3 reasons why winter is the perfect season to move to a new home

Though most people move during the spring and summer months, they could be missing out on great deals during the house hunting off-season — and so could you. Here's why.

When is the best time to move? Though most people pick the spring and summer months, they could be missing out on great deals during the house hunting off-season — and so could you. Here are 3 reasons why winter is the perfect time to move.

It's easy to understand why people tend to move during peak rental season: there's plenty of inventory, current leases may be ending, and the schedule lines up well for students or people with summer vacations. However, you can buck that trend by searching for an apartment or other rental during the winter months when landlords are more desperate to rent their places. The result?

• Rents that are lower and leases that are more flexible. And there are other perks, too, like moving companies with better prices and more availability.

You might think that less inventory would mean higher rents and a more competitive marketplace, but that isn't true in the winter months:

• Landlords often slash rental prices and offer more favourable and flexible lease terms when the weather gets cold.
• Use this to your advantage by asking for perks, upgrades, discounts, and other goodies when you negotiate the lease.
• Since your landlord is likely to be desperate, they're more likely to be open to a reduced deposit, a non-traditional utilities agreement, or other perks.

Remember that just because you're renting in winter don't think you can go overboard.

• Be reasonable and professional in your negotiations to ensure a good long-term relationship with your landlord.

Need to move fast? Good luck finding a place to rent during the in-demand spring and summer months. In winter, though, it's a whole different ballgame.

• Many landlords need to get rid of inventory quickly because a tenant might have broken their lease, leaving the landlord in a lurch.
• A landlord may have been holding onto a space for so long that they're willing to move quickly on a lease.

In either case, you could be able to move more quickly in winter.

• You also get to avoid battling the summer traffic on move-in day, which can be an issue in some tourist destinations.

Sure, the weather might be a little dull in the winter, but that could be preferable to shifting furniture in sweltering heat for many people!