Have you been looking to buy a home in Albuquerque? Are you considering waiting until Spring? We have some news that might change your mind. We’re The Sandi Pressley Team, longtime Albuquerque residents and real estate professionals who’ve helped families find their perfect homes in every season, and Albuquerque’s November Real Estate Market advantages may surprise you.
Over the years, we’ve learned something that surprises most people: Did you know that November and December are some of the best months to buy a home in Albuquerque? We know this goes against everything you’ve probably heard about real estate timing, but stick with us, because the advantages of shopping for a home during the holiday season might be exactly what you need to land your dream property finally.
Let’s start with the most apparent benefit that makes holiday home buying so appealing: you’re facing significantly less competition. Let’s Think about this. Most buyers have mentally checked out for the season. They’re focused on Thanksgiving dinner preparations, holiday shopping lists, and planning family gatherings. The last thing on their mind is touring homes on a chilly Saturday afternoon or negotiating purchase agreements between Christmas and New Year’s.
This mass exodus from the market works to your advantage. While other buyers wait for the supposed “perfect time” in spring, when everyone else will also be shopping, you have the current market largely to yourself.
We’ve seen this play out countless times in Albuquerque. A home that might receive five or six offers during the busy spring market receives just one or two during the holidays, and many times you’ll be the only serious buyer at the table.
Imagine how this changes the entire dynamic of your home search:
- No stressful bidding wars where you’re writing your highest offer.
- No multiple competing buyers.
- No wondering whether to waive inspections
- No offering thousands above the asking price to have a chance.
During November and December, you can take your time, think clearly about your decisions, and negotiate from a position of strength rather than desperation.
The beauty of less competition extends beyond competing with multiple offers. Sellers and their agents are usually more reasonable, responsive, and accommodating when you’re one of the few buyers actively looking. Would you like to schedule a showing over the Thanksgiving weekend? You’ll probably get it. Need a few extra days to complete your due diligence? No problem.
Sellers are often more flexible during the holidays because they know that serious buyers are scarce at this time of year. This kind of white-glove treatment doesn’t happen during the spring rush when agents and sellers are juggling multiple buyers and back-to-back showings.
So what kind of sellers will you encounter during the holiday season? In our experience, this is where Holiday home buying gets interesting. After years in the Albuquerque market, we’ve discovered a key dynamic you should be aware of: few people list their homes during the holidays unless they have a compelling reason to sell.
People don’t voluntarily subject themselves to keeping their house show-ready during the holidays, accommodating showings while trying to host family gatherings, and dealing with the stress of a real estate transaction during the busiest time of year, just for fun. If a home hits the market in November or December, you can bet the seller is motivated.
They may have accepted a job transfer and need to relocate before the end of the year. Perhaps they’re investors who want to close before December 31 for tax reasons. They might be going through life changes, such as divorce, downsizing after kids have moved out, or dealing with an estate.
Some sellers have already purchased their next home and are carrying two mortgages, making them eager to sell their current one quickly. Whatever their reason, motivated sellers translate to better deals and more favorable terms for you as a buyer. They’re often more willing to negotiate on price, contribute toward closing costs, include appliances or furniture, or be flexible with closing dates to accommodate your needs.
The negotiating power you gain during the holiday season goes beyond just working with motivated sellers. In fact, Albuquerque’s real estate market rhythm shifts to your advantage. Today, Albuquerque’s homes are typically going under contract in about 16 days during our most recent peak seasons, with median prices holding steady around $360,000.
Sellers are aware of these statistics and know that winter typically sees slower activity. This awareness makes them more realistic about pricing and more open to reasonable offers. A seller who might have held firm at the asking price in May will often entertain offers five or ten thousand below asking in December, especially if the home has been sitting on the market for a few weeks.
We’ve guided buyers through negotiations during the holidays, successfully requesting items that sellers would typically never agree to during the peak real estate season. For example, we’ve guided home buyers to ask sellers to replace the aging HVAC system, repair that tricky foundation crack, or include the washer and dryer. These requests all become much more feasible when you’re the only serious offer they’ve received in weeks.
