Summer always seems to get most of the attention in real estate.
Kids are out of school, the weather is nice, and traditionally it’s one of the busiest times of the year to buy and sell a home.
But if you’re thinking about buying a house, I think September might actually be one of the best times of the year to start looking.
Once Labor Day hits, life starts getting back into a routine. Kids are back in school, summer vacations are over, fall activities are starting, and some buyers who spent the summer house hunting have decided to put their search on hold.
That can create opportunity for the buyers who are still looking.
One of the first places I’d look right now is at homes that have been on the market for a while.
A house that came on the market in May or June and didn’t sell may have a very different seller behind it in September. Maybe they’ve already moved. Maybe they’re carrying two house payments. Maybe they simply want to get the property sold before winter.
That doesn’t mean every seller is going to accept a low offer, but it can mean there’s more room for a conversation.
And price isn’t the only thing you can negotiate.
Depending on the property and situation, there may be opportunities to negotiate closing costs, repairs, appliances, possession dates or other terms that can make a deal work better for you.
There’s another advantage to buying this time of year that I think gets overlooked: you still have time.
If you find the right house in September, there’s plenty of time in a typical transaction to get through inspections, financing and closing and be moved in before the holiday season.
There’s something pretty cool about spending Thanksgiving or Christmas in a new home.
September can also be a good time to look at houses because you’re seeing them differently than you would in the middle of summer. School is back in session. Traffic patterns are back to normal. Neighborhoods are settling into their regular routines.
If you have kids, you can get a much better feel for what everyday life might actually look like in a particular neighborhood.
And while some buyers may decide to wait until next spring, waiting isn’t automatically the better financial decision.
Nobody knows exactly what home prices or interest rates are going to do six months from now. If rates eventually come down, that could improve affordability—but it could also bring more buyers back into the market and create more competition for good homes.
That’s why I don’t think the decision to buy should be based entirely on trying to perfectly time the market.
The better question is whether the right opportunity exists for you right now.
Can you comfortably afford the payment? Are you planning to stay in the area? Is there a home available that fits what you’re looking for? And can we negotiate a deal that makes sense?
If the answers are yes, September could be a really good time to make a move.
One of the things we focus on at Thrive is helping our clients look beyond just the list price. We want to know how long the property has been on the market, whether the price has changed, what comparable homes have sold for, what kind of competition we’re dealing with and where there might be an opportunity to negotiate.
Sometimes the best deal isn’t necessarily the cheapest house. It’s finding the right house at the right time and putting together the right offer.
So if you’ve been thinking about buying a home but assumed you missed your chance because summer is over, don’t count September out.
There are still some great homes available in Burlington and throughout Southeast Iowa, and there may be some opportunities sitting on the market right now that are worth a second look.
Reach out to one of us at Thrive Realty. Tell us what you’re looking for, what price range you’re comfortable with and what matters most to you. We’ll help you take a look at what’s available and see if there’s an opportunity that makes sense.
You might be surprised by what we can find.
Don’t just live. Thrive.
John Mercer
Broker/Owner, Thrive Realty
