Real estate Australia: How ‘pocket listing’ could be key to cracking property market

This little known real estate strategy could help you prize open the market over the holiday season and into 2023.

List now, launch later. Picture: Julian Andrews.

One of the biggest myths in real estate is that it’s best to launch your property for sale after Australia Day to get the best possible price.

The problem with this is that everyone else is also doing the same.

So, when it comes on the market, you are in competition with hundreds of other sellers. When there is more stock on the market, it means buyers have more options, and when buyers have more options, this means price often softens.

However, if you are on the market in the first 10 days of January, you will stand out.

Tom Panos sayas ‘pocket listing’ could be the way to go. Picture: John Appleyard

But there is also the matter of launching too early to consider.

If you’re a vendor – unless you really had to – I would suggest holding off launching in December.

This is because buyers won’t be going to Saturday open for inspections. They will be shopping at Westfield or nursing Christmas party hangovers.

Instead, I would be quietly listing your property in December, but launching it on realestate.com.au within the first or second week of January 2023.

To get your property ready to go to market, all the preparation work needs to be done in December.

Another strategy is to use the ‘Pocket Listing’. This means an agent lists your property and keeps it in their ‘top pocket’. If they come across a buyer over the holiday period, the agent can discuss your home and also organise an inspection.

In addition, so that your property can get the best possible price, your ideal agent should also book in advance the best photographers and videographers and the best auctioneer in December.

If you leave it until January to list, you may find these are often booked out.

Getting it wrong by a matter of weeks over the holiday break could cost a vendor hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Tom Panos is an auctioneer, real estate coach and trainer.