By: David Noce
Statistics show that the most popular time to buy and sell homes is during the warm months of the year -- from spring through fall. Most sellers tend to list during these months because they know there will be a bigger group of interested buyers. Buyers often wait until spring to look, knowing that the selection of housing stock will increase as the weather warms up.
When it comes to really knowing what you're getting, however, the best time to look for a home is during the colder months. Why? Because one of the major costs of owning a home is heating it.
When you walk through a home during a January cold snap, you'll get a pretty good idea of where the heating system might not be up to the task. Do your feet feel cold as you walk around in your socks? Cold floors and cold feet usually drive people to turn up the thermostat. If you're in the house for a couple of hours doing an inspection, you can also observe how often the furnace has to run in order to keep the house at a comfortable temperature. If it's running too often, or too long, it's probably struggling and using a lot of energy. Outside the house, you'll also see how well the roof sheds snow and if icicles are building up from the gutters. These are indicators of whether the house has enough insulation, and/or if the attic is too humid because it's not well enough sealed between attic (cold zone) and living space (a warm zone).
No matter what time of year you buy, you should request heating bills as proof of the cost to heat the home.
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