News

As Canberra eases out of lockdown, in-person auctions will be allowed to recommence in the ACT this weekend.While it’s a move in the right direction for the industry as a whole, there are still a number of restrictions in place, and some agents are choosing to hold off on in-person auctions until restrictions ease further.From Friday October 15, real estate agents in the ACT will be allowed to conduct in-person outdoor auctions with a maximum of 25 people or one person per four square metres, whichever is less. The 25 person cap does not include real estate agents, but does include any vendors who attend.The limited numbers could mean some agents will insist on pre-registration for bidders, and onlookers may be turned away to keep within the cap.And some agencies aren&#x27;t returning to in-person auctions just yet. <a href="/agencies/ray-white/">Ray White Canberra</a> will continue with online auctions until restrictions ease further, to ensure there are no limits on access to their auctions.“We already have everything set up for online actions, so we’re going to continue that process for the meantime so we can allow as many bidders as we need to at each auction. This means we can maximise bidders to get the best result for our vendors, and it also allows any interested onlookers to tune in,&quot; says <a href="/agents/jake-battenally/">Jake Battenally</a> from <a href="/agencies/ray-white/">Ray White Canberra</a>.&quot;If you do plan to attend an auction, make sure you reach out to the agent ahead of time to confirm the details, and pre-register if need be. And if you’re an on-looker, prepare to be turned away as agents need to reserve the limited places for the bidders.&quot;Masks must be worn at auctions, and all other COVID safe practices, such as social distancing and using hand sanitiser will still be enforced.While in-person auctions are resuming, <a href="/news/lockdown-extended-but-private-real-estate-inspections-now-permitted-in-canberra/">property inspections will remain restricted to one-on-one appointments</a>.The restrictions mean real estate agents in the ACT can only conduct in-person house inspections by private appointment, and only members from a single household can attend an inspection appointment, with just one agent.

In-person auctions are back in Canberra this weekend. Here’s what you need to know

Often a real estate agent is a fairly minor player in the story of a home; there for the important transactions but not much in between. But there are times when the agent plays an integral part in the home’s narrative, becoming almost part of the fabric of the house.In the case of <a href="/sale/22-love-street-flynn-act-2615-47111/">22 Love Street, Flynn</a>, agent <a href="/agents/natalie-kokic-schmidt/">Natalie Kokic Schmidt</a> from <a href="/agencies/mcgrath-canberra/">McGrath Canberra</a> has been part of the tale since before the home was even built. As a friend of the home’s original owners, she helped advise on selecting the right block, and was there to offer feedback during the design process, before the luxurious four-bedroom, two-bathroom home was built and the new owners moved in. The meticulously designed barn house features handcrafted and bespoke joinery, luxurious finishes, and large entertaining spaces.When the owners decided to sell and buy a new block elsewhere in Canberra, they called on Natalie again, this time to sell the property.“I think what they liked about me was just that I&#x27;m not a pushy person. I just give them the advice around what I think, and then let them make a decision based off that,” says Natalie.After a short campaign with plenty of interest, the property went to auction in November 2020, and sold for $1,300,500, <a href="/news/handcrafted-home-sets-new-flynn-record/">breaking the existing suburb price record in Flynn</a>. There was particularly tight bidding between two groups, and Natalie says the new owners were, “pretty emotional,” to eventually secure the house.<img alt="22_love_street_Kitchen.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Kitchen.width-800.jpg" width="800">Natalie believes her relationship with clients doesn’t end at settlement, and she regularly kept in contact and checked in with the new owners.“Any time someone does need something, I&#x27;m happy to help. With this property, whenever the new owners had any questions, I was always responsive and happy to provide answers,” says Natalie.When circumstances changed and the new owners decided to put the property back on the market, it was a no-brainer for them to engage Natalie to sell the home she had sold them just the year before.“I think it was staying in touch that helped, and also just answering all their questions. And I think they like that we do a lot in that area, and also that we have had so much to do with the home,&quot; says Natalie.“I grew up nearby in Melba, so I know the area well. And we just recently set the <a href="/news/flynn-suburb-record-smashed-after-luxurious-home-sells-211k-over-price-guide/">new price record for Flynn at 7 Spalding Street too</a>.”<img alt="22_love_street_flynn_Deck.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Deck.width-800.jpg" width="800">With 22 Love Street back on the market, Natalie says there’s just as much interest in the home again despite COVID restrictions, including from some of the potential buyers from last time.“This time around, we can only do one-on-one inspections, and because it’s by appointment we’re having to vet clients and make sure they’re ready to buy and have looked at the floorplan, because the type of home is quite unique. But we&#x27;re getting some really good feedback with it,” she says.The <a href="/sale/22-love-street-flynn-act-2615-47111/">auction for 22 Love Street Flynn will be held online on October 9</a>, and Natalie is eager to see the next chapter in the home’s story unfold.

