RES Articles

I’ve said it for many years now, there is something really positive about the start of the year when it comes to real estate- that is February onwards. As a father of 3, I really love Christmas and the holiday period, however as a passionate 21-year real estate veteran, mid-December to the end of January really are the mundane days of real estate. If you watch the real estate portals at the start of February, you will notice a raft of great new listings hitting the market every year. Therefore, a raft of both great new buyers and better still, buyers that missed out the previous year and are serious about getting that dream home in the new year. To put it in sporting terms, you’ve done the pre-season and you are ready to jump into the real stuff!

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Sellers are always trying to time the market. In my opinion the only bad time to sell in metropolitan areas is mid-December and over the Christmas/New Year period. I’d say that this is most likely because buyers tend to shut down during December as the auction season winds down and have a 4-6 week break. Also, it is a traditional time for families to holiday together. That said the best time to sell is when it is the most convenient for you and your family. Yes, gardens look better in Spring. If you have a pool, summertime may excite some buyers. Winter may have a day or two of rained out inspection days. Overall though it’s all relative, your agent selection and home presentation will go further in deciding your final selling price than thinking that there is a magical time to sell that will get you a 10% higher price.

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A good real estate agent will appreciate that buyers are a bit scarce over this 6 week period. A very good real estate agent will use the Christmas period to take a well earned break in order to recharge the batteries and be ready for the next big selling period. A great real estate agent will understand both these points and not be afraid to advise their clients based on this information. That great real estate agent will also appreciate that mid-December to the start of February isn’t so much about making a sale but more about setting themselves up with as many premium new listings going into February and onwards as possible.