Do school holidays and long weekends affect Canberra buyers and sellers?

April is positively punctuated with holidays, including the school term break, Easter and Anzac Day – and these options can tempt many sellers and buyers into hitting the pause button.

Bree Currall of Belle Property Canberra says many vendors seek advice on what to do during these breaks.

“There’s a lot going on, and many people do take time off, particularly during the school holidays and over Easter,” she says.

“However, we’ve often found that our enquiry levels can be significantly higher – motivated buyers can turn a clearer field to their advantage.”

Currall says it might be advisable, however, to schedule auctions around any key dates to maximise bidding.

“And vendors might like to consider boosting their marketing through, say, social media campaigns or video walk-throughs,” she says.

“Buyers might be in holiday mode, but they can still find time to research property follow-ups.”

Michael Wang of Independent Gungahlin says while Canberrans may head out of town, many interstate visitors are running in and have plenty of time to check out the local property market.

“They’re attracted to the value for money, the lifestyle and the stability of the Canberra market,” he says.

“And the length of the breaks gives them ample time to explore options and see what’s on offer.”

Wang says presentation remains the key to a competitive edge and a timely boost to social media marketing to the right demographics can pay dividends.

• Buyers: Public holidays provide more time for buyers to see what’s on the market and it’s fair to say that serious buyers don’t tend to take holidays from their property searches.
• Vendors: Easter represents the longest public holiday break with many buyers extending it by taking extra days off. Sellers might consider boosting their marketing to grab buyer attention during their “downtime”.
• Visitors: While Canberrans may be spoiled for holiday choice and many flee to out-of-town destinations, they can be replaced by interstate visitors who can use the opportunity to become buyers.

Check out our top pick of homes for sale:

Tura Beach

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Here’s a new home inspired by its Tura Beach location that combines the best of Mediterranean design with chic coastal interiors.

This luxury four-bedroom residence serves up more than 200 square metres of light-filled living highlighted by soaring ceilings, hardwood flooring and bespoke timber features. 

The floor plan leads from an entry lobby into a formal living room. That flows into an open plan kitchen-meals-family and rumpus room with access to a central courtyard and a rear deck. 

The kitchen offers plenty of storage and is highlighted by a centre island and breakfast bar. There’s an integrated dishwasher and a generous walk-in pantry. That leads into the laundry with access to the double garage.

The main bedroom suite is located away from the other bedrooms and is accessed by the meals-family area. It offers a large walk-in wardrobe and an en suite with a rain shower, highlighted by custom micro cement walls. There’s also access to the courtyard. Three bedrooms with built-ins are located on the other side of the home and share a family bathroom.

Other features include low-E double-glazed windows and electric blinds.

The level back garden can be accessed from both sides of the fully fenced property. There’s under-house storage and a 3000-litre water tank. 

The home is minutes away from mountain bike trails, Dolphin Cove, North Tura Beach and the popular Tura Headland.

Price guide: $1.349 million-$1.399 million

Private sale

Agent: Sails Real Estate Merimbula, James Cravana 0428 139 976

Or try these:

Whitlam

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Price guide: $1.1 million+

Auction: 5:30pm, April 5

Agent: Independent Gungahlin, Michael Wang 0402 552 186

Flynn

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Price guide: $1.4 million+

Private sale

Agent: Timothy Road, Tim McInnes 0401 097 568

Hughes

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Price guide: $1 million+

Auction: 5:30pm, April 4

Agent: Belle Property Canberra, Amy Wilson 0405 130 332