From buyer to vendor with the same agent: a tale of two sales

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 <a href="/news/lockdown-extended-but-private-real-estate-inspections-now-permitted-in-canberra/">allow real estate agents in the ACT to conduct in-person house inspections by private appointment only</a>, with just a single agent and members from a single household able to attend.Agent <a href="/agents/bianca-way/">Bianca Way</a> from <a href="/agencies/home-holly/">Home.by Holly</a> 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.”<a href="/agents/jake-battenally/">Jake Battenally</a> from <a href="/agencies/ray-white/">Ray White Canberra</a> also believes the change is a positive step for the industry.“It&#x27;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&#x27;s always a preference for a buyer to see what they&#x27;re purchasing in person, so it&#x27;s been appreciated. Although we&#x27;ve been able to provide a pretty good product and experience online, I think it&#x27;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&#x27;re headed. And for sellers, they should take solace in the fact that we&#x27;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.

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

For some, the thought of buying a pair of shoes or a piece of furniture just from seeing a photo online is daunting enough. So imagine buying a house without ever stepping foot inside.During lockdown, buyers have been restricted to searching and buying property virtually, with both in-person property inspections and on-site auctions paused in both the ACT and NSW. But that hasn’t slowed down the hot property market in the Canberra region, with sales continuing despite many never having stepped foot in the property they’re buying. In fact some have even still been snapped up before auction.Many agents were initially unsure how restrictions would affect sales. For <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/justin-taylor/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Justin Taylor</a> from McGrath selling <a href="/sale/33-katoomba-street-harrison-act-2914-45728/">33 Katoomba Street, Harrison</a>, they had one open home before lockdown came in, and had to change the scheduled auction from in-person to online.“We had 27 registered bidders for the online auction of which only seven of the registered bidders had actually viewed the property in person,” says Justin.With another sale of <a href="/sale/13-auburn-street-amaroo-act-2914-19069/">13 Auburn Street, Amaroo</a>, they didn’t even have to go to auction.<img alt="IMG_8669.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="674" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/IMG_8669.width-800.jpg" width="750">“The most notable lockdown sale for myself and <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/dimi-romero/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dimi Romero</a> is <a href="/sale/13-auburn-street-amaroo-act-2914-19069/">13 Auburn Street, Amaroo</a>. We sold this property pre-Auction after only 14 days on the market for $1.1million, well in excess of the sellers’ expectations,” says Justin.“We had zero open homes, zero Inspections, approximately 75 enquiries via email and phone, and multiple offers were received.”Without open homes or even private inspections allowed, agents have been relying predominantly on technology to help potential buyers feel like they’ve walked through the home, without ever actually stepping foot inside. This usually involved obtaining video footage of walking through the home, either getting it themselves in-line with government restrictions, or even relying on vendors to shoot the footage themselves.<img alt="Justin Taylor &amp; Dimi Romero McGrath" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/justin_dimi_article.width-800.png" width="800">For both the Amaroo and Harrison properties, Justin was able to attend himself and do thorough video walk-throughs, adding his own basic commentary about the features, inclusions and overall condition both inside and outside the property. He then sent through the footage to any potential buyers who contacted him.“I personally want all of my buyers to be thrilled with the property they have purchased, and not to be disappointed at all, hence why I really go out of my way to capture as much detail about the property as possible with the iphone video footage and virtual walk through.”<img alt="dimi_article.png" class="richtext-image full-width" height="530" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/dimi_article.width-800.png" width="800">And while attending house auctions online via video link would have been new for most, Justin says that hasn’t restricted numbers—in fact it’s had the opposite effect.“We are finding that the number of registered bidders for all of our online auctions is approximately double that of our normal numbers. We have been averaging around 15 to 16 registered bidders per online auction, and for the Harrison property we had 27. Normally we would average around seven or eight registered bidders for on-site auctions,” says Justin.“We are also noticing that the number of interested parties logging on to view each auction is averaging in excess of 100 people. Again, probably double that of a normal auction.”While lockdown was extended for four weeks in the ACT, <a href="/news/lockdown-extended-but-private-real-estate-inspections-now-permitted-in-canberra/">restrictions have eased allowed in-person inspections by private appointment to go ahead from this weekend</a>.

