The spring home buying season is almost here

The spring home buying season typically doesn’t shift into high gear until April or May, but if you’re thinking about purchasing a home this year, you may want to consider getting started now. Mortgage rates are low and there’s less competition among other home buyers compared with late spring and summer.

The first step is getting pre-approved for a home loan. That way, you’ll know how much house you can afford before you start house hunting. You’ll also be able to make an offer right away on a home that’s in your price range. You won’t have to waste your time looking at homes you can’t afford. In addition, most sellers won’t entertain offers from home buyers who aren’t pre-approved for financing.

By starting your home search now, you’ll have less competition from other home buyers who plan to wait to start the home buying process until later in the year. By this time of the year, the number of homes being listed for sale is starting to grow. Many sellers are getting their properties ready for sale right now and plan to put them on the market in the coming weeks or are testing the waters now.

Home buying activity tends to climb throughout spring, peaking in June and July. Then it begins to taper off to lower levels of home buying activity in the fall and winter months. Many people prefer to move during the summer months for a variety of reasons. Many people can more easily take off a week during the summer months to make a move, for example. And families with children in school typically want to have their moves completed by the end of the summer so their children can begin the school year in their new location. If you’ve purchased your home in the spring, you can enjoy the summer months enjoying your new home instead of shopping for one or packing and moving.