(Photo courtesy of yukonwheeler)

During the holidays, most people are busy setting up home decorations, stuffing themselves with delicious food, and visiting friends and family. Others, however, are still thinking about selling or buying a home.

According to an article on Realty Times, February and March produce the highest amount of sales, but at the same time November and December have the best exposure ratio. What does this mean? Simply that these months “have the highest amount of sales relative to the number of new homes that are listed on the market.” New homes are those properties that have been listed for 30 days or less. At the same time, people tend to put fewer homes on the market during November and December, resulting in less competition for sales, and more buyers looking at a smaller number of houses, hence the higher exposure ratio.

The same article says that the months after New Year are some of the busiest of the year in terms of real estate transactions. So the advantage of holiday house hunting for a buyer is that they can get ahead of the post-New Year bustle and look at some houses with less competition.

American Home Guides says that home buyers looking for homes during the holidays tend to be more serious buyers, and not just casual lookers. Moreover, HomeApply.com says that the holidays are a great time for buyers to “pounce” because lenders and sellers this time of year are usually eager to get deals done. This may mean bonuses for buyers, such as price cuts and closing costs incentives.

So if you are brave enough to venture out into the chilly holiday weather, a new home could be your Christmas present.

Read the full Buying a Home During the Holidays story

Read the full Why first time buyers ought to wait to Grab Bargain Home Prices - Telegraph.co.uk story

Read the full Still in a home, by the skin of her teeth - MSNBC story