Winter House Shopping

[David Moore]

Does anyone struggle with 'Black Friday' syndrome in the winter like I do? The opportunities for investments in the winter months are plentiful, sellers are desperate, and almost no one is buying (I'm in Minnesota, for perspective). I'm eyeing four properties, all looking like plums (2% rule plus), a couple of them HUD's, and I'm finding it hard but necessary to wait, wait, wait, and not bid against myself. It is tempting to ignore my home markets past patterns and think I have to secure one of the plums now, before someone else snatches them. But one week from Thanksgiving and five from Christmas tells me to hold off on offers. What are your thoughts?