September 22 doesn’t feel late in the year but in real estate terms, it is.
For anyone considering selling in 2026, timing now matters. Most sellers need a couple of weeks to prepare their property properly. Photography, styling, repairs, contracts and campaign preparation all take a little bit of time. Add a four-to-five-week selling campaign and, in this market, some sensible contingency if things take longer than expected, and a decision made today can quickly carry into late November.
That makes October the optimum selling month. Properties will still sell in November and December, of course, but if you have the luxury of choosing your timing, our strong recommendation is to be moving now.
There are two forces behind that view: the calendar and the market itself.
The market is moving quickly
Sydney dwelling values are now around 8% below their March peak. Cotality’s largest recorded Sydney correction is 12.9%, while MacroBusiness is forecasting the current downturn could ultimately reach 15% or more. Coolabah Capital’s latest modelling tells a similar story. Its data has Sydney declining at a 17.5% annualised pace over the past three months, with values currently 7.9% below peak.
Whether we like it or not, want to hear it or would prefer to put our heads in the sand, Sydney is tracking towards what could become its largest housing correction on record.
That doesn’t mean it will happen as we know forecasts are just forecasts, but the direction of travel deserves attention.
Rates are well and truly in focus
All eyes are now on the Reserve Bank. The cash rate is already 4.35% following three increases this year. All the major banks are now aligned and forecasting a rate increase at next week’s meeting, which would take the cash rate to 4.60%, while expectations of further tightening have also increased materially.
The RBA itself acknowledges that housing conditions have softened by more than expected, with higher interest rates and tax changes contributing to falling prices.
Our concern isn't simply another 0.25% increase. It's what happens to buyer behaviour if rates continue rising while property values are already falling.
Buyers don't transact against an index. They make individual decisions about individual properties, and confidence plays an enormous role in those decisions.
Then comes November
Buyer fatigue happens every year. Work deadlines arrive, school finishes, Christmas approaches, holidays are organised, family commitments increase and property decisions that aren't essential become easier to postpone until next year.
In 2026, there is considerably more for people to process. Australians are navigating higher borrowing costs, significant tax changes, falling property values, cost-of-living pressure and an extraordinary amount of economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Thank goodness we live in Australia, but there is a lot for consumers to absorb. Eventually, some people simply stop making decisions. Not because they don't want to buy or sell, but because there is too much noise and too many competing priorities.
That's why we know from experience and reading current sentiment the remaining 2026 selling window matters.
Life doesn't wait for the market
We understand the market, but we also understand that life moves on regardless of where property prices or interest rates are heading.
Right now, we have people selling for every imaginable reason. Families are growing, children are leaving home, people are retiring, changing jobs, relocating, looking for a different lifestyle or simply ready for a new chapter. They are all in the market today.
We can't change the economic backdrop, and we certainly can't build a property strategy around hope. What we can do is understand why you're moving, where you need to get to and build an effective campaign to move you from Point A to Point B.
That's where planning matters.
September 22 sounds like there is plenty of time left in the year. In real estate terms, the window to prepare properly and run a controlled 2026 campaign is already narrowing.
Our advice is simple: if selling this year is already part of your thinking, make the plan now. It doesn't mean you have to rush. Quite the opposite.
The objective is to make decisions on your terms, with time and options on your side, rather than being forced into a timing decision under pressure later.
