Seasonal property cycles are so last year – here is what the savvy sellers are doing

Picking the best time to sell used to be as simple as waiting for spring for interest in property to lift and buyers to come out of hibernation. In recent years, we’ve seen the market take on its own cycles – and they have nothing to do with the weather.

The oldest commercial driver in the book is suddenly in charge again – supply and demand. Today we are faced with a much more agile market with ‘flashpoint opportunities’ for sellers.

Why we think seasonal selling is not the right strategy

The conventional wisdom says sell your home in spring — and historically, this has held true, particularly in the colder states.

This is mostly due to the following reasons:

• The weather is beautiful and people are out and about
• People like to buy in spring and move during the summer holidays
• Homes look more appealing in the spring sunshine

However, here in Brisbane:

• We have lovely weather and plenty of sunshine year round (mostly)
• Moving house can be done at any time and people use relocation agencies to make the transition seamless – at any time of year
• There are always overseas and interstate visitors who have their eye out for a property

And finally, a great house for sale is an opportunity not to be missed, regardless of what month it is.

If the time is right for you and you have the support of an experienced agent, there is no reason to wait until a particular time of year – rather the skill is picking the moment when your area is in the spotlight.

The Brisbane market can be hot at any time of the year

The fundamental principles of property are based on supply and demand — how many people are looking to buy verus how many properties are for sale. Low supply and high demand will push prices up every time.

Property ‘hotspots’ – one or two suburbs which are suddenly desirable – can surface at any time. We keep a close eye on what is happening in property ‘microclimates’ in Brisbane to make sure we are taking advantage of market momentum as it happens.

As for where the Brisbane market is currently placed, recent data shared that the city avoided house price drops last quarter, so from our perspective it is very much going strong. 

We are keeping a sharp eye on these locations

Inner City Brisbane is a strong growth corridor with new infrastructure announcements. 

We are seeing impressive sale results which go against the national trend across greater Brisbane, but specifically New Farm, Clayfied, Bulimba, Toowong and East Brisbane. 

In fact, we have recently opened new offices in Clayfield and Toowong as we anticipate a lot of positive activity in these areas in the future.

Right now

As for where the market is placed right now, from our perspective it is very much going strong. Supply is still reasonably limited and demand from local, interstate and international buyers remains high, especially for Brisbane’s popular inner suburbs. 

As the rest of Australia is reacting to inflation and interest rates, Brisbane is holding steady with some growth in the market keeping the mood buoyant and buyers on the lookout for premium properties – the imbalance between supply and demand keeping pressure on, and coupled with rental scarcity, we’re confident there is sustainable market strength in SEQ and, particularly, central Brisbane.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Matt Lancashire