There has been plenty written about first home buyers in recent years but what happens when that first home is secured and how do you plan for the future?

Often we are working with vendors looking to move up the property ladder, to find a home that meets their expanding family needs. We are also seeing a move to downsize, especially by people in their later years.

Downsizing has the benefit of freeing up capital, plus a smaller property meaning less maintenance.

A great tool for moving along the property ladder is the ‘subject to sale’ condition that is available in real estate sale contracts.

Utilising the ‘subject to sale’ can be a really smart way to purchase your next property and it takes out a lot of risk involved in the transaction because you're putting a safety net under your offer.

In recent times this has been an ideal tool, with less demand Vendors have been open to ‘subject to sale’ offers. However time is running out as momentum returns to the market, and that means a more competitive purchasing environment is on the horizon.

If you’ve been thinking about moving homes, now is the time. The easiest way to explore that opportunity is to go out with the mindset that you are shopping ‘subject to sale’.

There has been a definite and positive move in the market and more sales are occurring. I think there will be significant volume turnover when the November sales figures are released around the middle of December.

It’s not only the new stock that's moving, it's also some aged stock that has been sitting for some time.

The other interesting thing we're noticing is movement in land transactions. For a long time there's been a limited number of section sales, with the majority under $800k. But recently I had three contracts over $1.3M on land in the Wānaka area.

The reduction in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) in late November means financing a build has become more affordable and people want to lock in plans now before market forces drive up demand and prices once again.

Ray White Wānaka is situated at Sir Tim Wallis Drive Wānaka.

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