Seven weeks to Christmas: He Said/She Said's selling tips for the pre-holiday market

Seven weeks to Christmas: He Said/She Said's selling tips for the pre-holiday market
Jonathan ChancellorDecember 7, 2020

Carols playing in supermarkets indicates the countdown to Christmas is in full swing with only seven weeks left until Santa comes down the chimney.

Being so close to Christmas, many vendors are deterred from putting their house on the market, but plenty of buyers are circling at this time.

These include families who are keen to be settled before the start of the next school year in February.

The countdown to Christmas comes with increasing anticipation and anxiety - not just the joyous distractions of the long Christmas to do lists.

The looming holiday deadline plays havoc with the property market, but auctions and deals can be done almost right up to Christmas Eve.

The December 20 auctions are beginning to get marketed - and no doubt pre-auction offers will be taken.

Indeed one year in the booming late 1980s, a Double Bay agent secured a Christmas Day sale of a luxury Vaucluse waterfront with a New Zealand buyer.

Our veteran property commentators, Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok offer tips for anxious vendors set to list for auction between now and the Christmas break, which is just seven weeks away.

Last year was a cracker of an auction years and just 11 days before Christmas Sydney had its biggest auction day ever with almost 1,000 auctions and then 300 on the Saturday four days before the holiday.

Similarly high numbers in Melbourne where 11 days before Christmas, more than 1,300 auctions were scheduled and it was the third weekend in a row of that number.

HE SAID:jc-silhouette-5

  • Certainly you shouldn't be waiting for a print marketing campaign – advertise your property on the internet immediately, even if the property is billed as a forthcoming 2015 auction.

  • Choose an experienced local agent who will be pro-active in finding buyers, and then identify the right buyer for your home. Hopefully the agent already knows the likely buyer from their long list of unsuccessful bidders at their recent auctions. 

  • Offer extended settlement terms to say March 2015 – as this gives buyers time to sell their property during the likely quieter January and February period.

  • Eliminate clutter. Potential buyers are looking for their dream home – not yours. Festoons of tizzy Christmas decorations can detract from the house, so don’t go overboard this year.  Instead choose a small Christmas tree and subtle decorations.

  • Auction clearance rates normally trend downwards through December, but last year the market was quite robust – however it would be a folly to put all your hopes on a 20 December auction outcome.

mb-silhouette-4SHE SAID:

Commission a building and pest report to be made available to potential buyers – not only will it expedite things, but buyers will also see you have nothing to hide. And it could also identify a problem that may to need to be rectified.

  • A quick cosmetic clean-up can do wonders – get the men around the house to steam-clean the carpets, wash the windows, re-grout bathroom tiles, touch up paintwork, and high pressure hose outside areas.

  • Be sensible about pricing your property - don’t be greedy. Listen to your agent’s market feedback about the value of your home so you can make an informed decision about its worth in the current market based on all the recent comparable sales.

  • Meanwhile don't forget a quick declutter, along with styling and professional photographs which will present your property in its best light. If pushed engage a stylist to declutter and do an interior makeover. Certainly hire a professional photographer to take four to six pictures of your property for internet advertisements.

  • Best be an accommodating vendor and allow inspections outside scheduled times, for this could clinch a sale with time-poor Mums and Dads caught up in the Christmas rush of children’s’ concerts and office parties.

Good luck!

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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