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Tracy and Ken Shipp, with their daughters, Jasmin, 16, and Zara, 18, are just one of many sellers cashing in on renewed confidence. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Renewed confidence in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic means the traditional spring property selling season is shaping up to be a cracker as the market emerges from its annual winter slumber.

As the pandemic continues to affect Australias economy, the housing market has remained relatively unscathed due to strong demand from buyers and buoyant stock levels, which has helped to avoid a crash.

This demand has translated into more fresh stock coming up for sale at the start of spring than the same period in 2019. Realestate.com.au reveals that there were 2165 new listings to hit the market this week across Sydney, up from 1390 this time last year.

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There are more new listings than this time last year. Picture: James Gourley/The Sunday Telegraph.

With first homebuyers leading an army of hungry buyers, some experts believe this spring will be as good as any other gone by, and in some cases better.

Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said while the market was still facing uncertainty from the pandemic, the conditions make now a great time to be selling.

“With the market moving at a slower pace, now is the perfect time to be buying and selling in the same market,” she said.

“This slower pace allows for more time to plan the next step, which isn’t the case in a boom where decisions have to made quickly.”

Ms Conisbee said the current climate means sellers looking to list this spring should avoid going off market, which is increasingly being championed by real estate agents.

“The more eye balls you get on your property, the better the result you will get,” she said.

McGrath Balmain partner Cindy Kennedy said everyone was very focused about property at the moment and this was translating into an overwhelming number of buyers wanting to upgrade.

Showing how a granny flat or backyard shed could be used as a home office is recommended by experts to stand out. Photo: Supplied.

“So many people have realised during the lockdown that they have outgrown their current home and that they need more space, not less,” she said.

This means homeowners should bring an agent or a stylist through their home as soon as possible if they are considering listing this spring to ensure it stands out from the field.

“Getting the right advice early in the process could mean netting hundreds of thousands of dollars come auction time,” she said.

The Shipp family are selling this Greenwich home through Belle Property Lane Cove’s James Bennett.

Adrian William director Adrian Tsavalas agreed that taking the time to ensure the property is market ready is crucial to getting a good result.

“First impressions count, so take the time ensure everything is presentable and in working order, as buyers often gravitate towards these homes first,” he said.

Gardens and outdoor spaces are also high on the list of things sellers should ensure are presentable come the first open home, Mr Tsavalas said.

“The spring selling season is all about the garden, so creating them to be as inviting as possible is the key to winning a buyer over, as they will be planning their summer around this space,” he said.

Sellers should also get the garden looking presentable this spring.

Realestate.com.au reports unsurprisingly searches with the keyword “home office” have skyrocketed during COVID-19 as more Sydneysiders make working from home a regular part of day-to-day life. Mr Tsavalas said sellers should look to showcase their properties potential as a suitable working environment to tap into this growing market.

“It can help you stand out if you show your home’s potential for offering a suitable office environment such as a shed that can be converted or another suitable space you may have.”

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Just when Melbourne real estate agents thought property sales would come to a grinding halt during to stage four lockdown, a number of top sales have left some agents pleasantly surprised – and the buyers didn’t even get a whiff of the properties. 

The strict six-week lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne put a ban on live auctions and private home inspections, leaving agents worried that prospective buyers would shy away if they couldn’t “touch and feel” the property.

But that hasn’t been the case for Mike Beardsley, senior sales consultant at Jellis Craig, Boroondara, who has sold two family homes in Camberwell, sight unseen, during stage four restrictions.

The superb Victorian villa at 5 Kingsley Street was listed just as the stage four restrictions came into effect, meaning no one got to inspect the property. But Mr Beardsley said he never considered pulling the listing. 

“The other agents around me told me I should, but I was just very confident with the property and the style of the property that we could get a result. [Homes] always seem to go well in Kingsley Street and it’s a beautiful period home.

Buyers could not resist the old-world charm of this Camberwell home. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

“I had 70 or 80 enquiries on it and I had one buyer from Hong Kong who’s an Australian expat looking to return. A building inspection was done and they decided to offer.”

The home sold for an undisclosed price, but Mr Beardsley said it surpassed the top of the range, in excess of $3m.

