Will Canberra sellers come to the table as private inspections resume?

Canberra real estate agents are gearing up for the housing market to leap into the spring selling season, with a surge of inquiries from buyers and sellers coming through after the ACT government announced in-person inspections could be held from Saturday.

Agents say they have been inundated with calls since Tuesday, and have been preparing to list properties for sale since ACT chief minister Andrew Barr eased some real estate restrictions, including “limited private appointment real estate inspections”.

This allows real estate businesses to conduct on-site private inspections.

Real estate agent David Stokes, of Blackshaw Manuka, welcomed the news considering spring is usually the busiest time of the year in Canberra real estate.

“Personally, I believe seeing a property in real life would’ve maximised the result of a sale, so I decided to hold off on listing any homes for sale until restrictions on inspections had eased,” he said.

“Quite a few of my colleagues were of the same opinion … there’s nothing like being able to show people through a home, to walk through and get an understanding of a property before committing to a big financial decision.”

Mr Stokes had a handful of properties he planned to launch on the market pre-lockdown to align with the start of spring. But after the announcement of restrictions, he decided to put a hold on them, including a three-bedroom house in Narrabundah.

The seller of 6 Mosman Place, Narrabundah, Patrick Fletcher, said they had planned to sell the property five weeks ago before the lockdown was introduced but “kept readjusting our timetable as the [COVID-19] situation changed”.

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“This home had been part of the family for almost 60 years. My father built the house for us, and now that he’s gone and my mother has moved out, we thought it was time to close this chapter, but the timing of the lockdown wasn’t ideal,” Mr Fletcher said.

“We were reasonably comfortable about listing it for sale during the lockdown because we initially thought it’d be a one-week period, but then it kept getting extended, so there was always a risk.

“What can you do but adhere to the restrictions … but now that inspections are back on, we find it more comfortable that buyers can come through and inspect it for themselves.”

The new changes have also been music to the ears of eager buyers who’ve been booking inspections over the next week, Mr Fletcher said.

“This will encourage a bigger pool of buyers to purchase, create competition and will also encourage sellers to sell their own homes,” Mr Stokes added.

Under the new rules, agents will be allowed inside during the inspection period, which is capped at 15 minutes. This is followed by a 15-minute interval prior to the commencement of the next inspection, for a maximum of two hours.

This means only four inspections will be conducted within that two-hour period each day. This applies to any vacant, occupied or display property.

A maximum of two people from the same household are permitted to attend the inspection, and all parties involved must wear a mask and check in. 

Since this was announced, Sophie Luton of Luton Properties Manuka, has been overwhelmed with bookings.

“I launched five properties this week in the hope that the industry would open up in some capacity, and now that it has, I’ve had over 50 inquiries from buyers overnight who want to view these homes. Naturally, seeing property is how people purchase property,” she said.

“But with only two hours allowed per day for inspections, I’ve already been booked out for the next week. An inspection for one home every day.”

Ms Luton hopes property styling would be next on the state government’s list of restrictions to ease, particularly because it helps present a home.

“If a property is being styled, it’s vacant, so there’s this contactless delivery already in practice by property stylists. They form a big part of property presentation and are very important to the industry,” she said.

“If photographers and building reports can be done contactless, so can property styling.”