Winter is the slowest time of year for real estate sales. There are just less daylight hours and it’s often cold and wet. However buyers are not seasonal, they develop new needs all year round. Increasing family, empty nest, marriage, death, transfer, all manner of everyday issues mean people need to move house. That is why there are still buyers and sellers all year round.
One of our agents had an inner city property that was not getting the buyer interest it should have. Right price, reasonable promotion, not a lot of interest. She did what needed to be done. She changed things, upped the ante, listed the property for auction. Since the first Auction ad there has been real and constant buyer interest. This property should sell at auction; there certainly is enough buyer interest to negotiate a deal post auction at least. Have a think about your property if that scenario seems familiar. Auction can make a real difference to buyer perception. It says very loud and clear – FOR SALE NOW.
John Christiansen
Our biggest month this financial year to date, 44 sales, sees us with a shortage of good stock for the buyers we have. This should help your situation, if you are still on the market. More buyers, less competition. The other side of this is of course, is that if you haven’t been getting buyer attention, something is awry. Buyers work using comparative value. Seeing value will attract their attention and ultimately an offer. If this is not the case there is a problem to be sorted. There are 2 things to look at:
1: Marketing and Promotion. Do the market know you are selling? Is the profile high enough to ensure you are in the mix when it comes to an open home visit, a call to the agent or internet search attention? Review that and make an adjustment if you need to.
2: The other critical factor is price. Do you offer a ‘market presence’ in the sense that when the advertising is getting attention, it tells a story of your willingness to offer comparative value? If that information is not getting through, or is unclear, then an adjustment is required there. Review the pricing strategy to get yourself considered as a viable buy in today’s market.
We have buyers. They want comparative value.
John Christiansen
