Serious house hunters know that months like December are the best time to buy. If a seller is on the market in December, you know they are motivated. While there are fewer homes on the market in December, there are also less buyers to compete against. It’s so much nicer to look for a house when the weather is warm and sunny, as opposed to cold and dark like right now. I’d also say November through February are excellent months for buyers. If spring and summer months are the selling season, then late fall and into winter is the best time to buy.
There’s another good reason to buy homes during these wet months. Home inspections will reveal if there is water under the house and other drainage issues, which are quite common in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Water can be one of the most destructive forces in nature so it’s good to know what you are up against. Sellers may not realize the extent of their drainage issues when they go on the market, because how often do they go into their own crawl spaces in the winter, or anytime for that matter?
Buying during the rainy months also will tell you if a roof is leaking or not. A roof is one of those things that can be not just a financial liability, but like a foundation it’s psychological as well. If you are going to sell your home and the roof is at the end of its usable life, it can be a good idea to get a new one depending what else is going on with the rest of your home and your local market conditions. Sometimes people will patch roofs to get a couple more years out of them. Patching a roof might be the best solution if there are no funds for replacement.
When buyers make offers, they take property deficiencies into account. How much is that new roof going to cost? Probably a lot more than you think, especially here in Marin County where roofing prices have skyrocketed in recent years. How much is drainage going to be? If you use a drainage contractor you better be sitting down when you get the quote. It’s not so bad when you use a regular contractor, and sometimes handymen can be the best and most affordable option.
Motivated sellers, fewer buyers to contend with, and revealing inspections make wet months like December a great time to buy a house. If you wait until spring to buy, you’ll likely have more homes to choose from, but you will also be competing against more buyers and you may not know the full extent of what your new house needs until the rains return.