As you can see from the above table, all capitals recorded declines in the number of listings over the month and year. Sydney listings fell by a massive -21.7% over December, whereas Darwin lead the way over the year, with listings falling by -22.9%.
While some of the fall in the number of homes for sale is seasonal – listings typically decline in the run-up to Christmas – the -5.1% decline over the year is significant and possibly signals that the number of listings nationally has peaked.
According to SQM Research’s managing director, Louis Christopher:
“While the drop in listings is normal for this time of year it doesn’t normally fall to this extent. Clearly the large national result has been influenced to a great extent by the very sharp drop for Sydney listings which fell by -21.7% for the month. Overall the spring selling season recorded a fall in listings in 2012. This is abnormal and could indicate increased buyer activity for the last months of the year.”
