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Holidays are in in full swing in chilly Oregon. While many people are praying for snow and waxing their skis they may forget or be too busy to think about real estate. If there’s a lease that’s expiring that needs to be dealt with, then this can be another matter, as owners don’t want to risk losing their tenants, and tenants don’t want to cause a lack of attentiveness to their lease to jeopardize their own business.

But in addition to this, any decisions by companies around moving their business over the holidays will probably get delayed until after the New Year, unless it’s necessary for them to move beforehand. People normally don’t want their entire lives to be disrupted by making a move over the Holidays, as it’s a special time of the year, and everything begins to feel like it’s slowing down.

Once we get into December, real estate principals who might consider buying or selling can begin saying things like, “Call me again after the first of the year,” because the idea of buying, selling, and negotiating during the holidays just doesn’t seem as interesting and desirable to them.

However, if you’re a potential buyer or lessee during this season, this can be a good time for you. Since activity can slow down, and the number of property showings oftentimes slows down, too, this can then cause the number of offers that property owners are receiving to diminish also. What this then means is that some property owners may be inclined to now accept offers that they might otherwise not accept, because the slowdown in activity that they’re experiencing may get them more motivated to take your deal. Yes, it’s normal for them to experience the holiday slowdown, but when coupled with many people’s concerns about whether the economy may be slowing down, too that old expression of “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” can come into play within people’s minds.

For example, if during the holiday months an owner is getting fewer offers on a property, or maybe they’re getting no offers at all on their property, this could get them more interested in negotiating to make a deal on the very next offer that comes in. The owner could begin thinking, “Yes, it’s the Holidays, but what if this is really an indication of the coming economic slowdown that we’ve been hearing about? I’d hate to guess wrong in thinking that new and better offers will still be coming in after the first of the year, so maybe I really need to focus on consummating this one deal right now.”

So, in keeping this in mind, the holiday season could represent good opportunity for you if you’re a lessee or a buyer who’s actively submitting offers. Do your homework, tour the properties that are the best ones for you, and submit offers to owners knowing that you might just catch someone who’s really motivated to make your deal.