics of the area.

You Might Have To Pay More

When there isn’t so much competition for housing, you as a buyer might have the luxury of being able to make a low offer and see what happens. In the springtime you may not be able to do this, depending on how popular the property that you’re looking for so when you are searching for properties it’s best to focus on the properties that truly are in your budget, not the ones that are a little bit over.

Of course, this does not mean you have to pay more than a property is worth, even if other people are interested in it. Do some research before you go to visit it for the first time to ensure that the list price is an accurate one for the type and size of the house and for the area.

Offer Something More

When you make an offer, you might be able to add something more to sweeten the deal. In some cases, this means you can offer a little less than the asking price, but your realtor will be able to discuss this with you. A good deal is not always about the best price – if you can give the sellers an extra day to move out before you move in, for example, or offer to let them store some of their possessions in the garage until they can come and get them, this might persuade them to take your offer over someone else’s. It would be advised to make your choice and make the offer because if it is a no, you can either move on to the next place to view, or you can reconsider what you want to pay.