Buying a Home in Winter

Cold enough for ya yet?

It's December now and with winter coming on and Christmas fast approaching, many people give up on searching for their home now until spring time.
DON'T! You will be selling yourself short, and might miss out on a great opportunity. I'll give you a few great reasons why:

NO COMPETITION - Many buyers were thinking like yourself and decided to duck out. Unlike in the spring, you have less of a chance of getting into a multiple offer situation which in turn could save you money.

SELLER's MOTIVATED - Sellers begin to feel the market slowing down a bit. They see less people coming through their home and begin to get discouraged. Thoughts that they might not be able to sell their property begin to cross their mind. Could lead you to a lower price.

BANKS WANT THEM GONE - One of the best times of the year to be purchasing a bank sale, is in December. The banks fiscal year end is JAN 1st and they HATE to see properties sit in their inventory. They also know that the market is a bit slower in the winter months and will take any reasonable offer seriously.(email me for a list of bank and estate sales)

EFFICIENCY OF HOME - Ottawa is the coldest captital city in the world. Keeping the heat in your home, and money in your pocket is very important. Imagine this; there was just a huge dump of snow and all the homes on the street have snow covered roofs. Except the one that you are looking at? You have a heat loss problem on your hands and may want to think about budgeting for some more insulation. The windows are full of condensation inside the glass? Seals are done and the windows should be probably be replaced. Floors are just freezing in the bedroom above the garage, or somewhere else in the home, could mean another insulation problem. Windows and doors have drafts coming through, you could just need some better caulking or weather stripping, or maybe worse. There are huge icicles hanging from the ease trough, sure looks pretty, but you could have an ice daming problem and when it all begins to melt and then refreeze you will have some bigger problems.

There are many more problems one can notice in the winter months and this being Ottawa, its a good idea to know what to look for.

Please feel free to contact me if you or anyone you know is thinking of buying or selling. I'll make sure that we get you a great deal on the property that you are buying, and you will be confident knowing you are not getting screwed buying something that is not worth the money you are paying.