Buying homes sight unseen during lockdown

Relaxing the COVID-19 real estate rules means Canberra agents can now list new properties for sale and lease, with photography as well as pest and building inspections permitted.Under the new regulations announced by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Friday (27 August), real estate businesses will be allowed one person at any one time to conduct property inspections that are required by law for the sale of a property to proceed.One person at any one time is also permitted to photograph or video a property when there are no other persons present.However, restrictions are still in place.Mr Barr said agents cannot conduct one-on-one inspections, cannot engage styling or other aesthetical services for properties and cannot return to a property to conduct live virtual tours.Group general manager Independent Property Group Kylie Dennis welcomed the announcement. However, coming into the industry’s busy spring period, she hopes there will be a further loosening of restrictions.“We can move forward with listing properties for sale and rental which is a big relief for those vendors, buyers, landlords and tenants who need to be able to progress with their housing needs,” Ms Dennis said.“However, we strongly urge the government to allow individual property inspections as well as property styling and some fundamental home improvements such as painting and carpeting.”“After all, spring is one of the busiest times for real estate in the ACT and it is important we can continue to operate and meet people’s housing needs.”Despite the lockdowns, Ms Dennis said the past two weeks have remained very buoyant from both a sales and property management perspective, with many transactions in the pipeline.“In fact, last week we sold an off-market Inner South home for $6.4 million, an all-time record for the Independent Property Group sales team,” she said.Buying off the plan is an easy option during lockdown. Over the past fortnight, the Independent team has sold 42 apartments and townhouses, and enquiry rates are still very strong.Independent’s director of residential sales Stan Platis is also the deputy president of REIACT (the Real Estate Institute of the Australian Capital Territory). He’s been part of the team meeting government officials to work through the issues affecting the real estate industry as a result of the latest lockdown.Mr Platis said there is a genuine willingness from the ACT Government to work with industry to minimise the disruption to people’s lives as much as possible.“Housing is a fundamental need for all of us and it is important we are able to continue to provide our services from both a sales and rental perspective,” he added.Zango CEO Darryn McRae encourages anyone thinking of selling in Canberra to talk to their agents now so they’re ready for the spring market.“We anticipate an easing of restrictions into spring and the run into the end of the year, so anyone thinking of selling should get in touch with their local agent ASAP so they can be some of the first homes ready to hit the market after all the pent-up buyer demand is unleashed,” Mr McRae said.Article was originally written and published by <a href="https://the-riotact.com/relaxed-real-estate-rules-a-step-in-the-right-direction-ahead-of-spring-sales/490742" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The RiotAct.</a>

