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For agents, winter can prove a tough gig, often with fewer properties to sell and buyers reluctant to come out in the cold to inspect homes.
But for some, that’s all part of the challenge.
“The good thing is that, with fewer listings available, agents can give 100 per cent focus on properties and have extra time to make as much effort as they can to sell for vendors,” says agent Shannon Cleary of the Ray White Woollahra Group.
“And winter can be an excellent time to list. There’ll be less competition with less stock on the market and yet there are still motivated buyers around; you tend not to get the tyre-kickers and people just looking. They all tend to be seriously committed if they’re going out in the cold to look.”
Then the advantage for buyers is that, although there’s less choice than there may be when spring arrives, all the associated property professionals tend to be around and available – like stylists, mortgage brokers, pest inspectors, removalists and tradies.
Buyers are also able to see, and smell, instantly whether the home is cold, damp or has mould, Cleary says.
“So vendors have to make sure they present their property as being as warm and cosy as possible. They have to work harder to make it inviting,” she says. “But with the leaves coming off trees, some apartments, or even houses, might have better views …”
In Melbourne, Lloyd Lawton of Jellis Craig Fitzroy agrees that the lack of stock on the market through winter gives vendors a definite advantage.
“They’ll be on the market in isolation rather than in strong competition,” he says. “The majority of stock will come in around August, September and October so if you sell then, you’ll have more sellers to compete against.
“But what you should do is pick an agent like me – someone who has a battery-operated leaf-blower in their car at all times to make sure there aren’t leaves cluttering up the pathways and lawns! You need to make the house and the gardens look as tidy as possible.”
Lawton adds that it’s also important to put the heating on for an open house in winter and, if there’s a fire, to make sure it’s operational. One of his properties also has an electric piano which he switches on to distract from the noise of the nearby main road.
“It’s important to capture the buyers who are around now,” he said. “Some of them need to buy now as their finance might expire in three months, and they can’t wait till spring.”
In Canberra, stock on market traditionally falls by about 20 per cent in the winter, believes Leonie Taylor of Ray White Canberra. “But many people are transferring in and out in Canberra in June because of the posting cycles of defence, for example,” she says. “So there’s still plenty of demand.”
Her winter campaigns, however, tend not to include evening openings, as she says it’s hard to lure people to come out when it’s pitch black, and cold, at night. “But then I did have an open house last Wednesday evening and, despite torrential rain and the property being tenanted, five people turned up to look.”
In warmer Brisbane, winter doesn’t make as much difference to sales and purchases, advises Jennifer Lockley of Teneriffe Realty. But then the timing of the open homes has to be adjusted to when the homes will receive their best light.
“If you’ve got a home with beautiful river views, then you want to show it in the morning or the late afternoon,” she says. “You don’t tend to want to show them in the evening as we don’t have a twilight here like they do down south; it just gets dark at about 5pm or 5.05pm.
“But you want to show property during the day anyway, when the light is good and there’s a beautiful blue sky. But as for the volume of buyers and sellers, since COVID, the seasons don’t seem to matter so much anymore. Stock is much the same all year round, and demand is always very high.”
In Woolloongabba, Denis Najzar of Place Estate Agents is also a big fan of making sure fireplaces are activated during winter open homes to show houses off to their best advantage.
He’s also mindful that investors tend not to sell until after the end of the financial year either to avoid having to pay capital gains tax early. “They prefer to defer sales until July,” he says.
But for most buyers, winter can be an excellent time to inspect properties and make early bids, says buyers’ agent Michelle May.
“There can often be less competition between buyers, as some will find it hard to be committed during winter – it can be harder to go out looking when it’s cold and unpleasant,” she says. “But if you’re a determined buyer, you can be ahead on the research and the decision-making and can catch people off guard by making an early offer.
“Some of your potential rivals might be away for long weekends and school holidays so you’ll have the advantage. And it’s also a good opportunity to see a property in its worst light. You’ll be able to see if water pools in the back garden, in the driveway and if there’s damp and mould. Then you can make an informed decision.”
