Will one-on-one home inspections win buyers over?

Will one-on-one home inspections win buyers over?

The Canberra property market was given some relief over the weekend with eased COVID-19 restrictions allowing private home inspections to recommence.

The changes now allow real estate agents in the ACT to conduct in-person house inspections by private appointment only, with just a single agent and members from a single household able to attend.

Agent Bianca Way from Home.by Holly did 10 inspections over the first weekend of eased restrictions, and said the change was a welcome relief for both buyers and vendors.

“We had properties go to auction and other ones listed to auction this weekend, and being able to have serious buyers through has really helped solidify homes from their perspective. It’s also helped us be able to provide valuable buyer feedback to vendors,” she said.

With strict ACT health guidelines still in place, Bianca said buyers were happy to comply, and were mostly just appreciative of the opportunity to visit the homes.

“After weeks of being marketed online only, I think vendors were relieved to finally get buyers through the door,” she said.

“For lots of buyers, the chance to see the home in person is a bit of a cherry on top in their decision-making process.”

Jake Battenally from Ray White Canberra also believes the change is a positive step for the industry.

“It's good to be back out there showing buyers through, in particular for our larger homes that are harder to give buyers the confidence to bid site unseen,” he said.

Over the weekend, Jake and his team ran 24 private inspections, with just a few hiccups along the way.

“We had some frustrations around last-minute cancellations from buyers, as we had been limited to the amount of people we could show through, but generally speaking, people have been courteous and understanding of our restrictions,” he said.

“Buyers have been pretty resilient buying site unseen, but I think there's always a preference for a buyer to see what they're purchasing in person, so it's been appreciated. Although we've been able to provide a pretty good product and experience online, I think it's always good if they can see it before they buy.”

Jake believes the change will help confidence in the market remain strong.

“This will only bolster the confidence for any nervous buyer with a bit more clarity on where we're headed. And for sellers, they should take solace in the fact that we're essentially fully operational with photos, building reports, styling, and one on one inspections, albeit under the COVID guidelines,” he said.

Bianca also believes the eased restrictions will help give vendors confidence to get their homes on the market.

“Especially with other services slowly becoming more available like styling, gardening and trades for maintenance on vacant homes. While it feels that we will definitely be having a spring unlike any other, I think we will get the hang of a ‘new norm’ soon enough,” she said.

Share property via

Topics:

News