December is the Best Time to Buy a Home in SF!

If you were a San Francisco real estate agent, you'd know that the holidays are a good time to buy a home in San Francisco.

You would be privy to the endless office meetings in which fellow Realtors recount tales of clients getting the home they want over the holidays. Believe me, I know.  After almost 12 years in the business at four different San Francisco real estate brokerages - Re/Max, Zephyr, Vanguard, and now, Climb Real Estate Group, it is the same story, every year. The managers talk about how, contrary to "popular" wisdom, December is a fantastic time to buy or sell a home. And then actual SF real estate agents tell their own stories of home buyer success.

Since presumably you're not a real estate agent, let me briefly explain why the holidays are a superb time to buy a home in San Francisco.

You are not following the herd.

If I had a dollar for every time a client says they'll wait for the Spring season because "there will be more listing inventory," I'd already have that wine country villa prominently featured on my vision board. Do these buyers mean, "We need to get to our Tahoe ski share and can't find time to hit the open house?"

Think about it. Who doesn't complain about the competition when trying to buy a home in SF? I go to parties. I eat brunch. I hear you talking about the multiple offers and those pesky cash buyers (Hi, cash buyers. I don't think you're pesky. I heart you. Please call.)

Now, I'm not saying that the competition will full-on disappear between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but I am saying that it will be significantly reduced and you'll have a better chance of being successful when you make an offer on the right home for you.

Of course, there will indeed be less listing inventory as well. Prospective home sellers also have plans for the holidays. But, frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. I have great listings coming online and so do many of my esteemed Realtor colleagues.

Home sellers in San Francisco are often not living in the property when it's for sale so the timing doesn't impact them as much as you might think.

And for a variety of reasons, many people are ready to put their home on the market in December.

Since this is not Minneapolis and we're not traveling in tunnels from November to March, why not get your loan pre-approval in order and get home shopping? Seems like a smarter move than hitting up the Lexus December to Remember Event.

The SFhotlist Real Estate Agent Collective is here and ready to help.

Talk soon,

DL