The second Camberwell home, a five-bedroom, three-bathroom abode at 5 Remon Avenue was already on the market before the lockdown, but the vendors were yet to find a buyer.

“I did have a number of buyers through before stage four hit, but we didn’t get an offer. Then stage four hit and a new buyer came along and put an offer in, sight unseen,” Mr Beardsley said.

“[The buyer] had sold and was obviously keen to secure something, and then it just came down to putting it all into perspective and looking at why [the home] was value for money and why they should take the plunge and put pen to paper.”

The family home at 5 Remon Avenue, Camberwell sold for $2.3m. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold

The home sold for the mid-range price of $2.3m.

Director at Marshall White, Bayside, Matthew Pillios, sold the family home at 166 New Street, Brighton off market during the lockdown, also sight unseen.

A local developer snapped up the home for an undisclosed price in the vicinity of $3.6m-$3.8m.

Mr Pillios said he always thought selling the property during stage four restrictions would be achievable because street and feasibility are always greater considerations than the home itself for developers – but he was still stoked with the result.

“This specific developer was one of the first ones that I rang, he had been looking for a site for a while and he really knew the area. The gift was that he actually lived within a two-kilometre radius… so he decided to walk past the house during his hour of exercise,”  Mr Pillios said.

“He walked around just to get a feel for [the site] outside, just to see what his gut thought. And then after negotiating a lot of feasibility with him, he made an offer and I negotiated it and I was able to sell it for the owners.”

Mr Pillios said the buyer is now engaging with some architects and leaning towards building a single or two dwellings.

Melbourne buyer activity is surprisingly strong

Chief economist at realestate.com.au, Nerida Conisbee, said Melbourne buyer activity on the site has remained strong during the stage four lockdown, despite fears of a dramatic slowdown.

“It shows that people see this lockdown more as business as usual and that there is a timeframe for it and they will get through it,” Ms Conisbee said, adding that interest in the higher end of the market is definitely not waning.

Melbourne buyer activity on realestate.com.au is up compared to the same time last year.  Picture: Getty.

“It just seems to be the case that everything at that end of town is still doing quite well and it is primarily because job loss has been concentrated amongst younger people [with less income]. We’ve got incredibly low interest rates of below 2% now and so I think buyers are seeing now as an opportunity to jump in.

“Even though they can’t see the property, [buyers] have obviously got the confidence that a house in Camberwell is going to be a decent purchase.”

Ms Conisbee added, virtual inspections have likely played a key role in many strong lockdown sales, as they seem to be something that buyers are taking to quite well.

But while virtual inspections are a useful tool, selling homes in such a strict lockdown environment comes down to luck, said Adam Docking, senior vice president of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

“There’s always going to be somebody that buys a property sight unseen and it could be for a myriad of reasons – it could be the style of the property, it could that they want to knock it down anyway so they want to just look at the land,” Mr Docking said.

“Your standard purchaser will not buy a property without touching it, feeling it and looking at it because it’s more of an emotional purchase.”

Mr Docking added that it’s been a really tough time for the industry as stock has “dried right up”.

“There are no new properties coming on the books, we can’t even do the preliminaries, the pre-marketing, photos and floor plans and so forth. As soon as the 14th of September hits, hopefully, we’ll be racing around like crazy people trying to pre-market all of these properties,” he said.

Strong sales point to bonzer spring

Despite the lockdown, Ms Conisbee said buyer activity on realestate.com.au is currently well up compared to last year, even after a small drop in recent weeks. She added, pent-up demand in Melbourne during the lockdown period will likely burst in spring.

“If we look at what’s happened after severe lockdowns around the world, if you look at New York, London and New Zealand, we have seen that after very severe lockdowns where very little transaction activity takes place, there is a very sharp rebound,” she said.

“So, at this stage we can certainly say there is likely to be quite a bit of pent-up demand ready to go once restrictions are lifted.”

Experts predict a flurry of activity in Melbourne’s property market post-lockdown. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

Mr Docking said he expects things will be quiet to start with because selling agents will need some time to pre-market homes, but agreed that buyers will be “champing at the bit”.

