The end of each year is always a time for people to reflect on their lives.  

People have time to consider and discuss what they want for the following year, including changing jobs or locations. 

Plus, families are home together for extended periods of time and they often realise that the house is actually too small or too big, or they really want a pool to cool off in during summer. 

It’s a time when they may start to recognise the flaws in their homes and they often decide to do something about it in the new year. 

Lifestyle thinking 

What we tend to find is that our two biggest volume months of the year are March and September. 

Now, September is because it’s the spring selling season, but March is because of all the decisions that have made by homeowners over the holidays. 

Over Christmas, they may have decided to sell but need some time to get their house in order, which pushes them into February by the time it’s listed for sale. 

Then, after a four-week marketing campaign, the property goes under the hammer in March. 

Over December and January, though, the market in most locations around the nation is taking a break as well. 

In fact, from about the second week in December, sales can tend to flat-line until after about Australia Day, however, there are exception such as coastal areas.  

A fresh start 

What’s interesting is that peak views of listings online start from Boxing Day because people are starting to entertain – be it real or fantasy – the idea of moving or upgrading. 

It’s also a period when people consider changing jobs, perhaps in a different location. 

One of the reasons why we are so busy in March is also because the holidays are a time when people also consider changing the status of their relationships. 

This results in an increase in the number of sales due to relationship breakdown at the start of each year.  

While most markets are taking it easy over holidays, some locations are gearing up for their busiest periods.

These are tourism areas, like the Gold Coast for example, where holidaymakers decide to buy a property either to use as a permanent base now or at some point in the future. 

During the year, real estate – a bit like the media – never really sleeps, so industry professionals do take the opportunity for some much-needed downtime over Christmas. 

Then, a week or two into the start of each year, the market roars back into life once more.