[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1kxpza3gbqz7d":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":47,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":51},{"item":4,"previous":35,"next":41},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":14,"isInfographic":15,"categories":16,"isVideo":15,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":33,"updatedAt":34},102870,"top-3-reasons-to-buy-a-home-before-spring","Top 3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring","\u003Cp>If you’re planning to buy a home this year, you may be focused on the spring market.\u003C\u002Fp>","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","\u003Cp>If you’re planning to buy a home this year, you may be focused on the spring market. And hoping that when spring does hit, you’ll see:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Mortgage rates drop a little more.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>More homes hit the market.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>But here’s what most buyers don’t realize. \u003Cstrong>Buying just a few weeks earlier could mean paying less, dealing with less stress, and feeling less rushed.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Here are three reasons why accelerating your timeline over the next few weeks could actually be a better play.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>1. Holding Out for Lower Rates May Not Pay Off \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>A lot of buyers are hoping mortgage rates will fall even further. But that’s not the best strategy. Here’s why. Experts are pretty aligned on this: \u003Cstrong>rates are expected to stay roughly where they are.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Forecasts throughout the industry all point to the same thing: \u003Cstrong>rates are projected to be in the low-6% range this year \u003C\u002Fstrong>(\u003Cem>see graph below\u003C\u002Fem>)\u003Cstrong>: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Expect-Mortgage-Rates-To-Stay-Roughly-the-Same-original.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Expect-Mortgage-Rates-To-Stay-Roughly-the-Same-original.png\" alt=\"a graph of a graph showing the rate of a mortgage\">\u003C\u002Fa>That's not a bad thing, especially if you consider how much rates have already \u003Ca href=\"\u002F2026\u002F01\u002F22\u002Fmortgage-rates-recently-hit-a-3-year-low-heres-why-thats-still-a-big-deal\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">come down\u003C\u002Fa>. Over the past 12 months, \u003Cstrong>they’ve dropped roughly a full percentage poin\u003C\u002Fstrong>t. And for many buyers, that means affordability has already improved more than they may realize. \u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>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 \u003Cem>Redfin\u003C\u002Fem>, explains:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>“House hunters should know that \u003C\u002Fem>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>this may be near the lowest mortgage rates fall for the foreseeable future\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cem>.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>2. Spring Means More Competition + More Stress\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>Speaking of competition,\u003Cstrong> the spring market is popular for a reason, but with popularity comes pressure. \u003C\u002Fstrong>With more buyers active at that time of year, you’ll have to move faster once you find a home you like. And no one likes feeling rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>But buy now and you have more time to browse. Fewer people are looking, so homes sit longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>You can see this play out in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.realtor.com\u002Fresearch\u002Fdata\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">data\u003C\u002Fa> from Realtor.com (\u003Cem>see graph below\u003C\u002Fem>). 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’s a 20-day swing – and that pace is going to be more stressful.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Buyers-Have-More-Time-To-Browse-in-the-Winter-original.png\">Homes sell faster in the spring, and slower in the winter.\u003C\u002Fstrong> And that can be a worthwhile perk for buyers who want to get ahead before their decisions start to feel rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>3. Prices Tend To Rise When Competition Heats Up\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>And here’s something most buyers forget to factor in. \u003Cstrong>Prices usually respond to demand.\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>So, when demand is higher, prices are too. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cem>Bankrate \u003C\u002Fem>explains:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>“Spring 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.”