The Truth About Buying or Listing a Home Over the Holidays

Buying a House Over the Holidays: Should You Actually Do It?

Here’s the truth: there is no magic week, day, or holiday eve that guarantees you’ll find the perfect house or get a screaming deal. I’ve written offers on Christmas Day, but that doesn’t mean December is some secret real estate hack. It just means life happens, even when everyone is supposed to be eating pie and avoiding their in-laws.

But if you want the real data-backed scoop on what actually happens this time of year, here’s what I see:

New Listings Slow Down
From Thanksgiving through early January, new inventory drops anywhere from 15 to 30 percent on the South Shore depending on the town and price point. People don’t love prepping their home for showings while hosting out-of-town relatives. Totally fair.
Less new inventory means fewer choices and buyers need to stay flexible or patient.

But the Buyers Still Out There? They Mean Business
Showing traffic drops, but the buyers who keep looking tend to be serious and motivated. They’re not spending their Saturdays wandering into open houses for fun. They’re relocating, downsizing, upsizing, or uncomfortable in their current home and ready for the next move. 

Competition Can Ease Up
Fewer buyers in the market can translate into less competition on the right home. Notice I said can, because this absolutely depends on the house, the price point, and the town. Some homes still get multiple offers in December. Others sit quietly until January when things start to pick back up.

Sellers Who List in December? They’re Often Ready to Move
If someone lists in mid-December, it’s rarely casual. There’s usually a timeline driving their decision. That can create room for more straightforward negotiations and less of the spring frenzy. You have to be really motivated to take on that extra pressure and stress of selling your house in a time of year packed with other obligations. 

When’s the Best Time to List?
Here’s where the internet loves to argue.
The honest answer: it depends on your home, your town, your price point, and the reason you are listing it.

A few trends I watch closely each year:

• The second week of January consistently sees a jump in new listings as people reset their lives and their calendars.
• Mid-February through April is the highest-velocity window in most South Shore markets. This seemed to start later last year, look for a future post diving in to the spring market trends. 
• July and August soften as people travel.
• November and December can be great if you have a standout property or a very motivated buyer pool.

There’s no wrong season; there’s only the wrong strategy.

So, Should You Buy or List Over the Holidays?
If your timeline says now, then yes. The market doesn’t stop because the calendar says it should.
If you can wait and want to maximize eyeballs, we build a strategy around the early-year surge.
Either way, the move should match the data and your goals, not a meme telling you that December is a “buyer’s secret weapon” or that spring solves everything.

Want me to run the numbers for your town or your house? I can pull the last five years of holiday-season trends to show you exactly what normally happens. Just send me a message. 

Erin Freeman is a Hingham-based Realtor with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, helping families make smart, data-driven moves on the South Shore and beyond. If you spot a house you love between cookie swaps and tree lightings, don’t worry. I’ve written offers on Christmas Day before. Real estate doesn’t wait for perfect timing, and neither should you.