What lockdown? Home-price records tumble in four Canberra suburbs 

The setting of suburb price records across the capital shows no signs of letting up. Despite tight real estate restrictions in Canberra, four suburbs in the capital and one in neighbouring NSW set new residential sales benchmarks in the past week, including one where the buyer purchased the property sight-unseen.

The five-bedroom property at 91 Weddin Circuit, Palmerston, was bought for $1.7 million, surpassing the previous suburb record by $245,000.

Selling agent Bree Prince of Hive Property said the property was listed on the market the day lockdown was announced on August 12, making it impossible for potential buyers to physically inspect the residence.

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“The sellers were understandably nervous, but we adapted to online methods and communicated with all the buyers more than we usually would [and] we took virtual inspections before lockdown, so that helped a lot,” Ms Prince said.

“There was a family in Palmerston who were looking to upsize … they knew the area well and were willing to pay a premium price for the property even without inspecting the house in real life.”

Ms Prince said while it was clear that one-on-one property inspections were “not needed”, there were still many buyers waiting for restrictions to ease further to be able to view a home.

“The industry could continue like this. We’re building deeper relationships with sellers and buyers, but there’s nothing like viewing a home in person and meeting these people in person,” she said.

Elsewhere, the property at 3 Risdon Place, Lyons sold for more than $2 million, selling agent Brett Hayman of Hayman Partners said.

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This is the first $2 million sale in the suburb, surpassing the previous suburb record by more than $30,000.

The five-bedroom home was on the market six months ago before the sellers withdrew it, Mr Hayman added. During that period, the eventual buyers inspected the property, which also has a 12-car garage.

“The sellers were car enthusiasts, so we thought that there’d be a particular buyer for a home like this,” he said.

“The sheer size of it was the drawcard for the buyers who were looking to upsize for a long time and had viewed the property a few months ago and, sure enough, it left an impression six months later.”

Meanwhile, a four-bedroom home at 15 Kettle Street, Gungahlin, sold for $1.435 million prior to auction.

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Selling agent Jess Smith of Stone Gungahlin said the residence was scheduled to go under the virtual hammer on Sunday, but one couple, who inspected the house before lockdown, were eager to purchase before the auction.

“We launched the property on the market a week before lockdowns and really only had two open-home inspections,” Ms Smith said.

“The [eventual] buyers viewed the house on the first day and were raving about how much they loved it. The next day, they came again, and that really sealed the deal.”

While interest reached a lull for the property amid lockdown, the eventual buyers’ interest remained.

The property surpassed Gungahlin’s previous suburb record by $10,000.

Allhomes also understands a four-bedroom property at 34 Tristania Street, Rivett, sold for $1.325 million.

The record sale only comes days after 6 Goodenia Street set the previous record at $1.267 million. The latest sale surpassed that record by $58,000.

Across the border in the NSW township of Googong, a four-bedroom property at 10 Bobby Street sold for $1.48 million, beating the previous Googong record by just $5000.

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Selling agent Gavin Van Zyl of White Rhino Property, a name synonymous with record-breaking sales in Googong township, was confident the home would set a new benchmark.

“It was a unique home with spacious living areas … I haven’t seen anything like it before in Googong. The buyers, who are from Wanniassa, viewed the house prior to lockdown,” he said.

“Canberra and its surrounding NSW regions have seen incredible house sales this year, and it’s surprising that, even in a lockdown, records are still being set. That goes to show the level of demand there is, and I don’t think that’ll slow anytime soon.”