Welcome September; Let the BUYING and SELLING begin!

Is it me or does September feel like a 'starting over' kind of month? September has always been my favourite month of the year, there is so much change and new beginnings; end of summer, start of the school year, change in the season, football on TV and of course what professionals in the real estate market would label the second busiest time of the year for home sales (spring being the first).

Sure, historically everyone would lay low for the summer months in the real estate world. Buyers couldn't seem to find much as sellers were too busy enjoying the warm weather at the cottage, but if you ask me sometimes you need to think outside the box when laying low. Some of the best deals for both buyers and sellers have come during what the experts would call the slow seasons (summer and winter). It is true that generally there isn't as much inventory to choose from during the coldest and warmest times of the year, but is that a bad thing? From the sellers side, if your home is 'listing ready', meaning it is decorated nicely, clutter free and in great physical condition you may want to be on the market with no competition.

In this scenario being the nicest home in a low inventory market might actually fetch you more money than the market value. I have had great success in flipping homes during so-called quiet months. And what about a buyer? Chances are if there is a home on the market during the Christmas/New Year season the seller needs to sell real bad? Then it becomes advantage buyer and negotiating a great deal is way easier than had you waited for spring or fall.

So with that said, welcome to the autumn months of real estate. You will notice more buyers...you will notice more sellers...but you may not notice a greater advantage in buying or selling! Enjoy September and all the changes it brings, but remember real estate is 24/7, 365 days a year. Do your homework, get an expert real estate agent and happy home buying and selling.