Is Spring The Best Time To Sell In Toowoomba?

The Carnival of Flowers is just around the corner and I am sure homeowners are in the midst of trying to get their property for sale. Toowoomba City comes alive to celebrate all things spring. We have the Floral Parade; you can take a scenic trip on the Country Tour Buses or simply enjoy the Festival at Queens Park with live music, local food and wine.  But most importantly and the reason we celebrate, the city is in full bloom and you are explore the award winning gardens.

Now the Carnival of Flowers is a big deal for Toowoomba and I can understand why agents are in a rush to get their clients to list during the festival period. In 2017 the 10 day event attracted over 255,639 attendees, of that Kath Rose from the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Committee (TCFC) estimates that 35% are tourist. This means a large spike in Toowoomba population and potential buyers that could fall in love with the city and buy a property for sale. Notice I said potentially.

So why is spring so attractive for properties to be on the market. For one, your gardens will be the best they can look, spring is the perfect temperament (not to hot and not to cold), therefore your house should feel the same. People’s mood changes, we all have a spring in our step, we lasted another cold winter and finally the sun is shining and we are able to open the windows and give the house a good old spring clean. Or is this “Spring Selling Fever” all a myth?

REIQ Queensland Market Monitor shows that overall more properties where sold during Oct – Dec 2017 quarter depending on your properties price range. Now this could mean that the property was listed in September and the property sold in Oct 2017 – Dec 2017 quarter, which is feasible. Although if we delve a little further, according to Corelogic Statistics for 2017, the only two suburbs in Toowoomba to have a spike in their sales during the spring months were East Toowoomba and Middle Ridge. So if you live in either of these suburbs, spring could be perfect time for you to list your property for sale.

Alternatively comparing neighbouring suburbs, the number of properties sold in North Toowoomba for example peaked in April –  June 2017 quarter and actually slumped from July – September 2017.  Again reaching comparable sale numbers in February and April 2018 this year. On the other hand, Rangeville appears to be rather slow on the sales front from June 2017 – Oct 2017 and gradually increasing the volume of sales in March 2018 this year. But don’t be fooled by Rangeville, it actually has the largest volume of properties sold compared to the before mentioned suburbs throughout the 12 month period. What could this mean? Will save that topic for later; don’t want to get side tracked.

So when should you sell a property? To be honest, there is no crystal ball and many variables like the market conditions. But if you have to sell and don’t have a choice, there is no perfect time but the present.

But should you have the opportunity to choose when to list a property for sale, it is advisable you to weigh up your options. Typically there is a spike in properties for sale during spring, although you could possibly damage your prospect of getting a great outcome because suddenly you are competing with other properties that have flooded the market, both your agent and yourself will have to work extra hard at making your property stand out from the rest. Or possibly, if you have this influx of stock coming on the market and the demand is not there, we could end up with an over-supply of properties. Which actually could work in the buyers’ favour and not the vendors.

If you have a fireplace that predominately features in the house, think of selling in winter and have the fireplace going during opens and set a cosy theme. Generally speaking there is less competition in winter and if a property is priced and presented well, buyers will brave the weather conditions no matter what. If you have a pool, especially in Toowoomba, definitely wait till summer, so during opens, when it is so hot, your prospective buyer will start to image him or herself diving straight in and lets hope that means diving into a contact as well. If you fell in love with the garden and the outdoor entertaining area, then spring it is.

Can you see the phycology at play here, it’s the art of manipulation, about setting off those little triggers to help the potential buyer start visualising themselves using a particular space. If you are a-would be seller and don’t have to sell immediately start to think about the features of the property and why you fell in love with it in the first place. Also think about what time of day that your property shines. Or vice versa, what time of day would detract buyers. If your house faces west, you wouldn’t want to arrange open times during the afternoon when the western sun is blinding and uncomfortable. If your appointed Real Estate Agent has your best interest at heart, and wants to help you maximise your return on your invest, they should ask these questions and arrange opens to suit your property not just a time that will fit in to their busy Saturday.

As with styling properties for sale, I always work with the property and style to sell its features, so consider the benefits to do the same when listing a property for sale whatever the season.

I’m Louise Duffield, the owner of Interior Divine, a Home Staging / Property Styling company based in Toowoomba, Australia. I write about all aspects of Home Staging and Property Styling, specialising in the Toowoomba Property Market. By combining both my knowledge and passion of The Real Estate Industry and Interior Design, I am able to help Toowoomba Home Owners and Investors make a return on their biggest investment. If you are looking for advice on how to present your house for sale, there’s plenty of info here. If you have any further question, please feel free to call, I am always happy to help in anyway. I hope you’ve have enjoyed reading this article and it has helped in some way.

Thanks for visiting the Interior Divine blog. 

With Warmest Regards 

Lou Duffield