Winter is on. Hibernation is in. And so is the Mississauga home buying and selling market that goes all sleepy and quiet this time. I have often been asked if it is a good idea for selling your home in winter, or for that matter, buying your home in winter. For most, winter spells the worst weather months and the time to take real estate investments easy in Mississauga.
It’s a popular belief that spring is the time to sell. March onwards the flowers bloom, and so does the Mississauga property market. As an experienced Mississauga real estate sales professional, I beg to differ.
I believe that there can be much to gain in every season and situation. In the best interests of my clients, let me present a different perspective from which you can win, whether you selling or buying property in Mississauga.
Advantages of selling your Mississauga home in winter
Contrary to popular belief, November to February is a good time to buy a Mississauga property. This is the time when only serious home sellers who have a need to dispose-off the property right then, are on the look-out.
As far as apartments are concerned, you should sell a Misssisauga condo apartment before you purchase freehold property, semi-detached home, townhouse or detached home in Mississauga. This advice is applicable to the current market situation, and this can always change. Time is always changing and brings to us different situations.
In winters, Mississauga real estate market is low, so real estate and mortgage professionals offer your personalized attention and good-value listings. You face lesser hassle, get more value for money and get the best out of your home selling decision.
Let me give you a few more insights.
Don’t risk buying your Mississauga home in winters before you sell your home first. Get an approval to buy the new property from the bank first.
Before putting your Mississauga home for sale, it will be good idea to explore the best deals in town and take advantage, especially from motivated sellers. You could soon end finding your dream home. However until you don’t sell your home first, buying is not recommended in my opinion.
Once the home sale is firmed up and all conditions are met, you can proceed to buy your above property, if the same is still on the market. End of the day, if the home is destined to come to you, it will, no matter what. This way you sell your Mississauga home for a good market value, without deadline pressure and you buy your next home in Mississauga for a lower market value. So you have much to gain both ways, even when you are buying and selling your home in winter.
Sometimes the above rules may not apply to you since some of you are able to afford both the homes and mortgage approvals, etc. In this situation, buying first before selling makes sense.
Advantages of buying your Mississauga home in winter
The worst time of the year may be the best time to buy your Mississauga home. If you join the herd of spring time and summer buyers, you are lost in the crowd. You pay more, fall down on good-value listings as a result of multiple offers. The best part of buying your home in winter is that you can check out the property to see how it withstands the harsh weather conditions.
One of my home inspectors (Steve Irvine of Home Sweet Home Inspections) lists the following advantages, as far as buying a home in winter is concerned:
- When you view a house from the road you can see how well the insulation & venting are working in the attic. Melted snow patches can reveal areas of roof that are losing heat. A well-insulated & properly vented attic will hold the snow on the roof much longer.
- Strong windy days can help to find out poor insulation or caulking around the windows and doors.
- A cold day is a good time to find out how well the furnace heats the whole house, including the back rooms, second floor and the bathrooms. The same principle can work to check the air distribution of air conditioning in the summer.
- During days of hard rain it is easy to find faults with the eavestrough system (no overflowing gutters or waterfalls at corners or soaked exterior walls). The flow of rain water off the land can also reveal grading issues & potential for basement leaks.
- For Mississauga condo units, Steve advises to note the level of noise and smells around you. Often loud partying around this holiday season time can mean unwanted noise and food smells filtering in to your unit to disturb you.
Whether it comes to selling your home in winter or even buying your home in winter, both can be a blessing when you have the right Realtor with local experience in Mississauga by your side.
While others sleep, wake up to the best Mississauga home deals now. Contact me at 905-339-5111 for buying or selling a Mississauga home in winter.
