The traditional ‘off season’, when activity in the world of real estate drops over the Christmas slowdown, could be the best time to capitalise on a captive audience.
It’s been a big year of what’s already turning out to be a big decade.
Since our unexpected viral friend popped up in 2020, our world has been turned upside down and it’s no wonder so many of us are preparing for a nice long rest this holiday season.
With new listing numbers declining, it could even be a convenient time to take a rest.
But despite conjecture about what interest rates are doing to house prices appearing, on the surface, to be causing a hesitation among sellers, a deeper dive into the numbers shows that many buyers are still likely to be contemplating a move this December and January.
Loan Market pre-approval figures are showing an all-time high number of applications in the system, indicating that buyers are still keen.
Over the last two calendar years, we saw more contracts of sale executed during the months of November and December than any other.
Listing numbers typically climb during spring and buyers scramble to secure their new home before the summer holidays before we hit the quietest period in real estate year on year – late December to mid January.
What we know however is that when people take a break, they also have time to think about what the next move is.
Many buyers and sellers move into the ‘dreaming’ and ‘planning’ phase when they step out of the rat race and shift their focus to personal goals.
This presents an opportunity.
For those who seize this opportunity, they are frequently rewarded.
The ‘off season’, when activity in the world of real estate drops over the Christmas slowdown could possibly be the absolute best time to capitalise on a captive audience.
So how do you make sure you’re the agent who plans to make the most of this gift?
Here are a few tips to ensure you don’t miss the best way to bring in the new year with a bang:
1. Book strategy meetings with your December, January and February pipeline now
Most sellers don’t think about the factors we’ve explained above.
You have an amazing marketing proposition to share with anyone who is thinking of selling in the coming few months.
A strategy meeting isn’t the same thing as an appraisal – it gives you a great tool to re-visit any potential future vendors and explain their window for selling in isolation and the competitive advantage that is right in front of them.
2. Don’t wait until January to list property for the new year
The best way to enjoy a well-deserved break is to know you’re coming back to a healthy stack of new listings.
Now is the time to be securing new year listings.
Allow time for preparation, photography, advertising copy writing and plenty of lead time for scheduling opens.
Your clients will be less stressed, and so will you.
3. Schedule open inspections on your available stock
We know that buyers are around and will have more time over the summer holidays.
Don’t wait to be at the mercy of private inspections.
Pre-schedule one or two open inspections per property across the Christmas to New Year week.
You can control your time better and drive all interest to those scheduled times.
You also don’t have to wait until the weekend as much of the Australian workforce is on leave.
4. Release new listings before or during the Christmas week
With more time to think and plan comes more time to browse.
The real estate portals report great traffic numbers over the summer holidays.
Build an audience by having the property available for digital inspection and create a huge crowd for your first open inspections.
5. Bookend your break with auctions
Many agents lose a lot of momentum over the December and January months, meaning that in some cases, their businesses lose almost two months of productivity.
By booking an auction in mid-to-late December and another in mid-to-late January, you will commit yourself to creating sales and even if you don’t sell under the hammer, the activity generated around these events will certainly provide many opportunities for moving the property on sooner and even meeting other potential sellers.
