Vendors are holding out for better days, agents are chasing listings and I'm considering a career at Bunnings. Something's got to give.
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I walked into a home today, mid-carpet removal, with the unmistakable smell of oil-based paint hanging in the air and the contents of every cupboard scattered across the hallways. There was even a bucket of onions, which I’ve since learned is apparently a trick for getting rid of paint fumes. Who knew?
But the one thing that stood out to me? The vendor was stressed.
‘Oh my gosh,’ she said. ‘I’m so stressed.’ (Told you.)
She continued: ‘My agent told me to get it online now; we only have six weeks until Christmas! So I honestly went with it. I guess I have to trust him!’
Now, after 20 years in the industry, much of it spent working alongside egotistical men and power-driven agents, I’m usually the last person to blindly agree with an agent’s advice (not that I’d ever say that to a vendor’s face, of course).
But in this market? Girrrrl, why are you still talking to me? You've got boxes to pack. And FAST! If there is one thing I’ve learned about real estate over the past two decades, it is that the patterns rarely change.
No listings on the market? Give it time.
No buyers in the market? Give it time.
Every season brings its own fluctuations, but the underlying rule remains the same. People will always need to sell, and people will always need to buy. It’s the timing, and the circumstances surrounding it, that change.
Right now, Melbourne is going through one of the most significant lulls in listings I’ve seen since the recession. And I’m not exaggerating.
Off-market campaigns have become the biggest thing since Wicked hit the stage, and the traditional spring selling season, which usually has agents running around like headless chooks, has been remarkably quiet. The much-anticipated spring boom? Well, it’s less of a boom and more of an annoying little tap on the window from a bird looking for a rogue spider.
Suppliers are twiddling their thumbs, agents are leaving the industry, and vendors are nervously awaiting the election results, hoping someone, somewhere, has a silver-bullet solution to the financial and economic mess we find ourselves in.
As a copywriter with AI hot on my heels, I’ve even considered getting a gig at Bunnings. And apparently, I’m not alone. A few of my fellow suppliers are in the same group chat, contemplating whether a career in the paint aisle might offer a little more job security.
Funny? Yes. Slightly concerning? Uh, yeah.
But here's the thing. While everyone is standing around waiting for the market to improve, they're potentially missing the very opportunity they're waiting for. If you're considering selling and want a fresh start for 2027, why wait?
Selling a home is a bit like having a baby. There's never a universally perfect time to do it. There's only the right time for you. And judging by how many people are sitting on their hands until the election is over, February and March are shaping up to be everyone's right time. Which begs the question: why would you voluntarily join the queue?
Right now, sellers have something they haven't had in a long time. Less competition. Fewer properties for buyers to compare. And a chance to capitalise on demand before everyone else decides it's safe to come out of hiding. Because if the market gets flooded with listings next year, all that talk about falling property prices might stop being speculation and start becoming reality.
And suddenly, those six weeks before Christmas don't sound quite so unreasonable, do they?