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Prior to the pandemic, leasing a home involved a lot of paperwork and back and forth – but the new age of moving means everything can be done from the comfort and safety of home. 

While online tools like digital application platform 1form already existed, the rental industry has pivoted to completely online processes as a result of COVID-19 social distancing rules, making the task of renting out a new home contactless.

1. Paperwork has gone completely online

Describing traditional property management as a paperwork nightmare, head of property management at Code Property Group, Terrie Kineskin, said her office was already trying to streamline things but that the pandemic helped them realise they could do more to reduce paper waste.

“We are now 100% paperless in our office…that was our biggest change in that we converted everything to online.”

2. Inspections have gone digial

Open for inspections have also changed dramatically since the health pandemic hit in mid-March.

In the early days of the health crisis, the number of people allowed into a property during an inspection was limited in most states and territories, but inspections became available by private appointment only as restrictions tightened.

Currently, in Melbourne, home inspections are banned completely under stage 4 lockdown rules, meaning they can only be done digitally. Elsewhere in the country, there are limits around social distancing and strict personal hygiene protocol needs to be followed.

“We’ve been using digital inspections long before COVID… and what it is is an effective pre-screening tool and post-COVID it will continue to be an effective pre-screening tool,” said Sam Nokes, Head of Department – Property Manager Jellis Craig in Melbourne.

“I think it’s great, it saves our agents from unnecessarily having to attend properties, which not only improves business efficiency but for the customer, they’re not viewing properties that may not meet their needs.”

Digital inspections will be the new norm for leasing, especially in Victoria. Picture: realestate.com.au/rent

But while digital inspections have been a useful tool in the COVID-19 environment, they will never be as thorough as the real thing, according to Real Estate Institute of Victoria president, Leah Calnan. 

“[Melbourne’s] rental market will absolutely be impacted if we are unable to conduct private one-on-one inspections. While the option of virtual inspections is great, there are very few tenants that agree to sign leases and move into a property without having seen it in person,” Ms Calnan explains.

Mr Nokes added that until more clarity is provided by the Victorian Government about whether or not an agent can physically attend a property to film a virtual inspection under stage 4 restrictions, they will not even be producing new digital inspections and will instead rely on pre-existing videos. 

“We’re not creating any new digital inspections, but in saying that we’ve got some properties under a break lease situation and some properties where the landlord is occupying them, so we’re doing FaceTime calls and whoever is residing in the property is doing the walk around and allowing tenants to join in, that way nobody is actually leaving the property,” he said.

Digital inspections also have some potential legal pitfalls, given that faults in a property might not be apparent on camera, said chief executive of Tenants Union Victoria, Jennifer Beveridge.

“There are risks in taking a property without viewing it in person, but it may be the only option for some people while stage 4 restrictions are in place,” Ms Beveridge said. 

“It’s really important that renters always be aware of their rights. If they move into a property, which they didn’t see in person and later find it needs repairs, then they are entitled to, and the landlord is obliged to, ask for the repairs to be undertaken. This is so even while stage 4 restrictions are in place.”

3. Contactless removalists and cleaners

Even under the strictest of social distancing measures, removalists and cleaners are still classed as an essential service for those who are moving. In Melbourne, tenants are allowed to move home if they had arrangements in place before the stage 4 lockdown came into effect.

Many removalists and cleaning companies are now advertising a completely contactless service to protect the health and safety, not only of their staff but of tenants.

Companies such as popular removalist, Man With a Van, and Melbourne Vacate Cleaning have new guidelines for customers to follow to ensure their entire move excludes human-to-human contact.

The Victorian Government has flagged that moving house will still be allowed for some under stage 4 restrictions. Picture: Getty

These include tenants isolating in another room while the removalists do their work, leaving the front door open or a key outside the door so the removalists can gain entry, labelling all items and cleaning of high-touch areas including doorknobs and surfaces of furniture.

4. Contactless key handover

For tenants who have signed a new lease, or are ending their lease, keys will need to be exchanged between property manager and tenant.

This will move forward without contact either through lockboxes, post, or leaving the key in a safe place for the receiving individual to collect.

The post 4 ways renting a home has become contactless during to COVID-19 appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Interstate parents had the agent describe a Hawthorn East unit over the phone before submitting a bid on the property for their Victorian-based daughter.

The buyers secured the two-bedroom apartment at 6/22 Auburn Grove for $660,000 in the whirlwind sale.

The property was advertised with a $610,0000-$670,000 asking price.

“They didn’t even see it – it was really discrete,” Belle Property Balwyn agent George Yu said.

“I got a call on the last day ahead of the lockdown and they said they were very interested in the property.

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A unit at 6/22 Auburn Grove, Hawthorn East sold after an over-the-phone description.

The buyers wanted to secure a property ahead of stage four lockdown restrictions.

