Selling Property in the Illawarra in 2026. Why Exposure and Strategy Matter More Than Ever

The Illawarra property market has evolved significantly over the past few years. Strategies that appeared effective during fast moving periods are no longer producing the same outcomes, and homeowners considering a sale in 2026 need to approach the process with clear eyes and informed advice.

In recent years, we saw a noticeable rise in so called off market sales. In a fast moving market with very limited stock, some agents were able to secure good prices by offering homes quietly to their buyer database.

That said, the outcome often relied heavily on timing and a degree of luck rather than strategy. Buyers were urgent, borrowing was cheaper, and fear of missing out played a major role in decision making. When the right buyer happened to be in the right database at the right moment, an off market sale could appear successful.

More often than not, the prices achieved for sellers off market were weaker than the average sale prices of comparable homes sold through a full campaign. With fewer buyers competing at the same time, the final number often landed below what the broader market would have paid.

That environment has now shifted.

Buyers in 2026 Are More Measured

As borrowing costs have risen and more properties are entering the market across the Illawarra each week, buyer behaviour has changed. Buyers are no longer rushing. They are comparing options, attending multiple inspections, and negotiating with greater confidence.

Many of the buyers sitting in agent databases today are experienced. They have inspected numerous properties over weeks or even months and are noticing softer attendance levels. This gives them comfort and strengthens its negotiating position. When these buyers are one of only one or two parties inspecting a property, they know they are in a strong position and negotiate accordingly.

This is where sellers need to pause and consider whether limited exposure is truly working in their favour.

Is Off Market Really Off Market?

Off market selling is often framed as exclusive or strategic. In practice, it usually involves an agent introducing a property to their existing buyer database via email, text messages and social media.

If an agent contacts a few hundred buyers from their database, the question worth asking is simple.
Is that truly off market, or is it simply limited market exposure?

Those buyers are typically experienced. Many have been searching for weeks or even months and have formed firm views on value, price movements and what they are willing to pay. This often places them in a strong negotiating position.

Open market advertising introduces your home to a broader group of buyers, including those who have only just started their search. These buyers often have less market knowledge, are not anchored to recent sales, and are less constrained by fixed beliefs about price. They are more likely to buy emotionally rather than analytically, which is often where stronger results are achieved.

Those buyers would almost certainly not be reached through a single agency database. Major real estate portals play a critical role here by placing your property directly in front of buyers who are actively searching, enquiring and engaging, many of whom are not yet known to any agent.

Why Marketing Matters More Than Ever

Marketing is not about ego or flashy presentation. It is about attention.

The major real estate portals exist for one primary purpose. To get buyer eyes on properties and convert that attention into enquiries, inspections and competition. These platforms have spent decades and billions of dollars refining how buyers discover homes and make decisions.

When a property is marketed properly, it reaches buyers locally, across the wider region, interstate and sometimes internationally. Most importantly, it creates competition. Buyers behave very differently when they know others are interested.

This competition is what drives stronger offers, firmer conditions and better outcomes for sellers.

Fees, Commission and Perspective

Every seller pays a selling fee, commonly referred to as commission. The real question is not whether you pay it, but what strategy that fee is supporting.

An approach that avoids marketing costs may feel attractive on the surface. In reality, it can quietly suppress your final result by limiting demand.

For a relatively modest marketing investment, sellers can access billion dollar technology platforms designed to maximise exposure and enquiry. That investment is often the difference between negotiating with a single buyer and choosing between multiple motivated buyers.

A Thoughtful Approach Delivers Results

There is nothing wrong with exploring different sale methods. But homeowners deserve advice that reflects today’s market conditions, not shortcuts that suited a different time, or strategies that primarily suit the agent selling off market.

In the current Illawarra market, the strongest results are coming from properties that are positioned clearly, exposed widely and sold through genuine competition. This approach takes planning and work, but it gives your home the best chance to perform.

Selling quietly may feel comfortable. Selling thoughtfully is what delivers outcomes.

For most properties, a marketing investment typically between $6,000 and $10,000 allows sellers to leverage billion dollar technology platforms designed specifically to attract and deliver buyers to agents. By comparison, selling with limited exposure can result in achieving ten percent less or more below market value. On a $1,000,000 property, that difference can exceed $100,000 to a buyer looking for a bargain.

This is ultimately why we do not recommend the off market method of selling. If an agent cannot clearly explain the benefit of investing a few thousand dollars to potentially achieve tens of thousands more in sale price, it raises an important question. How will they negotiate harder on your behalf when it matters most.

If an agent struggles to sell the value of a proper marketing strategy to you as the homeowner, it is unlikely they will successfully sell the value of your property to a buyer who is pushing for a lower price.

Weak agents rely on off market selling because it is easier and requires less effort. Strong agents focus on exposure, competition and strategy, because that is what protects their clients’ interests and delivers better outcomes.

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