6 Tips for Finding a Bargain House in 2025
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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It’s not always easy finding a “bargain” home these days because of steadily rising prices in an already expensive housing environment. The median price of a U.S. home reached $430,584 in November 2024, according to Redfin. That was up 5.5% from the previous year — and you can expect to pay a lot more in some markets.
But even in the priciest cities, there are strategies you can use to get home deals well below the market average. Here are six tips for finding a bargain house in 2025.
Start Early
It pays to get an early start on your 2025 house hunting, because you’re more likely to find the best deals at the beginning of the year, according to Jon Stubbs, content project manager at Clever real estate.
“In most markets, the first month of the year typically has the lowest average home prices,” Stubbs explained. “January is also the slowest in most markets, so you’ll have less competition from other buyers and might find sellers more willing to negotiate.”
Although it’s past January, starting now is still preferable to waiting until the later months of the year.
Hire a Real Estate Agent With Experience in Your Area
When it comes to finding house bargains, knowledge is power — and experienced real estate agents have the most knowledge about local markets. As Zillow wrote, local agents often know about houses coming up for sale before they’re added to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Agents might also be able to connect you directly to a seller.
Laura Adams, MBA, award-winning personal finance author and real estate expert with iBuyer.com, recommended specifying that you want to tour undervalued properties or those with a high likelihood of significant price appreciation.
“You can’t underestimate the local knowledge and savvy negotiating skills of an experienced real estate professional for homebuyers looking for a good deal,” Adams added.
Make a Cash Offer
Obviously, you’ll need a pretty stout bank account to pay cash for a house. But if you have the funds, it’s a great way to find bargains.
“If you can pay cash for a home and close quickly, a seller who urgently needs to move may be willing to make considerable price concessions,” Adams said.
Find Homes That Have Been on the Market 30-Plus Days
The longer a home sits on the market, the better your chances of getting price concessions — especially when sellers begin to worry that it will sit there for months.
Hao Dang of the Hao Dang Team in Bellevue, Washington, told Zillow that he recommends starting with properties that have been on the market for as little as 15 days.
“For every 15 days, we can usually negotiate 2% to 3% off the purchase price,” he said. “Once it hits the 30-day mark, sometimes we can negotiate 5% to 10% off the price.”
Look At Older Homes
Some house hunters are wary of older homes, because they fear the amount of work needed to get them in decent condition. But that’s not always the case.
“Not every older home is a fixer-upper,” Stubbs said. “You can find good value in well-loved homes that might just need some cosmetic improvements. Ask about the age of everything important — HVAC, roof, plumbing, septic, electrical — and make sure you have a trustworthy inspector look at the home.”
Research Tax-Lien Sales
Tax liens are a legal claim on a property when the owner doesn’t pay their property taxes, Adams explained. A tax lien sale is a public auction where homes are “sold to the highest bidder” so the government collects revenue.
You can find some real bargains by finding the right auction.
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