Relaxed real estate rules a step in the right direction ahead of spring sales

Just as a ‘white-hot’ property market was reaching new heights, Delta arrived in the capital and sent Canberrans home. So can you still buy or rent a property in the ACT or NSW?Lockdown restrictions that came into effect on 12 August mean that sales and leasing may continue, but the Saturday morning crowds are gone for now, as in-person property inspections and on-site auctions are currently not permitted in the ACT. The same goes for NSW.McIntyre Property owner and sales agent Col McIntyre said the ACT property market has now moved online.“Not only are open inspections not permitted, but we also cannot do inspections by appointment either. But buyers can still view properties online, and most of our auctions will still take place on the weekend – they will be online too,” Mr McIntyre said.“It is not ideal, but it is what we have to do to keep everyone safe.”With the lockdown extended to 2 September, the Real Estate Institute of the ACT (REIACT) is holding discussions with the ACT Government to find a realistic way for real estate transactions to continue in the Territory.“We fully support the government’s response to this outbreak,” REIACT CEO Michelle Tynan said.“This is not like last year, Delta is different. The primary aim of the restrictions is to stop people moving around and keep people safe. We all have to play our part in helping control the spread of the virus.”Ms Tynan said the market has responded to reflect the government’s restrictions. Property inspections have moved online, and agents are producing more videos of higher quality to entice buyers.“But now the lockdown has been extended, we do need to have another look at the restrictions. There are many moving parts to real estate, it is not just about sales. There are people who need to move to be safe, there are also people under financial stress.“We are hoping to have constructive discussions with the government to resolve some of these issues, ” Ms Tynan said.Anyone wanting to view a property in person in regional NSW may still do so as inspecting a potential new place of residence within regional or rural NSW is currently listed as a reasonable excuse to leave home under the NSW stay-at-home rules for regional NSW.Although inspections must be conducted by private appointment for one person only, open inspections are not permitted. As in the ACT, onsite auctions are not permitted. All auctions in NSW must also be online.Anyone wishing to move to a new place of residence or between different places of residence (either within the ACT or in another jurisdiction) may do so, but if you are leaving the ACT, you must ensure you comply with another jurisdiction’s travel requirements before entering. Furniture removalists have been included as essential workers, but only where the move cannot be reasonably delayed.To learn more on how you can attend and participate in an online auction, contact the selling agent.For more information on lockdown restrictions in the ACT, visit <a href="https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">COVID-19 ACT</a>. For information about NSW restrictions, visit <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/public-health-orders.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NSW Health</a>.To see how you can get the most out of an online auction watch the video <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=871314653470259" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.Article was originally written and published by <a href="https://the-riotact.com/still-house-hunting-in-lockdown-here-are-the-rules/486753" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The RiotAct.</a>*As the current COVID situation continues to develop, one certainty is that along with our local ACT and NSW agent communities, Zango is committed to continue connecting people with places safely. For the latest information, we encourage you to speak with the listed agent for the property, stay safe.

