Black Friday seems like the perfect day to recirculate these timeless thoughts about buying/selling through the holidays. Sit back, relax and then decide what’s the best choice for you!

The holiday seasons are upon us and inevitably, whether selling or buying, you may be asking yourself; “Should I continue to market my home/search for my new home from post-Thanksgiving until post-New Years. Review the pros and cons of both.

SELLING PROS:

• Many other sellers remove their homes from the marketplace during this time which reduces your competition. Lower inventory means that you can stand out to those that are shopping and possibly be rewarded with a higher price.
• The fact is that regardless of the season, there are always buyers in the market to purchase due to job transfers, divorces, end of leases, seasonal closing on their own home that they’ve sold and people who want to take advantage of the current low interest rate before it goes up.
• As long as you don’t go overboard, the sights, sounds and aromas of the season cause buyers to imagine what it will be like to enjoy their own holiday gatherings in front of your roaring fire and beautifully displayed Dining Room table.

SELLING CONS:

• The number of buyers shopping during the holidays is smaller than in the more active spring season.
• If you live in an area that experiences extremes of cold, snow and ice, you have the added task of making sure your exterior areas are clear and safe to travel. You also need to prepare yourself for the frustration of no shows and reschedules in the event of inclement weather.
• If you do a lot of entertaining, you might have to be more diligent with regard to keeping your home “show ready”.
• In many areas affected by the time change, it gets dark a lot earlier making evening appointments more challenging thus you should prepare yourself to be doing more weekend showings.

BUYING PROS:

• The reason someone may have their home on the market during the holidays is because they have a “need to be sold by” deadline ie: starting a new job, moving to help out with a family situation, downsizing due to a job loss or reduction in income, etc. This may provide a great opportunity to purchase your dream home at a reduced price.
• Due to less homes being sold during the holiday season, title companies may have a more open schedule to ensure the closing date you prefer.
• Like the “Greek restaurant dilemma” of a menu that is so large it’s hard to make a decision, by having fewer homes to choose from, your shopping process may be far less stressful and more effective.

BUYING CONS:

• Since many people take their homes off the market at this time, you will have less inventory from with to choose.
• Due to holiday entertaining, viewing appointments may be more difficult to schedule BUT keep in mind if someone is choosing to sell during this season, they will most likely work with you to find a convenient time.
• If you live in an area with inclement weather, getting to and from appointments might be more challenging.
• In many regions, with the time change, it gets dark a lot earlier making evening appointments more difficult (hard to see addresses, hard to see exterior negatives about the home) which means you will most likely want to schedule viewings for the weekend, which can be more difficult. That said, if the seller is motivated, they will understand the local weather impediments and most likely be willing to be accommodating.

Whether you’re selling or buying, you can take advantage of the holiday season to achieve your desired result and toast in your Happiest New Year!!

So recently, after 39 years in my home, I made my first move cross country to start a new life journey but didn’t want to spend $15-20,000 using a traditional moving company. So I explored other options and eventually chose to rent a UHaul Truck and movers to load it, drive it and unload it at the other end. I figured I would rather do all my own packing anyway to decide what will get sold, donated, tossed or packed and really how hard could that be? Turns out, pretty darn hard. With a leaning toward sentimentality and having raised my only child in my home, selling and donating was tough and tossing was even harder! BUT I will admit that once I started selling some things I got more conducive to the idea. By the time I moved, I was giving stuff away!! So here’s some tips to help you on your way!

UHaul: The UBox is ridiculously small and though it might be good for a move across town or taking a child to college, it is NOT a good choice for cross country moves no matter what their Infomercial says. Seriously small!!

UHaul 26ft Truck: This was my choice as all their literature and employees stated that this would accommodate a 3-4 bedroom home. And let me say, when you look at an empty 26ft truck trailer, you will be convinced your things will fit.  Reality, maybe a 1-2BR home at the most. I moved one set of bedroom furniture, one mattress, a sofa, loveseat and twin sleeper plus 4 desks and a few incidental small tables….NO dining room, other 3 bedrooms, kitchen, family room, appliances, washer dryer NONE of THAT! I had lots of bins and boxes but hey, without all that extra furniture it should fit, right? Wrong. Ended up having to buy a 14′ trailer to attach to my daughter’s truck which was also full to make the 1100 mile drive across country.

Granted moving this way saved me probably $10000 in costs and so I would do it again, just smarter and better! My movers were very very nice people….but incredibly slow. Take the time to get referrals as best you can. It will be a great help!

I’m still glad I packed myself as I made sure I have what is most important to me with me in my new home. One thing that made it difficult was that I wasn’t confirmed on the deal going through until 2 weeks before closing so I had to leave a lot of packing until the last minute so the home would still be staged properly in case it had to go back on the market. These are all factors I was not aware of when I started the process but know now and want to pass on so that your move can be less stressful, more joyful and an experience you can look back on as a good part of your new journey.

The key is recognizing that your past memories will be with you forever and your new memories are lying ahead. Give yourself the authority to move forward so when you look back it’s with joy and appreciation for the blessings you enjoyed. Home truly is where your heart is and with the people who mean the most to you.

Happy Journey!

Per Merriam Webster….Definition of Labor Day:  A day set aside for special recognition of working people celebrated in the US and Canada as a legal holiday the fist Monday in September. At this challenging time, many working class people have been suffering reduced work schedule or been out of work all together while others have been called upon to work more deemed essential for maintaining daily living. Here at ByOwner.com we wish to celebrate all our “Laborers”…Farmers, Police, Firefighters, Hospitality Workers, Retail and Grocery Workers, Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Workers, Dentists and their Workers, Teachers, Restaurant Owners and Workers, Janitors and Maintenance Workers, Nursing Home Workers ….Workers, Workers, Workers!!!! You have earned our respect and our wish that you take the time to enjoy a very relaxing Labor Day Holiday!!

It used to be that if you wanted a free standing tub in your bath, you pretty much were looking at Victorian style clawfoot tubs. These are certainly gorgeous and add an elegance to your room BUT for many people the style just doesn’t blend with the rest of their more modern styled home so have simply gone the traditional route or eliminated their tub option all together. For those people, there are now many options available from the simplest model available for under $1000 to extravagant styles that can cost upwards of $10000 but rival the best 5 star luxury hotel. No matter which route you go, a free standing tub updates and upgrades your Bath all by itself!