5 tips to make the most out of the spring selling season

“Despite the pandemic, the Sydney City property market has maintained its ground over the winter months, and we believe from the level of inquiries to date that spring will deliver the annual boost in new properties coming to market and high volumes of sales we see year-on-year,” Mr Wilson said.

“As with most things in life at the moment, there are just a few things that vendors and agents need to tweak and test due to COVID-19.”

Mr Wilson’s five tips for the spring selling season are:

1. Don’t be deterred by the pandemic

“If you’ve been considering selling, now is a good time to sell, especially before we hit the Christmas and summer holiday period,” Mr Wilson said.

“If you’re concerned about what results you’ll achieve, simply speak to your agent and get them to talk you through recent sales and what a realistic outcome looks like.”

2. Styling is more important than ever

“It is any time of the year, but as more properties come to market, the competition builds,” Mr Wilson said.

“Styling a home for sale is very hard to do on your own as it really requires you to take all emotion and personal touches out of the home so potential buyers have the ability to picture themselves in the home. Leave it to the professionals – it will save time and money and the outcome will be spot on for your market.”

3. Consider a two-stage campaign

“Don’t automatically think you need to go straight to auction. A good strategy is to test the waters with an initial off-market campaign for one to two weeks to gauge where the market is at,” Mr Wilson said.

“If buyer inquiry is strong, you will either achieve an offer you’re happy with or you can opt to take the property to market. At worst, you will get a feel for what buyers are thinking and some invaluable feedback; at best, you may just get a great result!”

4. Utilise social media to promote your sale

“Simply check your own screen time usage lately and imagine the same going on in households across Sydney,” Mr Wilson said.

“With more and more users on their hand-held devices and strategic targeting to buyers available, there is no better way to get eyeballs on your listing. Make sure your agent has a comprehensive strategy to tackle this.”

5. Be prepared to accept offers pre-market and prior to auction

“Just because you have promoted the property as going to auction doesn’t mean you can’t accept a great pre-auction offer,” Mr Wilson said.

“If you receive an offer that is in the ballpark of what you’d be willing to let it go at auction, be prepared to accept it.

“Although auctions can be a great way to drive the price up due to the emotion and competition on the day, there are never any guarantees. We are finding a lot of the strongest buyer interest is inspecting within the first week or so, so be prepared for an early offer – which may even be your best.”