“If New Zealand is anything to go by, there’s going to be this massive letting off of steam as soon as the gates are opened… but then there’s going to be this period of marketing, where the sales numbers will be very low.”

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110 Clarkes Rd, Anakie was designed by renowned mud-brick builder Alistair Knox.

A natural haven designed by famed mud-brick craftsman Alistair Knox was been snapped up in Anakie.

The sustainable hideaway showcases the pioneering designer’s work on a 1.98 hectare bush property that counts a kangaroo called Harvey as its regular visitors.

The property at 110 Clarkes Rd, Anakie, was offered at an online auction this week, selling to Geelong buyers for $670,000 after being passed in.

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Exposed timber and brick features inside.

The living area has a rustic feel.

Ray White, Lara agent Terry Cleary had offered the two-bedroom, two-bathroom mid-brick house to auction with price hopes of $669,000 to $689,000.

Mr Cleary said nine potential buyers had registered for the auction, though two participated.

Up to 38 people witnessed the auction, including a contingent of Ray White staff.

The rustic home features red brick flooring, reclaimed timbers and vast windows to frame views of the landscape.

A huge brick open fireplace is the centrepiece of the open-plan living zone, while the kitchen has an IXL combustion stove.

Clerestory windows draw in natural light.

The main bedroom comes with an open fireplace.

Vendors John Sanders and Carol Brislane told the Advertiser earlier the home’s warmth and natural setting drew them to the property.

They have savoured the serenity and native flora and fauna, while their grandkids got hours of entertainment out of the playground.

“It was very different and it had a lot of character, that’s what attracted us to it,” Mr Sanders said.

“It’s a real nature block, there are lots of birds.

Large windows frame garden views in the sunroom.

“It was built by Graham and Heather Bird so we have called it Bimbimbi, which means place of birds.”

The late Mr Knox is considered a pioneer of modern mud brick design was awarded an honorary doctorate in architecture from Melbourne University for his contribution.

Mr Cleary said his homes had quite a following and was one of the drawcards for potential buyers.

There’s hours of entertainment out here.

The property has a man cave ready to go.

The fact it was An Alistair Knox designed house was a lead in, as was the five acres of semi bushland and a relaxed lifestyle living was the other,” he said.

Mr Cleary said the $620,000 opening bid was a solid start to the auction.

While the Geelong buyer was the highest bidder, the underbidder was unable to inspect the property in person due to the Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne.

with Nicole Mayne

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Tom and Emma Lane from Byron Bay’s The Farm have sold up after five years, but the community-led business is here to stay. 

Just outside of Byron Bay, the foodie haven has been a thriving hotspot for locals, visitors and celebrities alike (the Hemsworths live just up the road) – full of wholesome treats from its garden, bakery and cafe, it also allows visitors to learn about food with their nursery education programmes, and tour the property on horseback.

Famous for its Grow, Feed, Educate and Give Back philosophy, the business was listed for sale earlier this year with the aim to keep it running and growing with the help of its new owners and 120 staff.

After five years Tom Lane, the grandson of Oroton founder Boyd Lane, and wife Emma Lane have sold The Farm.

Tom Lane described the sale as “an interesting one to digest” but said he and his family are excited about their next chapter.

“It’s really all about a full circle. We originally came up here with our four kids to have a slower pace of life and spend more time with our kids and grow our own food, which really led us into the whole idea of creating a farm, so we did it for ourselves now we’re doing for everyone else. And we feel like we’ve done a pretty nice job.

“We’ve built a community, generated over 120 jobs, given back in so many ways… so we feel very proud actually, I think that would be the best way to sum it up.”

Fans of The Farm (and there are about 165k of them on Instagram) will be pleased to hear the project’s legacy will be continued with the new owners – local business and property owners Fraser and Allyson Short – taking the helm when the purchase settles later this year.

Mr Lane said the legacy was a crucial part of the deal when selling The Farm to the Shorts, who also have four children, who he has known for about 10 years.

“We bumped into [the Shorts] on a holiday recently and that really just started the discussion, around our family values and what we’re trying to do. Fraser’s got a house up in Byron, he’s obviously got another business up here and we’ve got a lot in common, and that’s sort of how the whole deal came together in the end.

