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    70 Jutland Road, Unit 16, Toronto, ON M8Z 2G6

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    Expert Advice for Buying a Home During the Holidays

    Buying a house during the holidays can be done—and done well—with a little planning and an expert real estate agent by your...

    • Amy Youngren
    • November 28th, 2022
    • 3 min read
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    Buying a house during the holidays can be done—and done well—with a little planning and an expert real estate agent by your side.

    House hunting in December might seem like a chaotic idea, but there are some key advantages to buying now. In Toronto, and across North America, December is one of the slowest months for home sales, so you have a better chance of landing your dream home at a great price. Even if you have cookies to bake and houseguests to manage, you deserve the best gift for yourself and your family—a new home.

    How do you minimize stress and buy a house during the holidays? These are our top tips.

    Plan ahead

    Everyone is busy during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you have to put buying a home in December on the back burner. Instead, you'll have to plan ahead. You may have numerous people in town, so book house hunting time with your real estate agent around those visitors. You'll also want to add some flexibility into your schedule, since homeowners and other key players in the process may go out of town, causing delays in response times.

    Get preapproved and watch your finances

    When buying a house during the holidays, you’ll need to keep an eye on your finances. Gift shopping and large purchases often take center stage this time of year, but it's important to not add debt to your debt-to-credit ratio when you're about to apply for a mortgage.

    Get preapproved for a mortgage through your lender or Mortgage Broker as soon as possible—before lenders take time off for the holidays. That way, the home purchase transaction is faster and smoother for you, which means less time applying for loans or chasing down documentation of your taxes from last year.

    Understand your leverage

    There are usually fewer buyers in the market during the holiday season. That means sellers who want to sell quickly are more likely to take an offer that favours you. That provides you with an opportunity for lower home prices, conditions, and other favourable terms. Work with your real estate agent to create an offer that's competitive while taking advantage of the buyer-friendly time of year.

    Hire the right real estate agent

    Hiring the right real estate agent is one of the most important moves you can make any time you purchase a home—but discussing your year-end home search is especially crucial. You need someone who is engaged and focused to find the home you need at the price you want, stay on top of communication, and help your process run smoothly. Someone who will be out of town or has too many other obligations this time of the year may not be the best choice.

    Choose a real estate agent who can tap into their network, too, helping you find homes that may not be listed on the MLS. You deserve the perfect property that checks off all your must-haves and nice-to-haves, and the best agents will find it even when the market is slow.

    Let's chat

    Reach out to a member of our team to discuss your holiday home buying plans. 

    We'll make sure you have a low-stress, highly-successful house hunt so you can be in your new home by New Year's.

    Get in touch

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    About the author

    Amy Youngren

    416-624-8854
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    Amy Youngren is an avid real estate investor, sought-after speaker and founder of one of Canada’s fastest growing, award-winning real estate teams: North Group (est. 2017). As a business leader with 20 years of both corporate and sales experience within the real estate industry, Amy is guided by a vision to empower real estate entrepreneurs through a platform of superior systems, services and marketing that create real estate experiences worth talking about for 300+ clients annually. Named one of the “100 Most Influential in Real Estate” by Inman, she has steered North Group to numerous accolades, including “Most Innovative Real Estate Team” and ranked in the Top .01% in Canada, by the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Amy is a results-driven leader with an extensive network of industry connections, partners and investors, who is a regular commentator on industry trends and has been featured in the Canadian Press, Toronto Star, CTV andYahoo! Finance, among others.

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    70 Jutland Road, Unit 16, Toronto, ON M8Z 2G6

    Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage

    70 Jutland Road, Unit 16, Toronto, ON M8Z 2G6

    (647) 559-5880
    [email protected]

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