Still house hunting in lockdown? Here are the rules

The online auction format did not scare the hundreds of active buyers across Canberra logging in and outbidding each other at auction over the weekend.Among the ACT properties sold online this weekend is a dual-occupancy home at <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/16-kneeshaw-street-monash-act-2904-45580/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">16 Kneeshaw Street</a> in <a href="https://zango.com.au/research/suburb/monash-act-2904/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Monash</a> that sold for $191,000 above the median suburb price on Saturday.<img alt="16 Kneeshaw Street MONASH, ACT 2904" class="richtext-image full-width" height="535" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2021-08-16_at_12.48.54_pm.width-800.png" width="800">The four-bedroom property was listed with <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/maria-selleck/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maria Selleck</a> of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/maria-selleck-properties/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maria Selleck Properties</a>, who worked hard leading up to the online auction making sure everything went smoothly on the big day.Ms Selleck’s hard work paid off, with four active bidders fighting it out for the spacious, single-level home.According to Ms Selleck, bidding increments went from $5,000, $2,000, to $1,000, and $500 before the property went under the virtual hammer for $816,000.“This was a great outcome and both my clients as well as the buyers are ecstatic, which is the most important thing,” said Ms Selleck.Across the bridge, a competitive online auction was underway at <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/19-dickinson-street-watson-act-2602-45918/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">19 Dickinson Street</a> in <a href="https://zango.com.au/research/suburb/watson-act-2602/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watson</a>.<img alt="19 Dickinson Street WATSON, ACT 2602" class="richtext-image full-width" height="532" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2021-08-16_at_12.49.50_pm.width-800.png" width="800">Listed with <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/maree-van-arkel-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maree Van Arkel</a> and <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/megan-van-arkel-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Megan Van Arkel</a> of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/ray-white/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ray White Canberra</a>, the three-bedroom home in Canberra’s north was extremely popular with online buyers and sold for $1.435 million.“We had seven registered bidders and bidding started straight away and just did not stop,” Ms Maree Van Arkel said.“I was blown away”.Six out of the seven registered bidders competed for the idyllic property, with one person from Sydney bidding for the home without seeing it in person.The property sits on a large 842sqm block and was last on the market almost 40 years ago. Features include large bedrooms, an open plan kitchen, dining and living area, and hydronic heating throughout.“It’s such a nice home in an extremely lovely spot in Watson,” Ms Maree Van Arkel said.“You are close to schools, shops, a park across the road – it really is an immaculate property”.According to <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/ray-white/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ray White Canberra</a>’s Auctioneer and Sales Director, <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/alec-brown/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alec Brown</a>, <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/ray-white/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ray White Canberra</a> had six online auctions over the weekend and a clearance rate of 100 per cent.One of Ray White’s successful online auctions was <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/16-mackennal-street-lyneham-act-2602-45305/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">16 Mackennal Street</a> in <a href="https://zango.com.au/research/suburb/lyneham-act-2602/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyneham</a>. The four-bedroom inner-north property saw five registered bidders compete in a fierce online auction, before selling well above expectations under the virtual hammer.<img alt="16 Mackennal Street LYNEHAM, ACT 2602" class="richtext-image full-width" height="534" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2021-08-16_at_12.51.31_pm.width-800.png" width="800">“This home was an excellent opportunity to get into the inner north and the block was well positioned on a slightly elevated block,” said Mr Brown.“We were confident the property would sell, and the online forum certainly had no negative impact whatsoever – in fact I would argue we would have had the same results had the auction been onsite.”Mr Brown said Ray White Canberra was prepared for lockdown and said that despite auctions being online, buyers get the benefits of a regular auction from “the comfort of their own home”.“We are seeing now with online auctions that there is an ability for people who are not just locals to Canberra to easily participate and compete…if anything online auctions broadens the audience,” said Mr Brown.Eager house hunters also flocked online to see three properties listed with <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/mcgrath-canberra" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McGrath Canberra</a> go under the virtual hammer.No. <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/27-ulm-street-scullin-act-2614-45489/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">27 Ulm Street, Scullin</a> sold for $845,000, No. <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/6-taber-place-isaacs-act-2607-45488/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">6 Taber Place, Isaacs</a> sold for $1.471 million, and No. <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/19-handcock-crescent-macgregor-act-2615-45487/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">19 Handcock Crescent</a> in Macgregor sold for $1.261 million. All three properties sold above their reserve prices.&quot;Our Auctioneer Hugh Rainger did an absolutely amazing job and our team along with Zango were able to adapt to the changes very quickly,&quot; said McGrath Canberra&#x27;s <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/natalie-kokic-schmidt/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Natalie Kokic Schmidt.</a>And finally, a standout online auction occurred further north at <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/42-shannon-circuit-kaleen-act-2617-45262/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">42 Shannon Circuit</a> in <a href="https://zango.com.au/research/suburb/kaleen-act-2617/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kaleen</a>.<img alt="42 Shannon Circuit KALEEN, ACT 2617" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2021-08-16_at_12.52.46_pm.width-800.png" width="800">Listed with <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/charles-blackney/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Blackney</a> and <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/rachelle-french/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rachelle French</a> of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/luton-belconnen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luton Belconnen</a>, this four-bedroom home sold for $1.205 million under the virtual hammer, $150,000 above reserve.According to <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/luton-manuka/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luton Propeties</a> Chief Auctioneer and Head of Sales, Craig Sheargold, Luton Properties averaged nine bidders across its eight auctions on Saturday and had a clearance rate of 100 per cent.“Last month we had 54 auctions with six-and-a-half bidders per auction,” said Mr Sheargold.“We are very happy to see the average number of bidders increase.”“There is clearly an enormous appetite for buyers to purchase homes and the online platform, from my point of view, makes it easier for them to bid from the privacy of their own home.”Speak to your local agent to get the latest information as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.

