Although the holiday break is widely accepted as a quiet time for real estate activity in New Zealand, sales do occur during late December and early January.

While many people head away to the beach or the bach, others stay home and utilise this time away from work to look for a home for the New Year.

Although I would not necessarily recommend starting a property marketing campaign from mid-December onward, this is not a choice for some homeowners. They may already be on the market from a late-year campaign that has yet to deliver a result, or there may be a compelling reason why an owner can't wait until mid-January when normal activity levels start to return.

Here are a few valuable tips for selling during the summer holiday break from my experience.

Open Homes

Don’t feel obliged to run open homes during the peak two-week holiday period. It's possible that there won’t be significant numbers of viewings anyway, so why not accommodate any interest via viewing appointments? That way you can relax on the weekends if no appointments are scheduled.

Viewing Readiness

You never know when that perfect buyer may be in the area and want to see your home. Try to be ready to accept a viewing request (with reasonable notice) at any time. Most buyers will accept that the holiday season does involve more social/family activity around the home, so it may pay to have a note added to your viewing instructions to ask for a minimum notice time before a viewing.

Check Your Marketing

If your home has been on the market before the break, how strongly is it displaying online? Just before the start of the holiday season may be the perfect time to refresh your listing on the various websites to boost it to a prominent position and catch the eye of buyers for your area. Part of this process could also be a review of your wording to ensure it is still engaging new buyers.

Social Media Exposure

If you haven’t already exposed your property to some social media marketing, there may be no better time than now. Social media usage booms over the holiday season as people have more time to relax. Putting your property in front of them may just deliver you the quality buyer you are looking for.

Maintain your Street Appeal (Day & Night)

Have you ever noticed how cars pull up outside a home for sale and view it from the street? This could well be a buyer who has seen the property address online and is doing an initial drive-by check. Although you will not sell your home to a buyer from the street, it is possible that they may eliminate it from further inspection if that first impression is poor. So - keep up your street appeal, even in the evening - have the outside lights on, and consider some decorative Christmas lights.

Professional Services

Speak to your solicitor before he/she shuts the office doors for the last time in 2022. If you do accept an offer on your property, you will need to establish how you can access the legal services & advice you will need.

Try to Relax

Selling a home can be stressful. However this may be the last Christmas your family will enjoy in your current home, so try to enjoy it. Lying awake all night worrying won’t bring a buyer to your door in the morning, however following some of the tips I have provided here may.

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That’s all folks. I hope you picked up one or two tips which may help to deliver the best Christmas present you could hope for.

Have a safe and happy holiday season with your loved ones, and look out for more blogs from me in the New Year.