When is the best time to buy a flat?

This is one of those questions to which there is no good answer. There are a great many factors affecting the attractiveness of property purchase and sale offers, and the actual significance of most of them has not been studied. So before we consider when the best time to buy a flat is, let us focus on the important variables.

• A good time to buy a flat
• When it rains…
• Do not be afraid of negotiating

A good time to buy a flat

A particularly busy time of year for property purchases is December. In recent years this was mainly linked to planned changes in the law that came into force at the start of the new year. A change that directly affected buyers was the required amount of the down payment, which in 2017 rose from fifteen to twenty per cent of the property's value. As mortgages are still the most popular way of raising funds to buy a property, these changes spurred people to wrap up the matter of moving home sooner.

A flat or house is an enormously important investment, one that will, every single day, answer the question of whether it was the right choice.

Another important factor is the launch of government programmes such as Mieszkanie Plus ("Flat Plus") or Mieszkanie dla Młodych ("Flat for the Young"). The funds provided under these initiatives often run out in the first months of the year because of huge interest in the subsidies. Every year, many thousands of Poles who want to buy their own flat take advantage of M+ and MdM alike. That is why it is so important to start looking for suitable properties before the end of the year – submitting all the necessary applications and assembling the documentation can take longer than we expect.

FLATS IN KATOWICE KOSTUCHNA – CHECK THE LISTINGS!

When it rains…

…buyers look around for a new flat. It is not only regulations that significantly influence when the best time to buy a flat is. A flat or house is an enormously important investment, one that will, every single day, answer the question of whether it was the right choice. That is why some of us, not without reason, believe it should be tested in extreme conditions. What good is it that the seller assures us the windows are airtight if we buy the flat in summer? When winter or a rainy autumn arrives, we may be unpleasantly surprised.

So it is worth viewing flats in winter to find out whether they are actually easy to heat. After all, this is a very important aspect of your future home.

DON'T BE CAUGHT OUT BY EXTRA COSTS WHEN BUYING A FLAT!

Do not be afraid of negotiating

Regardless of the season, the weather outside or other variables affecting the property market, it is always worth attempting to negotiate before buying. Even if we reduce the final price of the flat by PLN 1,000 this way (which seems a small amount compared with the whole investment), it is a real saving.

A thorough inspection of the flat will certainly help in planning the negotiations. It is worth paying attention to details then – even those that seem unimportant at first glance. Almost anything can affect the price: opinions about the safety of the area, renovations already done and those still necessary, proximity to a busy road, or the type of heating used.

One last piece of advice remains, and it is the most important one: let us approach buying a flat calmly and with plenty of time to spare. Haste is usually a bad adviser, and in this particular case perhaps the worst. If you need help finding the right home, contact the REMAX Gold office! Our agents will offer advice, present specific listings matched to your expectations and help at every stage of the investment!