If you’re thinking about selling at the moment, it would be understandable to feel uncertain about what to do.
Buyer confidence has softened, auction clearance rates are well below where they were this time last year, and there is plenty of speculation about what might happen as we head into spring.
The truth is, no one can say with certainty what the market will do next.
But I also think it’s important to put the current market into perspective.
Sydney property values increased substantially over the past five years. So while we are now experiencing a correction from the recent peak, for many homeowners this is a pullback from very significant gains rather than a return to where values were five years ago.
That doesn’t mean the current market should be ignored — particularly if you bought recently or need to sell now. But it does provide some useful context when so much of the commentary focuses on falling prices.
More importantly, I don’t believe sellers need to correctly predict where the market is heading to achieve a good result.
What matters far more is making good decisions about the things you can control.
1. Deciding whether selling now is right for you
Before worrying about whether prices might be higher or lower in six months, I would start with your own circumstances.
Why are you selling? What are you planning to do next? Are you buying another property? Would waiting genuinely put you in a better position — or simply delay something you already want or need to do?
If you’re selling and buying in the same market, it’s particularly important to consider both sides of the transaction.
You may receive less for your existing home in a softer market, but you may also pay less for the property you buy. For an upsizer, the saving on the more expensive property can sometimes outweigh the difference achieved on the sale.
For a downsizer, the calculation can be quite different.
There is no blanket answer.
Trying to pick the absolute top or bottom of the property cycle is extraordinarily difficult. The better question is whether selling now makes sense for your circumstances, your property and what you plan to do next.
2. Choosing an agent who can perform in this market
When buyer demand is strong and several people are competing for the same property, the market can do some of the heavy lifting.
A more challenging market is different.
Your agent needs to be able to read buyer behaviour, follow up effectively, negotiate strongly and recognise when something in the campaign needs to change.
This is why I wouldn’t choose an agent simply because they give you the highest price estimate or have the biggest profile in your area.
I want to understand their strategy.
Who do they believe the likely buyers will be? How will they position the property? How will they manage the price guide? Why are they recommending auction or private treaty?
And importantly, what will they do if the buyer competition they expect doesn’t eventuate?
The ability to adapt is particularly important in a market like this.
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3. Getting the pricing strategy right from the beginning
One of the greatest advantages you have as a seller is when your property first comes onto the market.
It’s new. Buyers who have been searching for weeks or months notice it. They inspect, compare it with other properties and decide fairly quickly whether they see value.
That initial attention is difficult to recreate later. This doesn’t mean you should underprice your property or accept less than it’s worth.
It means the initial pricing strategy needs to encourage the right buyers to engage with the property rather than rule it out before they have even inspected.
And once the campaign is underway, you need to pay attention to what the market is telling you.
If buyers consistently indicate that the price is too high — and their behaviour supports that feedback — the strategy may need adjusting.
Holding onto an unrealistic price expectation doesn’t protect the value of your property. Sometimes it simply gives the best buyers time to find something else.
4. Preparing your property strategically
When buyers have more choice, presentation becomes more important.
But that doesn’t mean every seller needs to renovate or spend tens of thousands of dollars before going to market.
Some homes benefit enormously from painting, flooring, landscaping, styling or addressing obvious maintenance issues. Others require very little.
The question I always come back to is:
Will the money we spend improve the buyer’s perception of the property enough to justify the cost?
The objective isn’t to make your home perfect.
It’s to identify where spending money is likely to improve your result — and where it probably won’t.
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5. Paying attention to what buyers actually do
Buyer feedback is important, but actions usually tell you more than words.
During a campaign, I would be looking closely at:
👉 the number and quality of enquiries
👉 inspection numbers
👉 second inspections
👉 contracts being requested
👉 buyers bringing family members, builders or advisers back through
👉 offers being made
the reasons interested buyers are not progressing
If you have plenty of online views but very few inspections, that tells us something.
If inspections are strong but no one is requesting a contract or coming back for a second look, that tells us something else.
And if several genuine buyers independently raise the same concern — whether it’s price, presentation or something about the property itself — it shouldn’t simply be dismissed.
A good campaign should be continually assessed against this evidence.
6. Being prepared to change course
This is probably one of the most important things sellers can control.
If the evidence shows that part of the strategy isn’t working, acting early is usually better than hoping another few weeks will solve the problem.
That might mean adjusting the price guide, changing how the property is being marketed, reconsidering the method of sale or changing the way interested buyers are being handled.
Changing strategy isn’t an admission that the campaign has failed.
Sometimes it is exactly what protects the result.
The greater risk can be allowing a property to sit on the market while everyone waits for a buyer who may never appear.
A softer market doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a strong result
Despite the uncertainty, good properties are still selling well.
I’m still seeing homes attract multiple interested buyers and achieve very good results when the property, pricing and strategy are aligned.
What has changed is that sellers can’t necessarily assume the market will do the heavy lifting for them.
And that’s why the decisions made before and during the campaign matter even more in a market like this.
You can’t control interest rates.
You can’t control how confident buyers feel.
You can’t control how many competing properties come onto the market.
And you certainly can’t control what Sydney property prices will do over the next six months.
But you can control how well your property is prepared, who you appoint to sell it, how it is positioned, how closely you monitor the campaign and how quickly you respond when the evidence tells you something needs to change.
In an uncertain market, those are the things I would be concentrating on.
If you’re considering selling and would like an independent perspective on the best strategy for your property and circumstances, click the button below to book a call and we can talk through your options.
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“Initially not a big fan of agents. We engaged Kathryn Fantov having never dealt with an Agent / Vendor before. This lady is remarkable and hard working. Her staff were similarly professional. Nothing seemed too much and the confidence she instilled was gratifying.
It was a difficult time selling the family home and SVA made it seem less. They are still helping even after a highly successful campaign.Thank you sincerely Kathryn and your staff.”
⎯ Michael