Home inspections can be more thorough because inspectors aren’t rushing from one appointment to the next, and you have the leverage to ask for repairs without fear that the seller will move on to the next eager buyer. This is your cover all your bases without feeling pressured to compromise your due diligence to stay competitive.
Another significant advantage people often overlook is the availability and attentiveness of the professionals you’ll work with throughout the home-buying process. Real estate agents, loan officers, home inspectors, appraisers, title companies, and attorneys all experience a slowdown during the holidays.
For you, this means better service, more face time with your agent, and faster processing times. When The Sandi Pressley Real Estate Team works with buyers during November and December, we have more time to dedicate to each client, more availability for showings and questions, and less pressure from juggling multiple competing transactions. Your loan officer isn’t drowning in applications, so they can walk you through every detail of your financing. Your home inspector can spend extra time explaining their findings because they’re not racing to the next appointment.
This level of personalized service makes the entire home-buying experience less stressful and more enjoyable.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the weather and the holidays themselves. Yes, it might be chilly when you’re touring homes. Yes, you’re busy with holiday commitments. But here in Albuquerque, our November and December weather is remarkably mild compared to much of the country. We’re talking sunny days with temperatures often reaching into the fifties and sixties, not blizzards and ice storms. Touring homes on a crisp, clear Albuquerque winter afternoon can be pleasant, and you’ll definitely see how homes look during our cooler months, which is valuable information that spring shoppers miss.
Consider the season from a different perspective. Closing on your new home in late November or December means enjoying the holidays in your new home. Imagine celebrating Christmas morning in your own home instead of in temporary housing or someone else’s. Picture hosting Thanksgiving in a house that’s truly yours. There’s something special about starting the new year in your new home, literally and figuratively beginning a fresh chapter on January 1; even if you’re breaking your holiday traditions by eating pizza off paper plates surrounded by moving boxes.
Plus, you’ll have the slower pace of the holiday season to unpack and settle in, rather than trying to move during the chaos of spring when work and school schedules are in full swing.
As professionals and advisors, we believe that the financial advantages of buying during the holidays deserve serious consideration. This is particularly important, especially as we approach the end of the year. If you close on your new home before December 31, you could be eligible to deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, and various specific closing costs on your tax return for the current year.
Consult with your tax advisor about your specific situation, but for many buyers, these deductions can lead to substantial tax savings. This is particularly beneficial if you’ve had a high-income year and are looking for legitimate deductions. Waiting until January means you can’t claim these deductions until you file taxes the following year, essentially leaving money on the table.
There’s also a psychological advantage to buying during the holidays that’s worth mentioning. The homes on the market during this time are truly available, not just testing-the-waters listings where sellers are seeing if they can get their dream price. Every property you tour during November and December represents a real opportunity, not a vanity listing. Sellers have committed to the process, they’ve kept their homes clean and show-ready despite holiday chaos, and they’re serious about closing a deal. This means you’re not wasting your time on properties that aren’t truly for sale.
In our experience, fewer homes on the market during the holidays means you can secure those homes at an excellent value. When sellers list their homes during this time of year, they understand the seasonal market dynamics and want to attract the limited pool of active buyers. Therefore, they must price their homes more realistically from the outset.
You’re less likely to encounter overpriced properties sitting on the market while stubborn sellers wait for some mythical perfect buyer to pay an inflated price. The homes you’ll see during your holiday search are generally well-priced, well-maintained, and ready for a new owner.
At The Sandi Pressley Real Estate Team, we’ve spent years helping Albuquerque families navigate every type of market condition. We’ve lived here, raised our families here, and witnessed how the real estate landscape shifts back and forth with the seasons. One thing we all agree on is that some of our happiest homebuyers are the ones who dared to shop during the holidays when everyone else was sitting on the sidelines. These buyers secured better deals, enjoyed a less stressful process, and purchased homes they couldn’t have afforded during the season.
