Real Estate 4th Quarter

Real Estate's 4th Quarter (For those prepared)

The 4th quarter (October - December) are some of my best months. The reasoning is I understand real estate trends being in the industry for over 10 years and being a very analytical person. We have a lot of things going on in these later months.

1. Sellers have less negotiating power. Many sellers may be taking their homes off the market waiting for the next spring. They are realizing they missed the summer. However, the sellers who want to sell are becoming more competitive because they NEED or WANT to sell. This makes negotiating more manageable.

2. Banks (Foreclosures) hate the winter. You must remember many banks foreclosure department handles things nationally. This means winterizing a house in the North is critical and pipes may burst. People may get snowed in or it be so cold people do not want to look at homes. Do we see that in South Carolina? Not really. However, we get the benefits of some foreclosures accepting lower bids because they do not want to hold on to risks.

3. Bonuses and Financial Statements. Imagine you have a year end incentive and you realize you are close to a financial gain if you sell more houses. You may be willing to accept lower prices in order to get larger bonuses for the year. Builders want their financial statements and bragging numbers to be as strong as possible. The stronger their numbers the better rates or more credit limits they can receive. In short, I am saying that shorter term goals are focused on more heavily and everyone wants to make the deal work.

4. Builder Bonuses. Yes, the time frame could take longer since winter weather could slow the process down as well as the holiday seasons which eat up weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, late October in Columbia builders start offering incentives to agents to help bring more clients to the table. What this means is the same price may allow you to get 3-6k more in option upgrades without paying for them. This is an incentive a good agent can receive for their best clients and I love playing these games.

I have more points but my phone is ringing so I'm keeping this short. If you are considering buying or moving into your next home over the next 6 months let me know.