“It’s like handing the baton over in a relay race. Continuing the legacy.

“We had many people circling, and we’ve had many people circling since we opened it, to be honest. We’re had plenty of taps on the shoulders and I gotta tell you, most of them were inappropriate in terms of the fit for the long term.”

The Farm is well-known for it’s sustainable food and delicious treats from the bakery and cafe. Picture: The Farm

Just a 10-minute drive from the centre of town, The Farm is a paradise of rolling green hills, historic farm sheds surrounded by ancient trees, as well as all the wholesome, sustainable produce you can poke a carrot at.

Fraser Short said he is really excited about taking over the reins, and he’s not planning on changing much.

“We just love it as it is, everything’s working so well. My dad used to always say, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

The Farm is known for its Grow, Feed, Educate and Give Back philosophy. Picture: The Farm

“What we would love to do is lean into some of those principles [of The Farm] and see if we can develop them further. There has to be opportunities around farming and agri-business, we’ve got 80 acres so there’s a lot of opportunity that comes for everyone when you’re well funded and you can continue to invest in small agri-tech and agri-business.”

It’s going to take some time to get their heads around the program and ethos at The Farm, but the Shorts won’t be alone – Mr Lane will be there to give hands on help.

“That’s a big part of the transaction, Tom is part of the community,” Mr Short said. “The thing that we feel really good about is the fact that [Tom and Emma] are going to be there for advice and also just for a bit more education for us as to what their midset is.”

New owner Fraser Short wants to further develop the principals of The Farm. Picture: The Farm

The unique property was originally listed for $20m+, and while both parties are remaining tight-lipped on the final price, Mr Short said everyone is “very happy”.

“I mean, Tom won’t have to work too hard and hopefully he can buy himself a lot more cattle,” he said.

“He deserves it, Tom and Emma deserve it for what they’ve done for the community… here’s a business that has not only fed the community but employed the community, encouraged small business and encouraged small business to employ each other, it’s an amazing outcome and I think they deserve to be paid for it.”

For Mr Lane, the sale was less about the money and more about finding the “right fit”.

“But we’re very happy. I suppose if you look at it from an economic point of view [we got] return on our investment and return on our effort. Most importantly, we’re happy that it’s going to continue in its current form, everyone’s staying, all the tenants are staying as they are, Fraser’s gonna turn up and it’s going to be business as usual and I’m going to be there helping him,” he said.

Ownership might have changed, but The Farm’s legacy will be continued – with a little hands on help from the previous owner. Picture: The Farm.

The Lanes now plan to turn their attention to the other property they own just up the road, The Range, with the intention of regenerating and developing it into the site for an education program called Whole Beings for school children aged three to 10.

“We’ve got 120 acres at The Range and we’ve started planting our veggie gardens and having animals… we really wanted to just get back into an entire regenerative way of living, and focus on our kids and our passions,” he said.

However, Mr Lane said it’s very much a case of “watch this space”.

“We’re got a few more ideas bubbling in the background. We’ve got a bit more work to do [at The Range] and we’ll probably be focusing more of our energy on a couple more private regenerative farm-style operations, not open to the public, he explained.

“Maybe we’ll focus more on the accommodation side of things, the personal experience of coming to a farm as a guest and actually immersing yourself, one-on-one.

The post Byron Bay’s The Farm has sold, but its legacy will continue appeared first on realestate.com.au.

There are far fewer properties on the market now than there were this time last year, new data shows.

Househunters have almost 1500 fewer properties to choose from on the market than they did a year ago.

But don’t worry, property experts are confident more homes will spring onto the market over the next few months.

Latest CoreLogic figures show the number of properties listed for sale across Adelaide has dropped 20 per cent in the past year, from 7278 in the 28 days ending August 25 in 2019 to 5822 in the same period ending August 23 this year.

Both figures are lower than those recorded during the same periods in the two previous years, when listing numbers stood at 8346 in 2018 and 8797 in 2017.

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Harris Real Estate managing director Phil Harris said stamp duty and the prevenance of renovation reality shows had encouraged people to reinvest in their own homes and stay longer over the past few years.

