The strength of property markets throughout the Winter months is not as “unusual” as some analysts would have us believe.

Commentary from CoreLogic that busy markets and rising prices during Winter were surprising stems from the mistaken belief that Spring is the best time for market activity.

Hotspotting founder Terry Ryder says real estate markets are not influenced by the seasons, but by the underlying economic conditions. Solid fundamentals leading to steady demand, against a background of low supply, created an uplift in sales activity and prices in many locations during the Winter months, he says.

He disputed claims from CoreLogic head of research Eliza Owen that the market has shown “unusual” signs of resilience this winter. Owen described this year’s winter selling season as an “unusual one” due to the increase in the volume of listings nationally, rising prices, and overall market resilience amid high interest rates.

Ryder said the comments showed a lack of understanding of real estate generally. “We don’t have an Australian market but many different markets driven by local economic conditions,” he says. “Cities and regions with strong economies, rising populations and infrastructure spending have seen market activity rise in 2023.