As Sunshine Coasters gear up for a sun-soaked Christmas and summer festivities, the real estate market undergoes its own seasonal transformation. The real estate landscape changes and buyers and sellers alike must factor in the Christmas nuances if they are considering their next move during this time. As agents, it takes experience and knowledge to navigate this time of year, taking into careful consideration the impact of school holidays, the southern migration, office closures for solicitors, building and pest inspectors and other industry professionals and of course the actual logistics of putting a deal together during the silly season.
We are just getting to the end of the mad rush of buyers that must sign a contract and speed towards unconditional so they can settle and move in before Christmas. These contracts can be quite stressful for both the buyer and the seller as there is much riding on the next move being that Christmas plans could be ruined if anything goes wrong. During this time of year particularly, it is important to work with an experience sales agent that will mitigate any issues that arise between the offer acceptance and unconditional, making a much smoother and less stressful transaction. Often a good agent can steer troublesome items back on course and protect the seller, while ensuring that the buyer can be unpacking boxes prior to the chubby man in the red suit sliding down the chimney on Christmas Eve.
During December, we often see a reduction in the number of listings on the market, yet we do see a very different demographic of buyers that are making their way through open homes across the month. Many holiday makers have found their way to the glorious Sunshine Coast and often between swimming at the beach and dining along our famous esplanades, they pop into a few open homes to see what all the fuss is about. There are times where interstate buyers fall in love with a property and they simply must have it, so negotiations begin. For other buyers, they fall in love with the location, and it becomes a wish list item for them later in the year. Whichever way the cookie crumbles, we do experience an influx of interest in Sunshine Coast property during the end of year holidays.
An important element that many people overlook about December property sales is the office closures that can often put a spanner in the works so to speak. Solicitors, brokers, building and pest inspectors and many other important participants have already waved goodbye to work for the year and are sitting back enjoying the Christmas spirit … or a few spirits over ice if you get our drift. It is important therefore to work with a real estate agent that understands deadlines, cut off dates and potentially even call on a few favours to make things happen within the correct timelines for both buyers and sellers. Obviously, settlements cannot occur during the office closures which most commonly fall between the week before Christmas and up to the second week in January depending on the business, so it is essential that this is factored into contract prior to both parties signing on the dotted line. There is nothing worse than having issues associated with delays and even contracts falling over due to a lack of knowledge around process during this time of year, making it vital to work with an agent that has the experience.
Working with First National Lifestyle, you can rest assured that the team have sold countless properties at every time of the year but are especially knowledgeable around Christmas contracts. We work with both the buyer and seller to ensure they are informed, educated and know exactly what to expect so there are no nasty surprises, no crossed-wires and certainly no crashed Christmas contracts. We also know how to bounce back into action first up in the New Year to make the most of the summer migration, the holiday makers and the new year energy!