How this end-of-year trend can help homebuyers sell before 2026

Downsizing couple Liz and Sam Eid struggled to sell their Hamilton home when it first went for sale; but found adjusting their expectations meant they could get a safer deal at the cost of a lower price.

When the pair first put their house on the market, their original agents estimated the property’s value at $4 million.

“It was great initially,” Ms Eid said. “We were really happy with everything, there was a lot of hype, there was high attendance at the open homes … [but] when it went to auction, it passed in.”

Sam and Liz Eid needed to adjust their expectations to sell their home in Hamilton, taking advantage of Brisbane’s end-of-year ‘fatigue buyers’. Picture: Liam Kidston

New agents from Ray White New Farm soon told them the home was likely worth $500,000 less than what they were first told. Suddenly, the home was sold within a week, thanks to interest from Brisbane’s end-of-year ‘fatigue buyers’.

Fatigue buyers are home seekers looking to get out of the property market before the Christmas holidays, adding to the high sale rates typically seen at the end of the year.

REA data found Greater Brisbane’s properties are currently on the market for a median of 28 days, compared to 34 days in January/February of 2025.

12 Windsor St, Hamilton, sold for $3.375 million, thanks to an offer from a reliable cash buyer who wanted to get a new home before Christmas.

Meanwhile, research from PRD Real estate found buyer pools typically jumped by up to 25 per cent during the final months of the year, despite a dip in activity for homes above $1.5m.

The Eids were told a lower price could help increase activity and help them sell faster with a reliable cash buyer.

“We still believe the value is a little north of where it landed, but the risk of holding onto it would have cost us the same [as the difference],” Mr Eid said, after their home sold to its new owners for $3.375m.

“They also had a requirement to be in before Christmas … we know what that’s like ourselves.”

“Having been through the search process ourselves recently, I know how exhausting it can be.” Picture: Liam Kidston

“Having been through the search process ourselves recently, I know first hand how exhausting it can be,” Ms Eid said. “[The speed] took the sting out of the bite … we’re fatigued as well, as sellers.”

Ray White New Farm agent Ben Osborne said he had seen an uptick in homebuyers making quick decisions on their new homes over the past few weeks.

“This time of year often brings a mix of urgency and opportunity, with buyers actively engaging, inspecting and making decisions faster than earlier in the year,” he said.

“For sellers, it doesn’t mean you’ve missed the boat … [listing in 2026] can position your property ahead of the surge of buyers making home ownership their New Year’s resolution.”

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