However, market uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic was largely to blame for the shortage of listings this year.

Property experts say confidence is slowly being restored though.

Mr Harris said more people were expected to list their properties come spring.

“There has been a lot of trepidation in the market place with people wanting to see what happens,” he said.

“But we anticipate stock volumes to be higher in spring.

“There’s going to continue to be a shortage of listing volumes, however the worst is probably over.”

More properties are expected to hit the market over spring.

Auction numbers were also tipped to increase in the next two months.

Real Estate Institute of South Australia president and auctioneer Brett Roenfeldt said activity would pick up slowly.

“We’re starting to get a few more bookings,” he said.

“One would hope that we’re going to have an injection of property from an auction perspective, but this is going to be a slow build up.”

He said clearance rates were high at the moment, with some agencies recording 80 to 100 per cent weekend clearances, mainly because demand was so high for fewer listings.

According to latest CoreLogic data, Adelaide recorded a 59.7 per cent clearance rate off 62 auctions last week.

At the same time last year, there were 56 auctions with a 56.9 per cent clearance rate.

The post Why househunters might be struggling to find a new Adelaide home appeared first on realestate.com.au.

This house designed by studioplusthree is situated in a leafy site in the heart of the city, providing the owners’ children with the opportunity for dicsovery and adventurous play. Picture: Tom Ferguson

This house could be classified under “secret Sydney”. Located not far from the Cooks River in the inner west, it’s a spot even locals would struggle to know about.

Architect Simon Rochowski says the 1000sq m site was bit of a jungle when they turned up, which is what appealed to the owners in the first place.

The Cooks River House designed by studioplusthree was an overgrown site by the river: Picture: Tom Ferguson

“It’s a very steep site and it has a slight air of danger, which the clients liked,” he says. “It has a lot of big rock faces.

“The clients wanted this feel of a wild place where their kids could grow up with a bit of tempered risk.”

The house had been added onto over the years in a “pastiche”, says Simon, but he planned to strip it back to the original small cottage. The new design extended up and out, with a deck from the original Federation cottage looking out towards the river, and a sleeping “pod” above clad in kebony, a specially treated Norwegian wood designed to weather to silver grey.

“We thought it responded to the tones of the surrounding bushland and it was in keeping with the landscape,” says Simon.

The house was stripped back to the original cottage and then a deck was added to offer a view of the river. Picture: Tom Ferguson

The ground floor extension, which includes the open-plan kitchen and dining space, relies heavily on wide glass doors providing an instant connection to the outdoor space.

After years of researching the Sydney School of architecture, which is known for its ethos of sitting well in the landscape, Simon concedes there are similar elements in this design.

“We had the idea of the landscape continuing down through the house, which is why the ground floor has been designed the way it has,” he says. “The landscape is a big part of it.”

Architect Simon Rochowski wanted to create a sense of the landscape moving through the house. Picture: Tom Ferguson

Once council was satisfied with the provisions for water retention, given its proximity to the river, they gave Simon and his team the green light to start work, which was not exactly simple.

Getting building materials to the site was not easy. Picture: Tom Ferguson

Building materials were transferred to site via a temporary bridge the builder constructed to run from the carport to the house.

Some of the vegetation had been cleared to expose the beauty of the rock faces and then Simon worked with landscape architect Christopher Owen from Fieldwork Associates to build on the framework of mature trees already on site.

The bathroom layout is compact with close attention to natural light. Picture: Tom Ferguson

Overall, the process took two years, but Simon says this kind of project never really has an end point.

“Landscaping is never really finished,” he says.

Pictures: Tom Ferguson

THE PROJECT

Owners

A couple with three children

Architect

Simon Rochowski, studioplusthree

studioplusthree.com

The brief

To extend the old house without losing the wild nature of the 1000sq m sloping site

Design solution

To create a ‘see-through’ extension reminiscent of the Sydney School of architecture

How long did it take

Two years

THE SOURCE

Builder SFD Construction, sfdconstruction.com.au

Landscaping Fieldwork Associates, fieldwork.net.au

Kebony claddingMafi, mafi.com.au

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