Barbara's Blog - It's Still A Good Time to Buy

This summer was definitely the season to buy, but just because summer is over doesn’t mean you missed your chance at buying that perfect home.

Here are a few reasons you could and should buy a house right now.

Supply and demand can lower housing prices

In several markets, there are far more houses for sale than there are qualified buyers. In this type of situation, sellers are more apt to lower their prices to get their houses sold. This works in your favor as you can get a really good deal for the house you want.

"According to NAR numbers, home prices tend to plummet by an average $7,000 once Labor Day passes. That's not always the case out West or in the South, where prices level off or even jump a bit during the cold months, but Midwest home prices fall by an average of $10,000 between August and September, while Northeast prices plummet by nearly $20,000 by October." Said AOL.

School Days

If you have kids, your goal – like most buyers with kids – would like to be settled before school starts. It is so much easier on everyone in the family to be moved in and unpacked and ready for the first day of school.

But believe it or not moving after school starts is not as bad as you may think. If the house you plan to purchase is in your same area, all you have to do is confirm  your new address and there shouldn’t be any problem with keeping your children’s place in their schools.

If the plan is to move to another area, do your homework and get solid information about transferring schools and if there are any rules or boundaries in place that will allow your children to stay in their current schools especially if it is in the middle of the school year.

"Make sure you get information from the correct source, which is the district office," said Great Schools. "Your school secretary or teacher might not have the latest information." You'll probably want to make sure you have those important conversations before you move.

"It used to be that when it was time to find a school for the kids, most Americans looked no further than the neighborhood school," said Great Schools. "Now, however, with the expansion of open enrollment policies and the growth of the charter school movement, competition to get into public schools with good reputations has become more widespread. A competitive admissions process is not just a private school phenomenon anymore."

When considering a fall moved, you have to weigh the positive – new house, great prices, new opportunities -  against the negative – bad timing when it comes to school, big hassle to move. Ultimately it’s a personal choice but it’s worth exploring.