5 market flags that mean it might be time to list

Deciding when to put your property on the market is a tough call. People always want to list when there are strong signs they can attract a top selling price. But life is far from predictable. Circumstantial elements such as family growth, market conditions and interest rate changes can also tell us the time is right to sell.

If you see any or all of these 5 market flags waving, it might be a stellar time to list!

1. A shortage of housing for sale

Pay attention to real estate data. Log on to homes.com.au to see how many homes are for sale in your area and monitor this over a number of weeks.
“If you detect home listing numbers are shrinking, it might be a good time to enter the market as you will have less competition from other homes,” said homes.com.au Founder & Managing Director, Pat Carbone.

Property values reflect housing supply and demand, so signs there is less stock available can increase selling prices if demand is strong.

2. Australian dollar softening

When the Aussie currency falls, a rise in foreign investor buying demand usually follows.

It can also trigger an influx of Australian expatriates looking to buy ahead of their return home one day. These buyers, in particular, love being able to buy more for their foreign-earned money in Australia than those dollars would buy them in their offshore market.

3. Your housing needs have changed over time

Life looks different at age 50 than it does at 25. Children, pets and recreational items find their way in; and a home with ‘roomy interiors’ pre-family can feel like the bricks and mortar equivalent of a straightjacket in just a few years!

Conversely, your children might have all grown up and left home, so those four bedrooms and five bathrooms are now redundant spaces.

Your personal circumstances will often dictate when it is time to consider selling.

4. Interest rates rising or falling

Any time the Reserve Bank lifts or cuts the official cash rate, home owners and investors will experience changes to their mortgage repayments.

This can mean more buying power, or it can mean tighter household budgets. Either way, financial sector changes of any kind can make it time to consider upgrading or downsizing, depending on your personal needs and goals.

5. Christmas coming up

The months before Christmas can be a good time to list for a quick sale. Agents usually see a spike in buying enquiries in the lead-up to Christmas because many people want their prospective moves settled before buying presents and pulling bonbons.

Thanks to this seasonal urgency, buyers might be willing to pay a premium if they can get into their new home before the Christmas holidays begin.