The Best Time to Buy or Sell a House
http://business.time.com/2012/10/10/...-sell-a-house/

"Here are some timing tips from real estate agents that can save home buyers and sellers a lot of money:
- The best time to stop renting and buy a house is when it costs less to buy than to rent. Makes sense, but how do you figure that out? Find two similar houses – one for sale and one for rent – and divide the asking price by the annual rent. A rent ratio of 20 or more usually means that it costs considerably more to own than rent after you factor in the mortgage, taxes, insurance, repairs and other expenses. It makes financial sense to buy when the rent ratio is a lot closer to 10 than to 20.

- The best month to make an offer on a house is January. Fewer buyers are willing to house-hunt during cold, nasty weather, so there’s less competition and few, if any, bidding wars. Sellers also tend to be more motivated than they will be in the spring, when there are more buyers. Why? They may have just received their credit card bills that reflect Christmas spending and may be feeling financially insecure. And their decision to try to sell their houses in the winter means they’re willing to risk listing during a time of the year when properties tend not show particularly well."