Looking to buy a home during the Christmas season?

Here’s five things you need to know!

The market is in holiday-mode too.

The market usually cools off during the holidays. This means less real estate activity and fewer new listings on the market, but the positive flipside of this is there are also fewer buyers to bid against too!

Factor in Professional Availability

Heads up, your professional team might be out sipping prosecco, so it’s crucial to confirm the availability of your lawyer, mortgage adviser (check out our hours here), and property inspector in advance. (If you need a referral to any of the above, please ask 😊.)

Plan your Settlement Dates

With all the festive days off, make sure you don’t get caught out with bank and office closures. Be mindful of public holidays when planning settlement dates, as banks and legal offices will be closed, potentially delaying the process. Check out the 2023 and 2024 public holidays here.

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Be aware that while December 27th, 28th and 29th are not public holidays, they are non-working days. So you can expect to get little (or nothing) done on these days.

Due your due diligence early

Open homes might be taking a holiday break too, so grab all the info you can on your home prior to the holiday. Get those necessary reports, such as LIM and property inspections, sorted early. Settled.govt.nz has a good list of homework you need to do.

Before you hit the beach, make sure your money’s sorted.

Ensure your finances are in order before the holidays begin. This includes having loan pre-approval and understanding any potential changes to interest rates or lending criteria that could occur during the break. As always, our mortgage advisers ae here to help. Book in a free chat with our team to get the baubles rolling.

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Helpful Guides to check out:

For more detailed guidance, you can visit settled.govt.nz, which provides comprehensive information and tools to help you through the home buying process.

Remember to also check out First Home Buyers Guide for a step-by-step overview of the process of working with a mortgage adviser.

As always, if you have any questions please get in touch, we are always happy to help!

Happy house hunting, and may your holidays be merry and bright! 🌟🏡