Canberra’s online auction results

Canberra’s property market is being tested after the ACT Government’s <a href="https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/act-covid-19-update-13-august-2021" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">announcement</a> of a snap seven-day lockdown yesterday.The shutdown of Canberra started at 5pm on Thursday 12 August and will follow bans on in-person auctions and property inspections.Canberra&#x27;s Covid cluster has risen to 5 active cases and almost 4000 close or casual contacts have been identified.Under the new restrictions, Canberrans are required to remain in their local areas. All of NSW has been declared a COVID-19 affected area.According to <a href="https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/seven-day-lockdown-for-the-act" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ACT Health</a>, Non-ACT residents cannot enter the ACT without an exemption unless they live in Gunning, Collector, Murrumbateman, Yass, Binalong, Uriarra, the north-western edge of Wallaroo, Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan, Googong, Karabar, Sutton, Gundaroo, Bungendore, Captains Flat, Bredbo, and Michelago.People from these postcodes can only enter the Territory for essential work and healthcare reasons.People who live in Goulburn and Braidwood cannot enter the ACT without an exemption.The ACT Government has announced that there are only six essential reasons why you can leave your home during this snap lockdown:<ol><li data-block-key="13hjr">To buy essential groceries and medicine</li><li data-block-key="aofpo">To access essential healthcare including in-home care</li><li data-block-key="7kmcp">For essential work</li><li data-block-key="3fs2r">To exercise outdoors for one hour per day in your region</li><li data-block-key="8eliv">To get a COVID-19 test</li><li data-block-key="8p2nk">To get a COVID-19 vaccine.</li></ol>Real estate services are not included in the list of essential services. That means that those who planned on attending a home inspection or live auction over the next few days must stay home and tune in online instead.<h4 data-block-key="84rer">House Inspections:</h4>In-person inspections are banned during the lockdown. You can only inspect a property online.For those in Queanbeyan, private one-on-one inspections will continue as long as face masks are worn.<h4 data-block-key="ah6h8">Auctions:</h4>In-person auctions are banned during the lockdown. You can only attend an auction online.For those in Queanbeyan, in-person auctions are banned and moved online.<h4 data-block-key="e27f0">Settlements:</h4>Settlements will be still going ahead and pre settlement inspections will be virtual.<h4 data-block-key="8rq23">Routine rental property inspections:</h4>Routine rental inspections will be conducted virtually.<h4 data-block-key="6bqff">Repairs and Maintenance on rental properties:</h4>There may be delays due to some restrictions but as a whole, repairs and maintenance should operate as usual. Contact your agent for specific advice.<h4 data-block-key="eqhda">Agent Insights:</h4>Upon hearing the news of Canberra’s snap lockdown, CEO <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/nick-paine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Paine</a> of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/luton-gungahlin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luton Properties</a> said Luton was well prepared to deal with the uncertainty.&quot;It was hectic yesterday but we had the tech side of things all ready from when we were in lockdown last year,&quot; said Mr Paine.&quot;One of the things we did limit was calling people until we had very clear communications to give and to the staff&#x27;s credit, everyone was very calm.&quot;Mr Paine said three auctions were brought forward and sold yesterday and eight online auctions scheduled for tomorrow.&quot;We did have 14 auctions booked overall but most of them have now gone to an online platform.&quot;On the other side of the border, Director/Owner of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/ray-white-queanbeyan-jerrabomberra/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ray White Queanbeyan | Jerrabomberra</a> <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/brad-omara/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brad O&#x27;Mara</a> said that while Queanbeyan is not in lockdown yet, Ray White has procedures and systems in place for a lockdown.&quot;Until a lockdown happens, the office is open and running,&quot; he said.&quot;We are doing virtual inspections and I have two auctions next week which I am pushing to get online.&quot;Mr O&#x27;Mara said that while there is a lot of uncertainty in Queanbeyan at the moment, open homes are still scheduled for now.Chief Minister Andrew Barr described Canberra&#x27;s latest Covid cluster as the most serious public health emergency the ACT had seen so far.Mr Barr also said in a <a href="https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/barr/2021/covid-19-statement-act-to-enter-seven-day-lockdown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">statement</a> that lessons have been learned from Sydney and Melbourne lockdown experiences.“We have seen that a short and immediate lockdown limits the potential spread of the virus, and is the best path to avoiding longer and more damaging lockdowns,” Mr Barr said. “This will be the first time that ACT has entered a lockdown of this nature since the early days of the pandemic.Speak to your local agent to get the latest information as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.

