A Sale for Every Season

Does weather have an influence on potential buyers and sellers?

Some say less people go out looking for properties in winter because the weather is colder and wetter, but do we really want to rely on predominantly UK suppositions when our seasonal climate is somewhat different? Is seasonality fact or fiction when it comes to real estate?

There are four seasons. FACT

There are hundreds, even thousands of property markets. FACT

Prices are rising and falling – somewhere – in every season. FACT

It is unlikely that the climate itself brings the buyers out in one month over another. Might there be other more significant factors at work?

Many people, for example, take their annual holidays in summer to coincide with the longer school and tertiary education breaks, and many businesses shut down over part of this time as well. So, if you are in a market where everyone leaves town, perhaps it is best not to try and sell a property in summer.

So, is spring best… when it is warm but not full-on holiday season? It is a tradition in real estate to say that spring is the best time to sell. In many parts of this country, autumn is the most wonderful time of the year to be out and about!

The number of sales relates directly to buyer activity; but, with no real evidence of any seasonality in buyer demand, it is more likely that rise or fall is in response to other dynamics. Home buyers with young children may prefer to do their home hunting before or after the holiday season. Potential retirees may explore a new market where the climate is to their liking. A family buying a new home might work around summer holidays; while for the overseas investor, the time of year is irrelevant.

When you sell, you want to maximise your profit. You don’t want loads of other vendors all compromising on price. You’d rather have lots of buyers competing to secure a property, driving up prices in the process.

So, watch what is happening in your market regardless of the season. Are other sellers thinking that there may be less buyers about during the summer holidays and colder winter months, for example?

YOUR market is unique. Maximising your profit depends a great deal more on where your property is and the way your property presents than the seasons of the year. Your marketing agent has the market knowledge and experience to guide you.

The best approach is to make the most out of whichever season you choose to sell in.

SOURCE: RE/MAX Australia