Timing determines so much when you're buying a house. Although the best time to buy a house is when you're ready both financially and emotionally, there are other factors that can help you decide.

There's no doubt that real　estate is local. Therefore, determining a best time to buy in eastern Connecticut ultimately depends on conditions in　this region. There's no such thing as a guaranteed "best month" to purchase a home. While we all know the busiest time to buy a home is during the spring home buying season—April to June—there are pluses and minuses with any month you choose to buy.

Here's what I know about seasonal house shopping:

January to March

Winter isn't such a bad time to buy a house. Though there are fewer homes for sale, there's also less competition since fewer buyers are shopping. That means there's a lower likelihood of a stressful bidding war. Another benefit of buying a house during the cold weather months is that home prices are typically the lowest they'll be all year.

The obvious drawbacks to buying a house between January and March are inclement weather, since snow or ice. These weather conditions could make it difficult to drive around and view homes or do a thorough home inspection of some elements, such as a roof.

April to June

Welcome to the spring home buying season — the peak months for not only housing supply, but also the number of home buyers shopping for houses. Because most families want to move when the kids are out of school, there's a big incentive to buy a house this time of year, since many buyers need to allow 30 to 60 days for closing.

The warmer weather also makes open houses more enjoyable, landscaping easier to evaluate, and inspections more comprehensive. Sellers, if you have a pool, have it ready. Buyers will be picturing their summer in your home!

Even though it's generally regarded as the best time of year to buy a house, there are downsides to the spring market. For starters, you'll face more competition from other home buyers and you'll have to move quickly when a great listing hits the market. Bidding wars are a lot more common, you tend to have less negotiating power, and home prices tend to be higher.

July to September

If you can handle the heat (and a little competition), summer may be the one of the best times of year to buy. Now that the spring home buying craze is over, most home prices return to normal, allowing you to save some money. The sunniest time of the year also makes being outdoors and attending open houses more enjoyable.

The hot temperatures give home buyers the opportunity to test how well a property's air conditioning system holds up in warm weather, which is something they can't usually test during other times of the year.

October to December

The main downside of buying a house in autumn is that there may not be as many homes for sale in the fall as there are in the spring. But it's not like the market goes completely quiet.

Many home buyers consider fall the best time of year to buy a house because of price reductions. Because home sellers tend to list their homes in the spring, sellers whose houses haven't sold yet may be motivated to find buyers, and prices start to reflect that.

Is 2020 a good year to buy a house?

Economic forecasts vary every year but waiting around for annual market fluctuations isn't the best way to decide when to buy a house. The best year to buy a house is when you, and anyone you intend to buy a house with, are ready.

Why doesn't the year matter much? The housing market and your local real estate market do change, but they tend to change gradually. Even if waiting a couple of years for those factors to change can save you a bit of money; the bigger question is how much more money you could gain in equity by owning a home during those two years.

While everyone's financial situation will be different, deciding when to buy a house is mostly about the timing that is best for you, not when the market is perfect.

Will interest rates be good in 2020?

Many home buyers try to time the market by monitoring mortgage rate changes with the hopes of pouncing on a remarkably low rate. But interest rates are like the stock market — no one has a crystal ball that can accurately predict when rates will rise or fall.

Plus, what's considered a good interest rate is relative. Interest rates today are low compared to what they were 20 to 30 years ago. Mortgage rates reached an all-time high of 18.45 percent in 1981, as the U.S. Federal Reserve drove up rates in an effort to counteract double-digital inflation. By the end of the 1980s, though, mortgage rates had finally crept below 10 percent.

Interest rates continued to decrease over the 1990s and 2000s. Today, mortgage rates are at historic lows.

Market interest rates are just one part of how affordable a house will be for you at any given time. Your credit score, for example, helps to determine the interest rate a mortgage lender will offer you.

Then, fluctuations in property taxes and homeowner's insurance can affect overall homeownership costs as much as changes in interest rates can. So overall, current interest rates play a pretty small role in the best time to buy a house for you.

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