Australian homes for sale on Christmas Day, the latest gift from buyers and sellers fear of missing out – realestate.com.au
Forget cheap socks, a surprising number of Australians celebrated Christmas by buying a house.
From first-home buyers paying a few hundred thousand for a flat or condo to homes signing contracts for more than $1 million, a sign of holiday FOMO (fear of missing out) has helped boost deals reported to realestate.com.au. On Christmas Day.
PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said the sales are in line with a broader pattern of buying during the holiday season, as many people have more time to consider real estate moves with little time to spare.
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“And there's definitely a trend that people, buyers and sellers, want to get things done before the end of the year – and that can be why you're seeing properties sell quite late in the season,” Ms Flaherty said.
In Victoria, Lourdes Piscopo of Living Prospect Real Estate was shocked to see contracts signed on four homes on Christmas Day.
![50 Carmen Rd, Point Cook - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
50 Carmen Rd, Point Cook, sold to excited buyers on Christmas Day.
As most people sat down to lunch with their families, a for-sale sticker went up on the board.
“It was crazy,” Ms. Piscopo said. “I don't think I've ever sold that many in one day.”
The properties included proved the perfect Christmas present for the owner, who has been hoping to sell the property since 2023 and won an unconditional offer of $1.04 million from a family who bought their first home on December 25.
“The house had been on the market with another agent for over a year,” he said.
“The price reduction helped, but the buyers came from other properties they missed out on…and they wanted to be in for the new school year, so the excitement of Christmas helped motivate them.
“We put up a sold out sign and there were no Santa hats, but there were lots of jumping and yahoo moments.”
The same agent signed a buyer for 16 Tanoa Cres, Point Cook on Christmas Day, although a contract is still pending.
A development site at 170 James Cook Drive, Endeavor Hills, also recorded a buyer on Christmas Day.
Ms. Piscopo also locked in an offer listed as a potential development site with an asking price of $650,000 to $680,000.
After the first public inspection on December 21st, buyers jumped on the property.
A single-family home, with a price guide of $880,000-$950,000 and now in contract with a buyer looking to enter the Alamanda School Zone, went to people planning to move into it.
A family selling their holiday home also agreed to a downsizing, signing on Christmas Day. Listed in the $780,000-$820,000 range.
A holiday home at 61 Blanche St, St Leonards was signed for a pensioner on Christmas Day.
Buyers won't have long to enjoy their gifts, with all homes being sold in 30-day settlements that will change hands in mid-January.
Ray White Tarneit's Shahid Khan said buyers were counting on Christmas sales to end the house hunt they already needed in December 2023.
“The buyers had been looking for a year and they thought they wanted to buy something this Christmas because they felt they might get lucky then,” Mr Khan said.
Several other people were also interested in the five-bedroom house, but the family of three prevailed as they made a final offer on the house on Christmas Day with an extra $26,000 borrowed from friends.
The seller at 2 Tillbush Close, Hoppers Crossing, has given up hopes of a 30-day settlement to help a family determined to buy a house on Christmas Day.
“They thought if they missed it, they wouldn't get in,” Mr Khan said.
The seller expected a 30-day deal, but after hearing the buyers' new offer and the fact that they had three children hoping for good news at Christmas, the buyers agreed to a 90-day period.
“It's been a bit of a Christmas present for buyers who know it's a family with young children,” he said.
Anthony Orellana of Main Road Real Estate finalized plans for the sale late in the day on Christmas Eve.
“The buyer said it was a great gift to end the year on a high note,” Mr. Orellana said.
“They've been looking for months and this ticked almost all their boxes.”
The seller was equally pleased with the result and affixed the sold sticker on Christmas Day.
Also in Victoria, the Agency's Luke Saville negotiated a $525,000 sale price with a first home buyer couple around 8pm on Christmas Eve. But the contracts weren't sorted until Christmas.
7/44 Liddiard St, Hawthorn, was locked at the Christmas Day sale for $525,000.
2 Bruxner Way, Taylors Lakes, had a for-sale sticker affixed to the sign in front on Christmas Day.
“I was telling the salesman that in the last two or three weeks before Christmas, a lot of shoppers get a bit tired and just want to do something,” Mr Saville said.
“And these buyers missed out on several other properties. They had just escaped somewhere in Richmond, so this was probably their plan B.
“And they wanted to buy a place by the end of the year.”
Alessio Scivetti of Horwood Nolan in NSW had a buyer keen on a house but was surprised when their finance arrived before 5pm on Christmas Eve and approved an offer on the house.
Mr Scivetti was eating breakfast and pancakes on Christmas Day when the seller responded and said he would go ahead with the sale, which he said was a record for a two-bedroom in the suburb.
4/2A Hamilton Street East, North Strathfield, for sale on Christmas Day.
“The seller was a bit uncertain considering it was coming so early and on Christmas Day, but they have been consistent with their next purchase,” he said.
A local rental buyer has scored his first home.
“I texted them on Christmas Day and said, 'Merry Christmas, the property is yours,' and he was quite happy,” Mr Scivetti said.
Records show there were also a number of home sales that began earlier in the month and ended on Christmas Day.
In NSW, LJ Hooker Ingleburn agent Ozair Turabi signed a contract on December 11 for one home for $618,000 and another for $1.05 million.
34 Bega St, Gregory Hills, reached the end of its cooling period on Christmas Day.
3/62-64 Macquarie Rd, Ingleburn, sold on Christmas Eve but the deal was only completed as Santa was doing the rounds.
The cooling off period of both contracts ended on December 25.
For the homeowner of 34 Bega St, there was a little more reason to enjoy the festive season, as their home fetched $25,000 more than their previous best offer in a four-month attempt to sell the property.
Both properties sold to first home buyers and were listed as sold on Christmas Day.
In South Australia, Vella Property manager Anthony Vella also watched as the deposit was credited to his trust account for the sale on December 25.
The contract was signed a few days before it went cold for a few days at the end, with the agent noting that it was officially sold because Santa was making the rounds.
14 Albion St, Windsor Gardens, was sold 48 hours before Christmas, but the deal was only completed on December 25.
“I was more than happy to text the seller to let them know it sold on Christmas Day,” Mr Vella said.
Added to the seller's delight is the buyer's offer, which comes in cash with a three-week settlement schedule.
Raine & Horne Unley's Jacky Yang was similarly signed on Christmas Day.
Mr Yang said the $1.19 million sale was a “good Christmas present” for everyone involved, especially the seller, who was on his second attempt to sell the house.
“And the buyers' kids loved it, so I think they thought it was a good Christmas present for them,” she said.
“And fittingly, Christmas is about helping and giving.”
3 Regan St, Keperra, was the only sale listed on Christmas Day for Queensland.
Just one Queensland home was marked as sold on Christmas Day, a three-bedroom property managed by Property Now.
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