Now is the best time to buy or sell a lake home. Surprising to hear come from a Realtor, huh? Seriously though, January, February and part of March are excellent times for good buys of real estate at one the lakes in or around Alexandria, Minnesota. It is also a very good time to sell a lake home.
Life, and real estate sales, would be easy if there were absolutes but there aren’t. Each listing in the MLS has a different story with different motivations. as do each and every buyer. Here are a few thoughts I have about being a seller or buyer during a Minnesota winter.
Why It Is A Good Time To Sell
I feel that the prevailing strategy for owners interested in selling a lake home in the Alexandria area is to take it off the market over the winter months. So if a lake home owner wants to sell, the inventory of homes with lakeshore dwindles after the holidays and your property garners more eyeballs and attention as people search online and dream of halcyon days at a lake. And there are plenty looking. Each year my web-site traffic jumps after the holidays and remains steady leading up to summer. Foot traffic is slower during the winter months but those that do visit properties are typically serious buyers.
Why It Is A Good Time To Buy
As I said above, because it seems like most believe their lake home won’t get looked at over the winter months and will become tainted by its number of days on the market, owners remove their real estate from the MLS. With foot traffic into homes for sale being quieter there is a good chance if you see a property you like and know the lakeshore or have trust in someone like myself that knows it, that showings have been pretty low in number recently. Put yourself in the shoes of the seller and you can imagine summer feeling pretty far off, especially during cold, gray days, and feeling a little uncertain when another offer will be made. It isn’t an absolute but for the most part people are going to be more negotiable during the winter months. As the weather warms and foot traffic through the seller’s door increases, they are probably less likely to be as negotiable as it is natural to feel more confidant.
