“Nobody buys houses in the winter” (real estate adage)

“Nobody buys houses in the winter” (especially December and January) is a real estate adage of unknown authorship. There are many explanations for this—the weather is cold, it’s in the middle of the school year, people have Christmas plans, people are waiting for end-of-year bonuses, among other reasons. The real estate business picks up in March and April.
 
“The old idea that nobody buys a house around here in the winter is due for some revision” was cited in a 1955 newspaper. “Nobody buys homes in the winter” and “Everyone knows that nobody buys houses In December — they’re too pre-occupied with Christmas” were both cited in print in 1983. “Nobody buys houses in December and January” was cited in 1985.
 
 
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
24 November 1955, The Valley News (Springwater, NY), “Springwater Party Line,” pg. 3, col. 1:
The old idea that nobody buys a house around here in the winter is due for some revision. Right in the middle of snow and blow several places have changed hands in the past few weeks.
 
10 April 1983, Sandusky (OH) Register, “Financial institutions report home loans are springing upward” by Jim Ivancic, pg. E-9, col. 1:
“April or May historically are more active months. Nobody buys homes in the winter.”
(Larry Steensen, vice president of mortgages at Third National Bank.—ed.)
 
Google News Archive
22 May 1983, Eugene (OR) Register-Guard, “Domes,” pg. 2B, col. 3:
“Everyone knows that nobody buys houses In December — they’re too pre-occupied with Christmas.”
 
21 January 1985, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland,OH),  “Housing industry looks good” by John Leo Koshar, pg. 15-E, col. 1:
‘Interest rates are down now but nobody buys houses in December and January.”
(Bernard J. Campanella, executive vice president of the Building Association of Cleveland & Suburban Counties.—ed.)
 
8 June 1996, New Castle (PA) News, “Home buyers refute logic on rising rates” by Maggie Urry (The Financial Times), pg. 23, col. 2:
The figures are seasonally adjusted, so they make allowances for the no-one-buys-a-house-in-January effect.
 
Zillow
2 Big 2 Fail
Nobody buys houses in the winter. If you do not sell by Thanksgiving, then take it off the market. December is the worst month to sell because of the holidays. The buyers you get during the winter are not going to be ideal… This is when the bargain hunters come out of hiding and make lowballs left and right. If you want top dollar, then withdraw and re-list in April.
September 14 2007
 
REALTOR magazine
New Year’s Surge
While many practitioners take off during winter, Erica Ramus is ready for her business to take off, and she’s finding that the sky’s the limit.
JANUARY 2010 | BY KATHERINE TARBOX
In the fall of 2001, during her first year as a licensed practitioner, Erica Ramus, now a broker-owner with Realty Executives of Pottsville, Pa., began to notice other salespeople slowing down for the expected holiday freeze. “They whined and moaned about how nobody buys houses in the winter. So they took time off,” Ramus explains. Lots of it.
 
Facebook
Beth Smith Shuey
December 17, 2013 · Charlotte, NC · Edited ·
Who says nobody buys houses in December? My team is scheduled to have a total of 11 closings this month, and 5 already scheduled for January! This is crazy, a good crazy, but crazy! Homes that have been on the market longer than I like are finally getting contracts, and the rest are certain to get picked up soon! ‪#‎proudofmyteam‬
   
Curbed—Atlanta
Could ‘Hot’ Old Fourth Ward be Cooling? Just a Little?
Friday, January 9, 2015, by Josh Green
(...)
Maybe buyers are allergic to lattice on decks? Or maybe the old adage is true: Nobody buys houses in the winter?