Buying a home or investment property – when is the right time?

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Graph of market trends with a small house in the foreground, indicating real estate fluctuations.

Buying a home or investment property can only happen after a lot of dedicated effort to get finances accumulated and your funding organised.

Granted you have reached this stage and have started the selection process, the time will come when you have to push the button and buy. Having a good grip on the buying environment and what factors are in play at that moment, can help you make a confident decision.

Firstly, when buying a home or investment property there will need to be appropriate properties to select from. And this isn’t always a given. It may take weeks, or even many months, to find the type of property you are looking for, in a location that suits, for a price that fits.

It’s a common belief that there are optimum times of the year when buying a home or investment property. Like Spring or Winter. Although this is a actually a misconception, it does mean that there will be times when there is a lot of stock available and times when homes for sale are scarce.

Supply ebbs and flows

So when buying a home or investment property, this means stock is ebbing and flowing at different times of the year, and it can affect sale price.

Sellers are advised not to sell in winter because the house may not look good on a cold, rainy day. Or advised not to sell at Christmas and New Year when people are preoccupied with festivities and holidays. Likewise for Easter. Sellers may be warned off school holidays as well, because buyers with young families may be away.

So if someone does sell a home during these periods, it’s kind of going against the grain and can mean they are in a hurry, or determined to move the property for some other reason. It’s likely they will be quick to take the right offer. This could present a good buying opportunity.

Why Spring offers good buying

Sellers feel good about Spring because the weather is more likely to be mild, meaning fresh cool air and ventilation for house inspections and gardens are often at their best.

So Spring traditionally brings a rush of sellers.

The result a seller hopes for in this scenario is that a throng of buyers will be out looking, producing maximum competition for the best local property, which will produce a terrific sale price.

The remaining properties, that don’t sell so quickly, then have to compete with others, which can depress the price of them all! (Unless it’s a really booming market).

So by going with the main flow and listing during peak supply, vendors can sometimes find it more difficult to get a sale. Once again, a buying opportunity can present itself!

At Christmas time in high summer, auctions drop off dramatically. But private sales continue with properties still being marketed quietly and effectively.

In February, auction numbers pick up again and the media reports this time as the ‘start of the home selling year’.

As a buyer, once you are ready to make a move, and the ideal home presents itself, Summer, Autumn, Winter or Spring should make little difference from your point of view. But the amount of stock available, or the amount of other buyers competing, can impact on the sale price.

When buying a home or investment property you can negotiate through these situations better if you understand the factors in play.

Buyer Marketing – Melbourne’s most experienced buyer advocates are your winning edge in property buying.

Google Reviews

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Gail Lobo profile picture
Gail Lobo
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Peter's knowledge and expertise were invaluable when purchasing my first home. He guided me through every step and kept me informed regularly, which made the process easier and less stressful. I felt supported and in good hands throughout. Everything fell into place within a few weeks, quicker than expected! I would highly recommend Peter and his services.
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Charlotte St John profile picture
Charlotte St John
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Peter Fox is an outstanding buyer’s advocate. I am so glad that I hired him. It was incredibly helpful to have someone so experienced in real estate navigate the ins and outs of buying a home on my behalf. He achieved the result I was looking for in record speed, and took the stress out of everything. Thank you Peter.
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Colby Hart profile picture
Colby Hart
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Peter was a fantastic buyers advocate - identified and negotiated our dream home for us extremely quickly. Couldn't recommend higher.
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Beatrix Neville profile picture
Beatrix Neville
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I had an excellent experience working with Peter in purchasing my first home. Peter has a calm demeanour and is a clear communicator - never once did I feel stressed, pressured or uncertain of where I was in the journey or what the next steps would be. Peter understood me and my brief, selected quality properties to inspect and took me through off-market properties to compare. Within 3 weeks of contracting Peter we secured the perfect place. I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase, and believe I would have missed out on the property without Peter's rapport and expertise in communicating with Real Estate, and then guidance once the negotiation process started. Peter made the process of finding a property so fun and exciting that I was almost sad when it was over! Thanks Peter!
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Jean-Pierre Eid
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We engaged Peter Fox for bidding and negotiating, hands down one of the best decisions we ever made. He was clear and comforting ahead of auction and on the day witnessing Peter go to work was awe inspiring. Having done his due diligence beforehand, he was quick to assess a sizable field of interested parties and surgically execute a winning strategy securing for us our dream home. All that aside Peter was empathetic and understood our worries and motivations while also demonstrating strong discipline and an ethical approach throughout. Thank you Peter Fox
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Jessica Fagioli
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Peter is nothing short of a real estate king. I engaged Peter because I was looking at buying a specific house in a very competitive area, and which was being sold under a complex set of circumstances. Before even formally engaging him, Peter had gone to see the house in question, had spoken to the real estate agent, and had a good idea of what we were working with. From that moment on, I knew I was in safe hands. Peter was always available to alleviate any concerns and answer any questions, and when he wasn’t in a position to know the answers, he knew exactly how to get them in a prompt manner. Peter established a strong rapport with both the vendor’s solicitor (which ensured my lawyers and I were comfortable with the state of affairs before auction day) and the selling agent (which was critical to my ultimate success at auction). I cannot even begin to describe Peter’s mastery on auction day: there is no way I would’ve succeeded had he not been there. I cannot recommend Peter highly enough. Infinite thanks to you, Peter!
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patty goodman
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I purchased an investment property through Peter and he made the process so easy and stress free. I saved so much time being able to work while he inspected multiple property’s and negotiated a good deal for the right one. Highly recommend this bloke!
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Peter Mallen profile picture
Peter Mallen
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Peter Fox from Buyer Marketing helped us buy a property in Vermont South recently. We have been looking to downsize for some time and, honestly, are fairly fussy with our criteria. So when a house came along which ticked many of the boxes for us, we enlisted Peter's help to negotiate with the agent and to get the deal across the line. Peter was friendly, approachable and professional throughout. His knowledge and experience of the real estate market and the buying side in particular meant that we could leave the conversations and timing of offers to Peter. We were able to secure the property we wanted at a price that met our budget and met our criteria. So we are very grateful for Peter's advice, assistance and good communication throughout the process.
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Peter Villinger
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With Buyer Marketing’s Peter Fox I was in good hands from the beginning. An initial meeting with Peter set me on the path to a successful purchase of a property. This was an informal chat whereby he was able to understand precisely what my requirements were.From there the process was clear and efficient, Peter explaining not only what he would do but also how and why those were his strategies.Regular updates and the knowledge that he was up for a chat anytime was most reassuring. Peter V
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James Ireland profile picture
James Ireland
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Peter provided us with deep knowledge of the local areas, the real estate market and contacts within the industry that allowed us to quickly purchase a property that suited us perfectly. He gave us calm and thoughtful recommendations and was there for us at every step. He gave us insights we would not have otherwise known, and made the whole process simple. He conducted all the negotiations on our behalf and we came away with the perfect property at the right price. Could not recommend his services higher.

Buyers Agent Melbourne

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