#7: The Advantages | Disadvantages of Buying & Selling in the Festive Season

Yes folks it's that crazy time of year again when we are all racing from Christmas party to Christmas shopping trip and back again. For some though there is yet another stress factor to be fitted into this equation and that’s whether to buy or sell within the Christmas and New Year Season.

Sometimes for the people involved this situation just happens without them realising before it’s too late.  For example, they’ve had the excitement of selling their home and then “oh no” settlement it seems is smack bang in the middle of Xmas season. Or maybe they’ve excitedly just purchased a home and yes again the settlement sits within that time frame. Possibly they have to sell their current abode before they can complete settlement.

Either way, what are the benefits of buying and selling within the Holiday Season?

• People are generally more motivated to get things completed at this time of year – just ask any tradie about their workload before Christmas. The odds are he or she is in high demand to complete jobs prior to Christmas because that’s the client’s deadline, when all the family are turning up.
• At this time of year there may be more people on the ground that require a house to move into very soon. People like to have a fresh start for a New Year which in effect gives them the motivation to get it completed sooner rather than later.
• Buyers also like to have their children change schools at the beginning of a new year rather than during.
• We tend to make New Year’s resolutions creating moves for a better lifestyle or a career change, therefore pushing them to move house. Placing your property on the market during this time when others are thinking it’s not such a great idea could be quite beneficial.
• For the seller, take into consideration that workers or business owners who may not otherwise have time to search the internet and inspect properties may be on leave at this time of year and therefore now have the time to do so.
• Buyers who are inspecting at this time of year may have their family on hand to assist them with the big decisions they need to make.

There can be some difficult situations to deal with at this time of year.

• Most solicitors and conveyancers take leave over the Christmas break. There are some that do work through though so it’s worth checking out who they are.
• As mentioned previously getting tradies to complete any job at this time of year is difficult because they are usually booked out already.
• For the seller the home yard may be difficult to keep looking pristine due to the high temperatures and stress on lawns and gardens at this time of year.
• You may not wish to be bothered with home inspections whilst you have friends and family visiting.
• For the buyer there may not be a large selection of property on the market at this time of year.
• You may need to rent before buying, again to overcome not being able to find the right property to purchase. This could possibly prove difficult if there are not a lot of rentals on the market at that time.

All in all no matter what time of the year it is there are always buyers on the ground. Being on the market during the Christmas period and New Year period may just give you the edge over others who have taken theirs off the market.

As a buyer it may also give you the edge over others who have decided to take a break over the holiday period from seeking a new property and may also give you more buying power.

If you would like assistance with buying or selling please contact the Real Estate Specialists at R & R Property. R & R Property have listed and sold an extensive amount of property for our clients and are the leading estate agency in the Mid North Coast. We deal with these matters every day and are always open to your questions and willing to assist however we can.

 

Contact the R & R Property Team on www.randrproperty.com.au P: 02 4994 5766

Denise Haynes and the R and R Property Team cover Stroud, Bulahdelah, Gloucester and Karuah areas. They specialise in Tree change or Sea Change properties.