We understand that buying your new home will be one of the most significant decisions you’ll make, and the timing needs to work for your life, not just for market statistics. If you’re not ready to buy right now, waiting is the right choice. But if you’ve been actively looking and just assumed the holidays are not a good time to look, so you’re waiting until spring, we’d encourage you to reconsider. The market conditions during November and December create a unique window of opportunity that shouldn’t be dismissed simply because it runs counter to conventional wisdom.
Think about what typically happens when spring arrives and the market heats up. Inventory increases, but so does the number of competing buyers, often at a rate that is even faster. Bidding wars become common again. Homes sell quickly — sometimes within days of listing — leaving you little time to make decisions.
Sellers will become less willing to negotiate as they regain their leverage and all parties to the transaction are busy and stressed. The very factors that make holiday buying so advantageous disappear, replaced by the frenzy of peak season. By shopping now, you’ll get ahead of all the spring buyers who enter the market at the same time, creating higher demand, which drives up competition and prices.
Albuquerque’s real estate market has shown steady growth, with home values appreciating consistently over the past few years. While we expect this trend to continue into next year, there’s no guarantee that the homes available today will still be available in spring, or that they’ll be priced the same. Interest rates, while currently in the mid-six percent range, are unpredictable. Waiting for rates to drop might mean paying more for the house itself as increased buyer demand drives prices higher. The most financially sound strategy is often to buy the right home at the right price when you find it, regardless of the season, and refinance later if rates improve.
We also want to address a concern we hear from some holiday shoppers: the fear that homes on the market during this time must have something wrong with them. This is a myth that needs to be dispelled. There’s nothing inherently defective about a home listed during the holidays. As we mentioned earlier, these sellers have legitimate life reasons for their timing. In fact, holiday listings sometimes represent the best properties because sellers who are serious enough to list during this time have often taken extra care to present their homes beautifully. Walking into a house tastefully decorated for the holidays can help you envision your own future celebrations there, creating an emotional connection that pure staging might not.
The reality of today’s Albuquerque market is that good homes sell regardless of the season. Our city continues to attract new residents, drawn by our culture, climate, outdoor recreation opportunities, and relative affordability compared to other Western cities. The demand for housing here isn’t going away. What changes seasonally is the level of competition you’ll face and the leverage you’ll have in negotiations. Currently, in November, you have maximum leverage and minimal competition. By March or April, those advantages will have evaporated.
Suppose you’ve been on the fence about continuing your home search through the holidays. In that case, we encourage you to explore a few properties and see for yourself how different this experience can be when compared to Albuquerque’s peak real estate season.
The key to successful holiday home buying is working with a real estate team that understands both the opportunities and the challenges of this unique market window. You need professionals who actively work for you during the holidays, who know how to negotiate with motivated sellers, who can move quickly when needed but also take the time to ensure you’re making a sound investment, and who have deep roots in the Albuquerque community.
Your dream home might be sitting on the market right now, priced to sell, with a motivated owner hoping a serious buyer comes along before Thanksgiving. You could be making an offer, negotiating favorable terms, and preparing to close on a property that fits your needs and your budget, while other home buyers focus on holiday shopping and plan their spring home search, . The choice is yours, but we’d hate to see you miss out on a great opportunity simply because you assumed holiday home buying didn’t make sense.
The holiday season is about new beginnings, gratitude, and doing life with the people we love. What better time to find the place where you’ll create memories that will last for years to come? We understand that popular opinion and conventional wisdom tell you to wait until spring, but we’re here to tell you that sometimes the best opportunities come when you’re willing to look when others aren’t. Let The Sandi Pressley Real Estate Team show you why November and December might be the perfect time to find your Albuquerque dream home.
Ready to explore what the holiday market has to offer? Let’s discuss your home-buying goals and explore how we can help you capitalize on this unique opportunity. Contact The Sandi Pressley Real Estate Team today and discover why buying during the holidays might be the most brilliant move you make this year.
The Sandi Pressley Real Estate Team
Phone: (505)263-2173 Website: https://www.sandisells.com/
Visit: https://www.sandisells.com/
The Sandi Pressley Team – Your View to Albuquerque Real Estate
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