Normally, we spend this month settling in for the winter, spending more time with the family after a long and hectic spring and summer season with house flipping and property management. Sometimes, this month is used for catching up on the long haul of work projects that still need to get finished or that took longer than expected, especially if the Indian summer lasts longer than normal.
This is the time that we always tell folks that wish to have us work on the small odd job (especially indoor ones) to hire us because we normally are slow until the following month of March. We don’t mind the extra work. It helps to keep us from getting lazy over the winter and in shape for the next spring and summer season. The extra cash is nice since December is the month we pay property taxes on some of our properties that are not escrowed over the year.
This also keeps in mind our normal recommendations to folks out there starting to invest in real estate that this time of year starts the “cheaper” shopping season for us investors. Why? Folks don’t want to keep empty homes heated to protect them from water lines from freezing. Most want to unload their homes or properties and they will sell them cheaper just to move them. For the investor, it is a great time to pick another one up to help lower your next year’s tax bill. Also, during the winter months, contractors are usually starving for work and will often be readily available to start working on your property and for a discounted price just to beat out their competition. Last, your investment flip or rental will be ready by March’s selling season since the winter months will give you and your hired crew enough time to work on the property while the rest of the world is hunkered down trying to keep warm. The early bird gets the worm in this scenario for those that use this time of year correctly.
