Eyes on the (Christmas Property) Prize

Come the holiday season, real estate swiftly becomes the last thing on our mind. We let phone calls from the local agent go through to voicemail, focusing instead on prepping for the school concert, making plum pudding and setting up the Christmas tree.

If selling or buying real estate is on your to-do list, Christmas is truly a gift of a season. Ignore those agent or advocate calls at your peril – they could very well be ringing to share a rare new listing with you, or to introduce a ‘private’ purchaser to your home! Contrary to popular opinion, statistics from the REA Group and Domain show that the busiest buyer search days annually occur between the 27^th of December to the 3^rd of January. The fact is – Australians are considering property more intensely during the holiday season than they do at any other time of the year.

If you’re a vendor, having your home on the market during the holidays puts you at a distinct advantage. There are fewer other vendors to compete with (due to their supposing that the real estate market shuts down over the holidays) and more buyers than ever looking at your property. Now is precisely the right time to be introducing your home to the market, when you’ll have more buyers competing for your asset. Believe me, estate agents will continue to work and negotiate across the holiday season – many sales are conducted in those focused days between Christmas and New Year.

If you’re a purchaser, now proves to be an incredibly advantageous time to work with a buyers’ advocate. At Infolio, we’ve increased our off-market client purchases to a stellar 55% – connecting buyers with the ‘hidden’ market that’s not visible on your favourite real estate portals. Without a doubt, today’s market offers the best property buying conditions in the last decade – the intense heat has left the market courtesy of banks putting the brakes on lending in response to the Royal Commission into Banking. If you’re a buyer trying to ‘time’ the bottom of the market – think twice before waiting too long. Whilst the current real estate landscape in Australia is great for purchasers with the means to buy, a good property is a good property regardless of market conditions. At Infolio Property Advisors, we support investors to purchase A-Grade stock that will continue to grow in value – regardless of mild market fluctuations. As the old real estate adage goes, ‘it’s time in the market that counts, not timing the market’.

Enjoy the holiday season – and if you’re fortunate enough to be an Infolio client, you may just find yourself with an extra gift under the tree: that of a stellar sales result or coveted property acquisition!

For more information on Infolio Property Advisor’s advocacy and property management services, visit their website: www.infolio.com.au