Property Buying Strategies 2025 | Why ‘Spring Selling Season’ is Overrated

By Rich Harvey, CEO & Founder, propertybuyer.com.au

Time and again, people in the property industry fall back on tired old "truisms" – those quick sound-bites masquerading as wisdom that are meant to placate anyone with a curious mind about the realities of the property markets.

And every year at this time, a phrase is wheeled out to help generate column inches and clickable headlines in hopes of driving real estate frenzy.

Property pundits mark their calendars for September 1st as the official launch of the Spring Selling Season. This is supposedly when listing numbers skyrocket and buyers come out of their winter hidey-holes, ready to snap up properties.

In many respects, however, Spring Selling Season is a bit like Valentine's Day. It's become a marketable catchphrase used to drum up business. Now, I'm a romantic at heart but the truth is that every day can be Valentine's Day if you want it to be. The same can be said of property buying – any season can be your season if you approach it the right way. That’s the essence of smart property buying strategies 2025, knowing how to position yourself to buy well, regardless of the month on the calendar. 

Spring Selling Season realities

Let’s look at what actually does occur during Spring.

Firstly, listing numbers do indeed rise during this period. According to SQM Research, there’s been a month-on-month increase in new listing numbers of 11.9%, 3.8%, 14.3% and 5.4% each September from 2021 to 2024.

But there's a good reason for this uptick. Agents paint a convincing argument to encourage vendors to list during the spring. They'll tell prospective sellers that September is the perfect time to show their home at its best. The weather has turned fine, gardens are blooming, all in an effort to deliver a fresh-looking home to the buying masses.

Agents will also tell sellers that buyers become more active in the spring. Again, the warm days supposedly encourage them to get out into the fresh air and rock up to open homes, ready to purchase before year's end.

Spring is admittedly post-financial year. Many folks have been dealing with tax returns and thinking about their financial situations throughout July and August, which might encourage some to consider their living arrangements come September.

But there’s an essential fact about markets that’s often swept under the rug each year (much like dust during a lazy spring clean)… it’s that property markets don’t care about the weather.

The right time to buy

While there may be more listings and prettier days, the truth is that the balance between supply and demand is always the thing that drives markets.

If those two key elements are both increasing or decreasing at the same rate, then it's a complete furphy to suggest that property prices will do anything different between one season and the next.

As a buyer, deciding to delay a purchase until spring is a brilliant idea on the surface. But in truth, there are always opportunities in the market regardless of what the day looks like outside your bedroom window.

There are far more critical factors preying on buyers' minds – things like the availability of finance, job security, personal household needs and home budgetary constraints. Buyers don't need to get caught up in spring hype generated by the selling side of the sector.

Another essential consideration that we take advantage of as professional buyer's agents who work year-round is that we can kind of “create” additional supply at any time by drawing on a well-developed professional network. As buyer's agents, we're constantly communicating with selling agents in our service areas. We are aware of listings that are set to hit the market well before many others. We generate additional options for our clients simply by being proactive professionals.

By applying our experience and skills as expert negotiators, we also help buyers secure property that's ideal for their needs at the best possible price and under favourable contract conditions. The money and effort you save by using a buyer's agent – no matter what month you're looking to buy in – makes successful real estate purchasing a year-round activity.

The truth is that good properties sell well in any season, and average properties struggle regardless of when they hit the market. A tired, overpriced home won't suddenly become attractive just because the jacarandas are blooming.

What matters is finding the right property at the right price with the right terms – and that can happen in January just as easily as it can in September.

The year-round advantage

Professional buyer's agents don't hibernate during winter or get spring fever. We work consistently throughout the year, building relationships, sourcing opportunities and negotiating deals for our clients.

Seasonal marketing campaigns or weather-dependent emotions do not sway us. Instead, we focus on the fundamentals: finding properties that meet our clients' requirements when and where they need them.

So don't get caught up in the Spring Selling Season mythology. Instead, look to utilise the evergreen skills of a professional buyer's agent. We're ready to fulfil your property needs year-round – rain, hail or shine

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