Best time to make an offer on a house:

January.

Home buyers face minimal competition during this month because house hunting is no fun when the weather is at its worst. Less competition means greater odds that a seller will accept a low-ball bid. The weather is no better in February, but by then sellers are more likely to hold out until temperatures and the housing market begin to heat up in March.

The first Tuesday of January can be the perfect day to make an offer. Home owners will have recently made a month-end mortgage payment, a reminder of the high cost of holding onto an unneeded home. Tuesday also is a great day to make offers in slow housing markets because by then, home owners realize it's unlikely that other house hunters from the weekend's showings intend to make offers.

Alternate strategy: Make an offer on Christmas Day. Sellers are happy to receive an offer -- even on a holiday -- and people are in a good mood on Christmas, leaving them psychologically predisposed to be flexible and generous in their negotiations. Add a message to your offer explaining that the home would be the perfect place to raise your family -- we tend to become very family-oriented on Christmas. You will need a real estate agent who is willing to work on Christmas to do this.