Buying a home in the Winter

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 saves 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 and think that they might not be able to sell their property. Could lead you to a lower price.

BANKS GET DESPERATE - One of the best times of the year to be purchasing a property being sold under power of sale or a foreclosed property, 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.

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? Odds are the insulation up there isn't to great, and you have a heat loss problem. Also, 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. 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.

Sincerely,

Andrew Miller
Sales Representative
Keller Williams Ottawa Realty Ltd.
Brokerage, Independently Owned and Operated
610 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 4E6
Office: (613) 236-5959
Direct: (613) 447-7669
Fax: (613) 235-1515
Email: amiller@kwottawa.ca