To Sell Or Not To Sell In Winter?

Ever heard that Winter isn’t a good time to sell your house? Yeah, so have we! But we don’t know where that came from, and we’re about to debunk that myth right before your eyes.

It’s cold, but so what?

It seems to have been a trend in the Auckland real estate market over the past few decades that people hold back listing their homes for sale during the Winter months. We can all agree that the weather can be a bit sad at this time of year with rain dulling the shine and early sunsets taking the light away before you’d like it to, but it can also be a beautiful time of year to showcase a warm, cosy home. You only have to look at the hard sales data to see that many homes actually sell across the city in Winter; it might be a slightly lower number than in the spring and summer months, but not by much!

“I think it really started with people firmly believing if their garden and trees aren’t at their best, then they have no chance of achieving a premium price for their home.”

Ray White Austar Realty | Principal Officer Len Day

The proof is in the pudding

Yes, there might be a slight adjustment in the actual volume of sales in Winter, but there’s no data that shows that house values fall too. The reason home values stay steady (and in some cases even rise slightly) is that sellers have much less competition than they would in the warmer months, and there are many buyers who are always in the market. In Fact, some buyers prefer to buy in Winter, because they’re more likely to see whether or not they’re buying a warm, dry home (watch out for our next blog post on that one).

The benefit of listing your home now

Stock levels are at their lowest right now in over 18 months, so using the above logic of less competition but still a very strong appetite from buyers means vendors are constantly achieving premium prices right now. Some of the auction results have been staggering this Winter already! Read our previous blog regarding our auction results here

“Right now, we have a massive supply shortage that has buyers equipped with low interest rate pre-approved loans, fighting hard to buy something. Whilst these conditions prevail, price and values will only stay solid and/or even rise!”

Ray White Austar Realty | Principal Officer Len Day

Tips for selling your home in the colder months

If you’re intending to sell your home in Winter, there are a few key factors to take into account. Whilst some of these might sound glaringly obvious, it’s amazing how few people actually act on them!

1. Heat me up Scotty: A vendor should find extra ways to make the home feel warm, safe, and dry. Making your home very inviting on a crisp Winter’s day will go a long way towards securing an offer, especially when your opposition hasn’t read these tips (or been bothered).

2.  Let the light shine in: Having all the lights on (during a photo shoot and your open homes) will also help a lot, even when it might not seem like the house needs it. Even better, utilise professional photographers who are experts at taking dark clouds out of photos and replacing them with bright sunshine.

3. Take pride in your garden: Having a garden that can do well in winter is another great bonus. We know that this can take months of strategic planning, so instead you could look at putting in some planters in the garden with winter flowers or plants, or even getting some nice indoor plants to breathe some life into the space.

4. Get baking: This one’s not a deal breaker, but it’s definitely nice to have! Who doesn’t love coming home to a warm house filled with the smell of freshly baked bread, cheese scones, or a warm sticky date pudding straight from the oven? Your open homes will be a step above the rest if you make people feel at home as soon as they walk through the door.

Get advice from the experts

Selling your property is a big undertaking no matter what time of year, so make sure you entrust that job to people who know what they’re doing and have your best interests at heart. We’re experts in real estate, and you can rely on our team of highly skilled professionals to exceed your expectations at every stage of the process. Get in touch with us about selling your home today!