Aim to have your home on the market before Christmas if you can. There is often a flurry of last-minute activity from buyers, which you can take advantage of.
By the end of December, you can expect the market to go a little quiet until early January.
If you can’t get your home on the market before Christmas, use the time to get ready to sell in the New Year. Speak to a REIWA agent and get advice on what you need to do in order to attract maximum attention from buyers.
This might include things like painting, general maintenance, cleaning up the garden and pool, or producing a video for marketing. By using the holiday season to get your property primed, you’ll be able to maximise your asking price when you go to market.
Your Bailey Devine real estate agent can advise you on the best marketing strategy during this period, which may be different to other times of the year.
For example, homes are selling quickly at the moment so you may want to hit the market as soon as possible. Or your agent may advise that buyers for your type of home often go away at this time of year, so it is better to wait until mid-January before advertising it for sale.
Alternatively, they may do a quiet launch to their database of actively interested buyers first, before executing a full-scale marketing campaign after Christmas if your property has not already sold.
You will also need to consider when you hold home opens. These are usually on weekends, but Christmas and New Year fall on weekends this year and the weekends leading to Christmas may be busy with other events. You may want to open during the week in the lead up to Christmas or do inspections by appointment only, until after New Year.
Presentation is always important when selling but at this time of year you may want to add a festive touch to your styling, to showcase entertaining areas such as pool decks and alfresco dining areas.
When considering the contract terms, give yourself time to undertake things like building inspections and termite clearances and give the buyer time to get their finance approved.
It is a good idea to allow around six weeks for the settlement period at this time of year. Speak to your settlement agency about expected timeframes over Christmas and what you can do to make things easier from their perspective. It’s also a good idea to find out trading hours over the Christmas/New Year period as a lot of agencies close.
The festive season is a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends. It pays to be prepared so you can enjoy the holiday spirit, while achieving a positive outcome from the sale of your home.
Author: REIWA
Source: reiwa.com.au
