{"id":373,"date":"2026-02-05T15:40:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/?p=373"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:40:44","slug":"top-3-reasons-to-buy-a-home-before-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/?p=373","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"pt-8 px-8\">\n<h2 class=\"profile-color-text text-3xl\">Top 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mt-6 text-base-content flex items-center flex-wrap gap-x-4 gap-y-2\"><span class=\"flex items-center flex-wrap gap-1\"><time class=\"text-base-content\" datetime=\"2026-02-05T11:30:00Z\">Thursday February 5th, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<div>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-6 text-base-content flex items-center flex-wrap gap-x-4 gap-y-2\"><span class=\"flex items-center flex-wrap gap-1\"><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/buyers\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">For Buyers,<\/a><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/home-prices\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">Home Prices,<\/a><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/mortgage-rates\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">Mortgage Rates,<\/a><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/buying-tips\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">Buying Tips<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div>.<\/div>\n<div>Article from Keeping Current Matters<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"p-6 px-8\">\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-3 sm:flex gap-1 flex-wrap w-fit sm:w-full my-4\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-6 flex flex-col gap-4 mb-8\">\n<div class=\"mb-2\">\n<p>If you\u2019re planning to buy a home this year, you may be focused on the spring market. And hoping that when spring does hit, you\u2019ll see:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mortgage rates drop a little more.<\/li>\n<li>More homes hit the market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But here\u2019s what most buyers don\u2019t realize.\u00a0<strong>Buying just a few weeks earlier could mean paying less, dealing with less stress, and feeling less rushed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here are three reasons why accelerating your timeline over the next few weeks could actually be a better play.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>1. Holding Out for Lower Rates May Not Pay Off\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A lot of buyers are hoping mortgage rates will fall even further. But that\u2019s not the best strategy. Here\u2019s why. Experts are pretty aligned on this:\u00a0<strong>rates are expected to stay roughly where they are.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Forecasts throughout the industry all point to the same thing:\u00a0<strong>rates are projected to be in the low-6% range this year\u00a0<\/strong>(<em>see graph below<\/em>)<strong>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20260203\/20260205-Expect-Mortgage-Rates-To-Stay-Roughly-the-Same-original.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20260203\/20260205-Expect-Mortgage-Rates-To-Stay-Roughly-the-Same-original.png\" alt=\"a graph of a graph showing the rate of a mortgage\" \/><\/a>That&#8217;s not a bad thing, especially if you consider how much rates have already\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2026\/01\/22\/mortgage-rates-recently-hit-a-3-year-low-heres-why-thats-still-a-big-deal\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">come down<\/a>. Over the past 12 months,\u00a0<strong>they\u2019ve dropped roughly a full percentage poin<\/strong>t. And for many buyers, that means affordability has already improved more than they may realize.<\/p>\n<p>So why wait a few more weeks just for more buyers to jump in and act as your competition? You already have a window right now. As Chen Zhao, Head of Economics Research at\u00a0<em>Redfin<\/em>, explains:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cHouse hunters should know that\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>this may be near the lowest mortgage rates fall for the foreseeable future<\/em><\/strong><em>.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><strong>2. Spring Means More Competition + More Stress<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Speaking of competition,<strong>\u00a0the spring market is popular for a reason, but with popularity comes pressure.\u00a0<\/strong>With more buyers active at that time of year, you\u2019ll have to move faster once you find a home you like. And no one likes feeling rushed.<\/p>\n<p>But buy now and you have more time to browse. Fewer people are looking, so homes sit longer.<\/p>\n<p>You can see this play out in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realtor.com\/research\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">data<\/a>\u00a0from Realtor.com (<em>see graph below<\/em>). In winter months, it takes an average of about 70 days for a home to sell. In spring? That drops to about 50 days. That\u2019s a 20-day swing \u2013 and that pace is going to be more stressful.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20260203\/20260205-Buyers-Have-More-Time-To-Browse-in-the-Winter-original.png\" \/>Homes sell faster in the spring, and slower in the winter.<\/strong>\u00a0And that can be a worthwhile perk for buyers who want to get ahead before their decisions start to feel rushed.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>3. Prices Tend To Rise When Competition Heats Up<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>And here\u2019s something most buyers forget to factor in.\u00a0<strong>Prices usually respond to demand.<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>So, when demand is higher, prices are too.\u00a0<\/strong><em>Bankrate\u00a0<\/em>explains:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cSpring and early summer are the busiest and most competitive time of year for the real estate market . . . home prices tend to be steeper to reflect the increased demand.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In fact,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-10\/ehs-09-2025-overview-2025-10-23.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">data<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0<em>National Association of Realtors<\/em>\u00a0(NAR) shows that in 2025, buyers who purchased in the beginning of the year saved\u00a0<strong>roughly $30,000\u2013$35,000<\/strong>\u00a0compared to those who bought when prices peaked in the spring or early summer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20260203\/20260205-Buying-a-Home-Is-Generally-Less-Expensive-in-the-Winter-original.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20260203\/20260205-Buying-a-Home-Is-Generally-Less-Expensive-in-the-Winter-original.png\" alt=\"a graph with a green line\" \/><\/a>And let\u2019s be honest, for a lot of buyers today, every little bit of savings helps. That\u2019s why buying just a few weeks earlier, before prices ramp up, will be better for you and your wallet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h3 class=\"text-xl mb-2\">Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Buying a few weeks before spring isn\u2019t about rushing. It\u2019s about choosing to be ahead of the curve and knowing you want more leverage, less stress, and meaningful savings.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re ready and able to buy now and want to get the ball rolling, let\u2019s connect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong data-start=\"932\" data-end=\"985\">Twila Bertrand, REALTOR\u00ae | CENTURY 21 Cota Realty<\/strong><br data-start=\"985\" data-end=\"988\" \/>Top-producing real estate agent serving <strong data-start=\"1028\" data-end=\"1060\">Lufkin and all of East Texas<\/strong>.<br data-start=\"1061\" data-end=\"1064\" \/>Helping- buyers and sellers with trusted guidance, strong marketing, and proven results.<br data-start=\"1151\" data-end=\"1154\" \/>\ud83d\udcde 936-208-7631| \ud83c\udf10 twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring Thursday February 5th, 2026 . For Buyers,Home Prices,Mortgage Rates,Buying Tips . Article from Keeping Current Matters If you\u2019re planning to buy a home this year, you may be focused on the spring market. And hoping that when spring does hit, you\u2019ll see: Mortgage rates drop a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194391,"featured_media":374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[148,28,31,50,21,19,13,15],"class_list":["post-373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate","tag-best-real-estate-agent-in-lufkin-tx","tag-buying-a-home","tag-buying-facts","tag-buying-smart","tag-real-estate-agent","tag-real-estate-lufkin","tag-real-estate-lufkin-huntington","tag-realtor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/194391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}