COVID-19: Canberra’s real estate restrictions explained

Property

The latest CoreLogic data shows that despite a volatile 2020, beset by bushfire and COVID-19, Canberra houses have posted a 3.6 per cent rise so far, and for the past 12 months they are up 8.5 per cent.Units are up 0.8 per cent in 2020, and 2.7 per cent over the past 12 months.By contrast, Australian housing values racked up a third consecutive month of declines in July, with its home value index dropping 0.6 per cent over the month.But in Canberra home values rose 0.6 per cent, with units steady at 0.1 per cent and houses up 0.7 per cent. Adelaide posted a marginal 0.1 per cent increase.Melbourne (-1.2%) and Sydney (-0.9%) led the decline, recording the largest month-on-month falls in July, although over the last 12 months values remain well up.Canberra&#x27;s strong public sector base and minimal coronavirus impact has meant it is better off than other cities.Strong interest has also been reported in Canberra for the Federal Government&#x27;s HomeBuilder scheme which is offering $25,000 to eligible applicants interested in purchasing house and land packages or off the plan units.There have been relatively high auction listings and clearance rates across the last two weekends in Canberra.On 25 July, 39 properties were listed, with 32 reported and 24 sold for a clearance rate of 73 per cent and median price of $878,500.Last weekend, 41 properties were listed, 37 reported and 31 sold for a clearance rate of 82 per cent and median price of $843,500.CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless says the housing markets generally have been resilient during the COVID-19 crisis, thanks to economic support packages but warns that will be tested when they fall away.“Urgent sales are likely to become more common as we approach these milestones, which will test the market’s resilience,&#x27;&#x27; he says.&quot;Similarly, the recent concerns of a second wave of the virus and the potential for renewed border closures and stricter social distancing policies are likely to further push consumer sentiment down. This is likely to weigh on both home buying and selling activity more broadly.”<img alt="CoreLogic Home Value Index tables. Image: CoreLogic." class="richtext-image full-width" height="759" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Home-values-July-1.width-800.png" width="650">CoreLogic Home Value Index tables. Image: CoreLogic.CoreLogic says real estate agent activity across Australia has recovered to the same levels as a year ago.The number of newly advertised properties is up 46 per cent from the recent lows of early May, and new capital city listings tracking 8.9 per cent above levels recorded this time last year.But the total listing count remains 15.2 per cent below last year’s level nationally and 12.5 per cent lower across the combined capitals. Sydney and Melbourne have led the falls in values, mainly in the higher end of the market.Mr Lawless says the pandemic remains a constant threat to the market.&#x27;&#x27;Further virus outbreaks present a clear and present danger to the depth and length of the recession, and the performance of the housing market,” he says.

Canberra property prices continue to defy the trends

Canberra housing values have again bucked the national trend, recording a slight increase for the second month in a row, while some other capitals have seen a second consecutive decrease.According to the most recent CoreLogic Home Value Index data, prices on average around Australia were down 0.7% nationally in June, following a 0.4% decline in May.The five largest capital cities all recorded a decline in home values over the month, with drops of 1.1% in Melbourne and Perth, 0.8% in Sydney, 0.4% in Brisbane and 0.2% in Adelaide.According to the CoreLogic data, Canberra housing values remained strong, recording a 0.1% increase for the month, and a 0.7% increase for the quarter. Canberra also recorded a median dwelling value of $639,965 for June.Both Hobart and Darwin also recorded subtle increases in June, with values up 0.3% in both cities.Despite housing values being down nationally in June, market activity showed a further improvement, after the low recorded in April during the peak COVID-19 restrictions. After a 21.5% surge in sales activity throughout Australia in May, CoreLogic’s estimate of home sales in June was up a further 29.5%.CoreLogic’s head of research Tim Lawless said the downwards pressure on home values has remained mild to-date, with capital city dwelling values falling a cumulative 1.3% over the past two months.“A variety of factors have helped to protect home values from more significant declines, including persistently low advertised stock levels and significant government stimulus,” he said.“Additionally, low interest rates and forbearance policies from lenders have helped to keep urgent sales off the market, providing further insulation to housing values.”Despite the June value falls, the data shows an overall upswing across most regions, reflected in high annual growth rates. Housing values in Canberra increased in value by 6.3% annually, with the twelve month change also in positive territory in Sydney (13.3%), Melbourne (10.2%), Hobart (6.4%), Brisbane (4.4%) and Adelaide (2.0%).“The only capitals where values show declines on an annual basis are Perth and Darwin, but even across these cities, home values were early into a recovery phase pre-COVID.” Mr Lawless said.While the decline in home values has been fairly mild since April, Mr Lawless said the longer term outlook remains highly uncertain.“While it is encouraging to see lenders have recently hinted at an extension in their repayment leniency policies, the government stimulus will eventually taper and banks will require borrowers to repay their loans,” he said.“The longer term outlook for the housing market is largely dependent on how well the economy is tracking when these support measures are removed.”

