Supply vs Demand | When Is The Best Time To Sell?

Remember when spring was selling season? That traditional three or four months every year when agents would spruik the old, ‘move in by Christmas’ line? Scrap it and look at the best time to sell with a fresh approach. 

Don’t take this the wrong way, spring is generally a great time to offload a property however real estate has always been based on supply and demand. Which means sellers should ignore time of year recommendations, and focus on a period when there is the least amount of competition on the market. Limited properties available in addition to higher demand – bingo – you’ve got a sellers’ market. 

Let’s apply this to Australia’s car industry. With the supply train out of China grinding to a halt, the price of a second-hand vehicle quickly competed with that of an equivalent brand new car. Supply was low, demand was high and hence the second-hand car market boomed. 

What’s interesting is this year’s inner-city Brisbane property market is 30 per cent down on new listings, but up 30 per cent on buyer enquiry so demand is far outweighing supply. NOW is when you make the call to move. 

Just before it’s pens down for this week, I wanted to share what I saw at Howard Smith Wharves this week (HSW). The place was heaving. A Tuesday night in Brisbane. We were lucky to jag a table at Stanley, but Felons, Ciao Papi, Yoko, Mr Percival’s…all full. So with interest rates on hold for another month, I’m questioning whether we’re on the rebound. Low interest rates create more of a currency, giving sellers access to a larger buyer pool due to less pressure on household incomes. It certainly appears the discretionary budgets of those I saw wining and dining on Tuesday night are far from feeling the pinch, but only time will tell if the HSW litmus test is an accurate reflection of what’s really going on.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Matt Lancashire