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In winter, most people’s schedules are filled with holiday parties. And the real estate market is favoring buyers. Why would any seller put their home on the market during the slow winter months?

Life happens, as do home sales, during all times of the year. Most people prefer to list their home for sale during the hot spring and summer markets here in Rochester, but some may have no choice but to put their home up for sale during slower times.

Brent Long and his wife, Brianne, opted to put their 1,400-square-foot, two-bedroom home on the market for $152,500 this month, as they’ve found the perfect home for their growing family.

“We bought the home five years ago and knew we would want something bigger,” said Long, 30.

The couple had been looking passively for a few years but stepped up the search process when the couple’s daughter was born in July.

That was also when they found the house of their dreams, a 2,300-square-foot home a half mile from their current home. It was priced too high then, but he recently saw the home relisted at a much more affordable price point. That’s when the couple decided to move forward with a contingent offer.

“It’s now or never,” Brent Long said, noting that they are selective about the type of house they want. The couple consulted with their agent, Laura LaManna of Nothnagle Realtors, who felt comfortable about listing the home just before the Christmas holidays as it shows very well, with new paint, new carpeting and new deck.

Real estate transactions continue to happen no matter what the market conditions, said Erica Walther of Walther Realtors in Irondequoit.

“There are life-changing events such as divorce, death and job loss that require properties to be sold,” Walther said. “There are also those families that need to find a bigger home and those who find that their current home does not meet their needs.”

People can decide to sell property for different amenities, but that doesn’t mean that they’re purchasing in a new price bracket. They might be making a lateral move financially, but to a home that better suits their needs. Sales usually start to pick up in January, Walther said.