The holidays have a way of sneaking up on all of us. One minute you’re taking down the Halloween decorations, and the next you’re being invited to Christmas concerts, school plays, work parties, and family dinners. Somewhere between the turkey and the tinsel, many people start asking the same question every year:
“Is there still time to move before Christmas?”
The short answer? Yes — absolutely.
The longer answer? It depends on your goals, your bandwidth, and your plan.
Timing a Move Around the Holidays
If you’d love to be in your new home by Christmas morning, here’s the truth: it’s not only possible, but with the right plan, it’s surprisingly realistic.
Let’s work through it together using what we call the “Walkback Technique” on our team.
- If you’d like to be moved in and settled by December 15, that gives you about ten days before Christmas to get your tree up and your lights hung. Working backward:
- Closing on your new home: It usually takes 30–45 days from the time your offer is accepted.
- Thanksgiving break: This slows things down a bit. Title companies, lenders, and inspectors take time off, and sellers are hosting family or traveling.
- That means to close by mid-December, you need to be under contract around the first week of November.
Which means… you need to start looking for your new home now.
If you haven’t already spoken with a lender, gotten pre-approved, or clarified your timing goals with your spouse or family, then it’s time. Because by Halloween, you’ll want to have your search underway and your ducks in a row.
Do You Have the Time?
We get it. Between sports schedules, Christmas programs, and life in general, moving sounds stressful. But the actual move doesn’t take as long as people think. Professional movers can often handle the heavy lifting in a day or two. What really takes time is deciding, preparing, and coordinating, and that’s exactly what our team is built for.
On our team, you won’t have one person trying to juggle everything. You’ll have a full-time Marketing Specialist to handle your home sale and a Buyer Specialist to help you find your next home, backed by a staff of true professionals who handle the details that make all the difference. We specialize so you can breathe.
The Market Right Now
Here’s some good news: Inventory is up slightly from the chaos of the 2020–2021 frenzy, but homes aren’t sitting forever. Most areas around DFW currently have three to four months of inventory, which means buyers have more choices, but sellers still hold leverage in many neighborhoods.
And while rates are in the mid-6% range, most experts (including our preferred lender Patrick Glaros at ABC Bank) are watching signs that they could drift down again soon. The days of 2% mortgages are gone, but this market offers something better: balance. More choices. Fewer bidding wars. Smarter negotiations.
If it’s the right time for you and your family, there’s no reason to wait for the mythical “perfect spring market.” In fact, many of our clients win big in the fall, buying from sellers who are more serious and selling to buyers who need to move now.
Selling During the Holiday Season
Do football games, holiday events, and weather affect showings? A little. But serious buyers still buy homes during the holidays. And with so many agents taking their foot off the gas, your home can actually stand out more now than at any other time of year.
We’ve found that even during Cowboys games, the buyers who come through open houses are the real ones, the ones ready to make a move.
The Bottom Line
If you’d love to be hanging stockings in a new living room this Christmas, there’s still time, but you can’t wait until after Thanksgiving to get started.
Whether you’re ready to buy, sell, or just want to talk through your options, let’s sit down for a Holiday Strategy Session. We’ll map out your goals, your timing, and whether a pre-Christmas move makes sense for your family and finances.
Because the truth is, there’s always time... if you start now.
