It’s the holidays, but that doesn’t halt your home buying plans. If anything, you may take advantage of the extra days off to continue your house hunting. Before you cancel all of your personal holiday plans to dedicate time to MA holiday home showings, keep a few things in mind.

Sellers May Delay Showings

Sellers may not be able to accommodate MA holiday home showings. Showings take a lot of preparation and coordination. Sellers must make their home presentable and get everyone out of the house before buyers arrive for showings. This may be difficult to do if they have guests staying over or big family gatherings planned. Don’t assume that all sellers will be able to show their homes around the holidays. Verify ahead of time and give as much advanced notice as possible for potential showings around the holidays.

Agents May Not Be Available

Real estate agents typically work when their clients need them. This often includes legal holidays. However, there’s something about Thanksgiving and Christmas that is a bit different. These are two holidays that even real estate agents may need to take off, especially if they are visiting family out of town or have family coming into town. Check with your real estate agent ahead of time to verify his/her availability during the holidays.

Even if your agent is available, the listing agent may not be. Homes that require assisted showings by the seller’s agent may make coordinating showings during the holidays more difficult. With so many parties involved, and each with different holiday schedules, you may find MA holiday home showings quite challenging.

Making MA Holiday Home Showing Plans

To reduce the stress and complications of MA holiday home showings, communicate with your real estate agent ahead of time. Find out his/her availability first. Then, provide a list of potential properties so that your agent can verify which ones may actually be shown. If certain properties cannot be confirmed, be understanding and adjust your plans accordingly. There’s a lot going on for everyone at this time of year. Some patience and understanding will go a long way!