What To Know About Buying A Home During The Holidays

If you are in the market to buy South Lake Tahoe real estate during the holiday season, you could be feeling a little overwhelmed. This time of year is busy enough and expensive as it is. Add in a major financial investment and you could worry you are at your limit. Have no fear though, buying homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe during this time of year is a real thing that can yield a lot of success. Check out these tips.

Hire A Well-Connected South Lake Tahoe Realtor

In every area, there are experienced real estate professionals who have been in the business a very long time and can speak about the local market with accurate knowledge and authority. When looking at homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe, you should trust one of these professionals to guide you in the home buying process. Buying during a time of holiday events and snow storms doesn’t need to be anymore stressful and when you hire someone who knows what they are doing, you can rest assured they have your back and you will be making a sound financial decision.

Plan for the holiday spending

Closing by December 31^st comes with tax incentives so if closing by this deadline is important, incorporate this into your budget ahead of time. Credit card companies always see an increase in spending during this time of year. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and general gift giving and events, this time of year is expensive. If you know you will be closing on a home around the holidays, budget accordingly. Refrain from opening new lines of credit or allowing your credit card bills to get too out of hand. Your lender will pull everything right before close to make sure you still qualify for the loan they are giving you. Any changes to your credit could come with changes to your qualification to buy. In order to prevent your funding from falling through at the last second, watch the spending and don’t make big purchases until after close if you can help it.

Plan for weather

When looking at homes for sale in South Lake Tahoe during the winter, be prepared for snow and less than ideal conditions that may not give you a full picture of the home. With snow covering up curb appeal, crawl spaces, yards and gardens, you may not know everything you are getting until the snow is melted. Be sure to ask all the questions you have and don’t be too shy to ask for pictures from the seller during sunnier weather if they have them.  Dress warmly and be prepared to walked around South Lake Tahoe real estate by wearing snow boots, jackets and gloves. Your South Lake Tahoe Realtor will also need to plan for more time in between showings if you have things scheduled back to back as roads may not be perfectly cleared or traffic could be slow moving.

Don’t let your extracurricular activities distract you

There is a LOT going on between travels, dinners, parties and more. If you are rushing to get to and from everything, it is easy to rush through things just so you can cross it off the list. Be sure you have all the details whether it is about a potential home you are interested in or a signed document your South Lake Tahoe Realtor sent over. If you aren’t sure about something, feel free to ask more questions until you are satisfied with an answer.

For more information on buying South Lake Tahoe real estate during the holidays, feel free to ask me. As an established South Lake Tahoe Realtor who has been helping sellers and buyers in the area, I would be happy to guide you through the process and let you know what to expect.