\u003C\u002Fem> \u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>In fact, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nar.realtor\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2025-10\u002Fehs-09-2025-overview-2025-10-23.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">data\u003C\u002Fa> from the \u003Cem>National Association of Realtors\u003C\u002Fem> (NAR) shows that in 2025, buyers who purchased in the beginning of the year saved \u003Cstrong>roughly $30,000–$35,000\u003C\u002Fstrong> compared to those who bought when prices peaked in the spring or early summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Buying-a-Home-Is-Generally-Less-Expensive-in-the-Winter-original.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Buying-a-Home-Is-Generally-Less-Expensive-in-the-Winter-original.png\" alt=\"a graph with a green line\">\u003C\u002Fa>And let’s be honest, for a lot of buyers today, every little bit of savings helps. That’s why buying just a few weeks earlier, before prices ramp up, will be better for you and your wallet.\u003C\u002Fp>","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Buying a few weeks before spring isn’t about rushing. It’s about choosing to be ahead of the curve and knowing you want more leverage, less stress, and meaningful savings.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>If you’re ready and able to buy now and want to get the ball rolling, let’s connect.\u003C\u002Fp>","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260205-Expect-Mortgage-Rates-To-Stay-Roughly-the-Same-original.png",false,[17,21,25,29],{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},9,"Home Prices","home-prices",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},323,"Buying Tips","buying-tips","2026-02-05T11:30:00Z","2026-02-05T16:09:32Z",{"id":36,"slug":37,"title":38,"featuredImage":39,"publishedAt":40,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},102865,"its-getting-more-affordable-to-buy-a-home","It’s Getting More Affordable To Buy a Home","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260203\u002F20260204-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","2026-02-04T11:30:00Z",{"id":42,"slug":43,"title":44,"featuredImage":45,"publishedAt":46,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},103053,"why-townhomes-are-popular-with-todays-first-time-buyers","Why Townhomes Are Popular with Today’s First-Time Buyers","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260205\u002F20260209-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","2026-02-09T11:30:00Z",{"cover":48,"open":49,"shareSpread":50},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Cover-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Spread-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Magazine-original.png",[52,56,57,61,65,69,70,74,78,79,83,87,91,95,99,103,107,111,115,119,123,127,131,132,136,140,144,148,152,156],{"id":53,"name":54,"slug":55},1,"Uncategorized","uncategorized",{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},{"id":58,"name":59,"slug":60},6,"For Sellers","sellers",{"id":62,"name":63,"slug":64},7,"Foreclosures","foreclosures",{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68},8,"Infographics","infographics",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},{"id":71,"name":72,"slug":73},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers",{"id":75,"name":76,"slug":77},34,"Senior Market","senior-market",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},{"id":80,"name":81,"slug":82},38,"Move-Up","move-up",{"id":84,"name":85,"slug":86},41,"For Sale by Owner","for-sale-by-owner",{"id":88,"name":89,"slug":90},42,"Featured","featured",{"id":92,"name":93,"slug":94},45,"New Construction","new-construction",{"id":96,"name":97,"slug":98},52,"Luxury \u002F Vacation","luxury--vacation",{"id":100,"name":101,"slug":102},53,"Rent vs. Buy","rent-vs-buy",{"id":104,"name":105,"slug":106},80,"Time-sensitive","time-sensitive",{"id":108,"name":109,"slug":110},81,"Outdated","outdated",{"id":112,"name":113,"slug":114},147,"Internal","internal",{"id":116,"name":117,"slug":118},148,"Do Not Autopost","do-not-autopost",{"id":120,"name":121,"slug":122},320,"Inventory","inventory",{"id":124,"name":125,"slug":126},321,"Agent Value","agent-value",{"id":128,"name":129,"slug":130},322,"Affordability","affordability",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},{"id":133,"name":134,"slug":135},324,"Downsize","downsize",{"id":137,"name":138,"slug":139},325,"Economy","economy",{"id":141,"name":142,"slug":143},326,"Equity","equity",{"id":145,"name":146,"slug":147},327,"Forecasts","forecasts",{"id":149,"name":150,"slug":151},328,"Selling Tips","selling-tips",{"id":153,"name":154,"slug":155},339,"Expired\u002FWithdrawn\u002FCanceled","expiredwithdrawncanceled",{"id":157,"name":158,"slug":159},340,"Price It Right\u002FOverpricing","price-it-rightoverpricing"]