Canberra housing values slightly up, while other capitals record second consecutive drop

In a month where house prices in other capital cities saw a drop, Canberra’s market remained strong in May, recording a 0.5% increase.According to data released by CoreLogic for the month of May, Australian dwelling values overall posted their first month-on-month decline since June last year, with the national index down 0.4%.But while five of the eight capital city regions recorded a fall in values, Canberra property prices saw a slight increase of 0.5%. Despite an uncertain start to the year and challenging economic conditions, overall property prices in Canberra sit at 5.1% higher than they were this time last year.Melbourne’s housing market posted the largest falls over the month, down 0.9% in May, while values were also down over the month in Perth (-0.6%), Sydney (-0.4%), Brisbane (-0.1%) and Darwin (-1.6%).And the latest figures show that transactions have picked up again, as COVID-19 restrictions ease across the real estate market. After a drop of 33% in April, CoreLogic said sales activity bounced back by 18.5% in May.“Measures of consumer sentiment have shown attitudes to be consistently improving since early April, after dropping sharply as the virus curve worsened and severe social distancing policies and border closures were implemented,” said CoreLogic head of research, Tim Lawless.“With consumers feeling more confident, households are better equipped to make high commitment decisions such as buying or selling a home. A lift in housing market activity should also support broader economic activity, with housing turnover providing positive flow-on effects to other sectors including retail, construction and banking.”Rents prices across the country were also generally steady in May, with Canberra rentals recording a slight decrease of 0.3%.Mr Lawless said in the context of weak economic conditions and the broader COVID-19 related disruption, housing values have been relatively resilient.“While downside risk remains, the trajectory of the housing market is looking healthier than what we were expecting a bit over a month ago. The virus curve has been flattened more quickly and effectively than even the best case scenario forecasts, meaning some of the most restrictive policy settings have been either lifted or relaxed. Consumer spirits have lifted, vendors are starting to test the market and buyer numbers have risen.”“Housing values have been remarkably resilient to date. If history is anything to go by, housing values have generally weathered periods of extreme uncertainty quite well, and the trend to date looks very similar.”

Canberra house prices increase in May, while other capitals see a decline

They spend their days selling other people’s houses and trying to get the best price for their clients in as little time as possible. So what do real estate agents do themselves to get the best outcome when selling their own properties?For agents Natalie Kokic Schmidt and Jason Anasson from McGrath, they not only recently sold their Casey home right in the thick of the COVID-19 restrictions, but they sold it for the price they wanted after only eight days on the market, listed exclusively on Zango.The three bedroom home was the first property the couple bought together, and like many people, Natalie said they debated whether they should rent it out or sell it. They ultimately decided to sell when they found another place they wanted to buy.When it came to listing their home, Natalie says they followed the exact advice they give all their clients.“We&#x27;ve been in the house for nine years now, and we took really good care of it, but we said if we&#x27;re gonna sell we need to do what we tell other people to do when they sell. So we repainted it to freshen it up, we got new carpet, and we put new blinds in throughout, and we also did new light fittings just to brighten it up,” said Natalie.As well as the updates, Natalie and Jason also had their home professionally styled, which is something they also suggest to clients to show off the property in its best light.After marketing the home exclusively on Zango, they had 30 people through within a week, all through private appointments which were essential at the time due to social distancing measures. After just eight days on the market, they accepted an offer.<img alt="NatalieJaseCaseyBefore.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="600" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/NatalieJaseCaseyBefore.width-800.jpg" width="800">Their lounge room before the updates (above) and then after the updates and professionally styled (below).<img alt="NatJaseCasey2.jpg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="480" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/NatJaseCasey2.width-800.jpg" width="800">Natalie said they weren’t nervous about putting the property on the market during the COVID-19 restrictions.“Everything else we had on the market at the time was selling within two weeks, because there&#x27;s not much on the market at the moment,” says Natalie.“We&#x27;re really confident if you put your property on the market right now you don&#x27;t have as much competition, plus it&#x27;s winter and a lot less people list in winter. So again it was just doing what we recommend to others - we wanted to test that ourselves. But we didn&#x27;t expect it to sell so quickly.”For others selling their home, Natalie recommends following the same steps - do any work needed to get the house in tip top shape, and then get the home staged to show potential buyers how the space can be best used.“I recommend getting the property to a point where people can&#x27;t come in and negotiate down, because you&#x27;ve done everything that you possibly can right from the start to make sure that the home gets sold,” she said.“You&#x27;re trying to just remove any barriers for buyers, because buyers are nervous at the moment. Although they are buying, they&#x27;re still nervous, so you want to try and just show them that your home is ready to go - they don’t have to paint it or carpet it or put blinds in. And then adding staging shows them that they can use it.”

18 news articles with tag covid-19