The Clock is Ticking: How do I know when it’s right to buy?

We’ve all heard the advice, “Timing is everything.” And really, it is, especially in buying and selling property. There’s a lot of advice out there, sometimes unsolicited and even when solicited, thanks to the clutter, you’re not sure what’s real and what’s terrible. We’re not here to spruik, especially as telling you the wrong time would be bad for our business. So, take our advice, and let’s figure the right time for you.

Properties in bloom

Remember that! When the flowers are blooming, and your hay fever is going crazy, that’s when properties are sprouting up out of the ground like daisies – September through to November. Did you miss it? Don’t worry. You wouldn’t have been the only one knowing this or trying to make the most of this spring garden of ready domiciles for the taking. With spring does come the competition so come ready with a strategy or wait it out for the rest of the year, when there are less eager beavers around.

Fever Less

The one upside with rising temperature is their effect on sellers. The hotter the heat, the greater the stress level of those who want to sell. Burned by previous auction attempts that did not go so well, sellers might be open to accepting less for current properties they are keen to get rid of before the new year. Basically, again – timing is everything and people are often affected psychologically by the effects of deadlines they set themselves, especially in terms of wrapping up sales for the year. Use this to your advantage in December and January.

The Early Bird Special

Get them good and early. Did you know that the best time to have a court case is first thing in the morning? That’s because judges are in their best moods then, and therefore more likely to be kinder in their judgements. The same holds for agents, but in a different way. Agents are busy, busy bees and usually have tight, demanding schedules. Capitalise on this by getting in on their first meeting of the day and sit on your negotiations. The agent, knowing they have a lot else on, will do everything in their power to wrap up negotiations as fast as they can so as not to delay the rest of their day.

Wind Down in Winter

If you didn’t get in during the Spring Special, fear not. Did you know that house prices drop on average 1% in June, July and August? We imagine that in winter, people are less likely to go house-hunting and are even less eager to find joy in buying. Get in on that price drop and brave the winter cold and rain for those inspections. You’re also likely to face that fierce competition you’d get in spring.

Wait for it…

Like tax time, end of the month is crunch time. We suggest sending in your offers around this time as agents will be looking to tidy up their desks, and numbers then.

Ultimately!

The answer to when to buy is always ‘when it’s right for you.’ The truth is with volatile markets, changing market conditions and the plethora of good AND bad advice out there – it all depends. We suggest seeking advice first, whether it’s with us or someone else, and taking advice that only seeks to benefit you within your own circumstances, not otherwise.

For more on buying advice, check out our posts like on Buyers taking advice from Agents or How to best choose your Buyer’s Advocate.