Falling for a New Home this September

Spring gets all the attention in real estate, but fall quietly offers some of the best conditions of the year for buyers. This is especially true here in the Tioga, Potter, and Bradford County area. With the small town fall festivities like the Camptown Races and Wyalusing Valley Wine Festival Bradford County to the Falling Leaves Festival in Coudersport, Potter County or the beauty of a hike in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon in Tioga County there are plenty of reasons to love being outside in the fall. But there are also lots of reasons autumn is a great time to hunt for a house. 

1. Less Competition

The spring rush floods the market with buyers, and often sparks bidding wars. By fall, the crowds have thinned. Fewer buyers mean less competition for the homes that are listed, giving you more room to negotiate on price or repairs. 

2. Motivated Sellers

Sellers whose homes have been on the market since summer are often eager to close before the holidays or winter weather. Sellers that have their homes on the market through the autumn and winter months are the ones that are serious about selling. Unless you have to, no one likes the idea of moving in cold or snowy weather. If the house is already empty, sellers are calculating the costs to heat throughout the colder months, as well as make sure the driveway and sidewalks are maintained. That motivation can translate into better deals for buyers willing to make an offer.

3. Ideal Timing for Rural and Recreational Properties

If you're eyeing a hunting camp, a property bordering state game lands, or acreage in the surrounding countryside, fall is when you'll see it at its most functional. You can walk the land prior to hunting season, check trails and access roads before winter weather sets in, and get a true feel for the property's usability before deer season and the colder months arrive.

4. See the Home in a New Light

Fall weather reveals things spring and summer listings can hide. You can check how well the heating system works, look for drafts around windows and doors, inspect the roof and gutters after leaves start falling, and see how the property cooler, damper weather. Looking for low maintenance? Maybe you don’t think about leaves falling in the yard during the spring and summer, but in the autumn as well as seeing the beautiful colors, you can see if you will need to be raking leaves.

5. Settled Routines Make Moving Easier

By fall, the school year is already underway and summer travel plans are behind most families. That means moving doesn't have to compete with vacations or the back-to-school scramble, making the transition to a new home smoother.

6. Fall Foliage and Unbeatable Views

North Central PA is one of the best places in the state to watch autumn unfold, and touring homes right now means seeing properties at their most spectacular. Ridge-top and hillside homes catch sweeping views of hardwood forests turning gold, red, and orange. This is the kind of scenery that you love to see from your own porch or back deck. Properties along the river valleys and near state forest land offer a front-row seat to the color change, and homes with big windows or let you enjoy it from the inside, too. It's also a great way to evaluate a property's natural light A view that looks good in fall usually holds up beautifully the rest of the year, and buyers touring now get to see exactly what they'd be waking up to.

Fall combines less competition, motivated sellers, and practical advantages that spring and summer buyers rarely get. Here in Tioga, Potter, and Bradford Counties of North Central Pennsylvania, it's also one of the most beautiful times of year to find your next home. If you've been waiting for the right time to buy, this season might be it.

Ready to start looking? The dedicated agents at Penn Oak Realty know our communities inside and out. Reach out anytime to see what's available now!