As the winter chill settles in, many potential home sellers may be tempted to postpone putting their property on the market until the warmer seasons. However, the Winter months can offer a unique set of advantages for those looking to make a move.
Here are some of the often-overlooked benefits of selling your property during winter:
Less Competition, More Negotiation Power:
One of the most notable perks of winter home selling is the decreased competition in the market. With potentially fewer home owners selling, you may find yourself in a less crowded arena. Life happens all year round. People need to upside, downside, have babies, get married or divorced all year round. The buyers are there so if there are less properties for your property to compete with this can put you in the front seat.
Discounted Prices and Bargains:
As demand is still there during the Winter, it allows you to hold your pricing and/or the need to discount or reduce pricing. This is where increased due diligence around the advertised price before going to market can pay dividends for home sellers. We have found here in Geelong this Winter there seems to be an increase of buyers agents, both based locally and interstate, on the hunt for solid properties for their clients. This provides an opportunity for pre market sale campaigns which generally can yield a good solid price.
Negotiation Quadrant Strategy:
When you have Kardinia Property selling your property on your behalf you have a negotiation expert working for you. Two of the four parts of the negotiation quadrant are knowledge and relationship. Buying in Winter when there may be less browsers may allow us to spend more time with potential buyers. Lots of relationship development and lots of questions allows us to tap into a negotiation strategy which aims to influence the final result rather than simply mediate a back and forth transaction between the buyer and the seller. Why is this important? More money in your pocket!
Swift Settlements and Efficient Processes:
Winter transactions often move at a brisk pace. With fewer overall transactions in progress, the various professionals involved in the home-buying process—such as lenders, inspectors, and conveyancers—may have more availability. This can result in shorter settlement times and a smoother overall experience for the buyer. The flip side of this however in our local Geelong market is that with interest rates on the move and consumer confidence on the rise this Winter dips is holding strong with many properties transacting and achieving positive results.
Motivated Sellers Emerge:
Winter sellers often have strong motivations to by properties promptly. Whether it’s due to a job relocation, financial considerations, or other personal reasons, the urgency can work in your favor. Motivated sellers are more likely to see a higher valuer in properties when they have a timeframe to work towards.
Final point of advice if considering selling in Geelong this Winter…
If you are considering selling this Winter or Spring we can provide advice on what time of year is best for you and your circumstance. Remember, there is no one size fits all in real estate. Some of the larger firms will try and move sellers through a very process driven and transactional process while this may achieve a sale it often does not enable the agent to find the best buyer and extract the absolute highest price. Don’t be surprised if you hear us say “the best time to sell is when it is the best time for you and your family”. There are always going to be external reasons to sell or to wait, always. Most of the time they are completely out of our control. What we can control is how we create a customer focused sales experience using the Smart Sale approach which allows you to maximize results at any time of year.