One of two bedrooms in the unit.

“We filled them in — we never did the virtual tour because they never asked,” Mr Yu said. “They asked us to describe the property to them. We sat on the phone for 30 minutes.”

The Perth-based parents scrambled to submit an offer on behalf of their first-home buyer daughter because they “wanted to secure something before the lockdown”, Mr Yu said.

After making an offer at the bottom of the range that was rejected, the family added an extra $50,000 to round out the sale.

The Hawthorn East unit had a balcony.

Not even a virtual tour was needed to close out the deal.

“If they’re nicely located and priced sharply, you’re going to get a sale,” Mr Yu said.

“Am I shocked this one sold so quickly? No. Am I shocked they bought and didn’t see the property? Yes.”

The sale secured an extra $79,000 for the vendors, who purchased the site for $581,000 in July 2019, CoreLogic records show.

They had also completed minor renovations.

Mr Yu also sold a two-bedroom townhouse at 13/916-918 Canterbury Rd, Box Hill South for $640,000 in late July.

A two-bedroom townhouse at 13/916-918 Canterbury Road, Box Hill South sold in late July.

Approximately $30,000 in renovations were done on the Box Hill South property.

The site, which sold for $530,000 in August 2018, gained more interest after a return of stage three restrictions.

“Before stage three, I wasn’t getting many inquiries, after stage three I got much better inquiries because people think it’s a better time to buy,” Mr Yu said.

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jack.boronovskis@news.com.au

@jackboronovskis

The post Hawthorn East unit sells without inspection or virtual tour appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Berthong – Billyard Ave, Elizabeth Bay, NSW

Retired car dealer Laurie Sutton has been revealed as selling a Darling Point mansion for $32m and buying the Elizabeth Bay waterfront trophy home Berthong for even more.

Sutton’s former home is a grand architectural masterpiece of five bedrooms and six glamorous bathrooms and is one of just four homes in exclusive Lindsay Ave, but it wasn’t directly on the waterfront.

But historic Berthong — a historic 1880s villa once owned by Rupert Murdoch and movie star Russell Crowe — has beautiful gardens leading down to the harbour.

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Berthong is right on the waterfront.

What an entrance.

Details emerged in May of Berthong selling earlier in the year, through Ken Jacobs of Christies. At the time, it was thought the deal was close to the asking price of $35m, the highest price for a house for 2020.

It was only when news emerged yesterday that Sutton had sold his Darling Point residence — which records confirm was $32m on March 4, just days after Australia’s first COVID-19 fatality — that sources indicate Sutton was the buyer of Berthong.

Berthong has beautiful gardens.

And amazing views.

The settlement records for 4 Lindsay Ave on August 8 show the buyer to be a Pamela Lee, believed to be the wife of John Borg of Borg Constructions.

The Lindsay Ave home was originally been listed with agent Alison Coopes with a $35m guide more than a year ago, but later withdrawn.

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4 Lindsay Ave, Darling Point, has views of the harbour …

… But is landlocked.

Berthong had previously been known as Macleay House and was used as a ladies college until Federation.

In 1936 it was bought by a wealthy music publisher, Frank Albert, who had built the trophy residence Boomerang next door.

The most recent vendor was lawyer Peter Ziegler and his wife Andrea.

The post Car dealer Laurie Sutton buys Elizabeth Bay’s Berthong appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Two family real estate businesses have come together, First National McGregor and 4one4 Real Estate. (L-R) John McGregor, Paul Berry (standing), Patrick and Abbey Berry, Julie and Chris McGregor. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

PATRICK Berry and John McGregor have known each other since kindergarten, went through school together and after school started working for their family businesses.

And now, that friendship has helped bring them back together with the two companies McGregor First National and 4one4 Real Estate becoming one.

John’s father Chris, an industry leader with decades of property market and Real Estate Institute experience, said the wheels started turning on joining the companies about a year ago.

He said the businesses were similar in many ways, dedicated to personalised service and each has a good culture.

Patrick said that they shared similar family-run values such as going that extra mile for a vendor.

“Last week, one of my sales consultants painted a door to make sure a house settled,” he said.

“John has swept water off a vendor’s balcony at 2am after a storm.”

With family, you have to drop everything from time to time, John said, and that way of thinking is ingrained in the culture of our business.

Two Hobart family businesses have joined forces, First National McGregor and 4one4 Real Estate. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

While each company has different approaches to doing the same job – 4one4 is known as a tech-savvy company, McGregor has the breadth of experience – they complement each other.

“The knowledge, history, their approach on how to get things done has been a great addition to the business already,” Patrick said.

John said that the business had a wealth of experience ranging from 17-year-olds just starting out, to Paul Berry and Chris with their decades-long depth of knowledge, which can only be good news for their clients. “I feel like the most exciting bit is being able to use our resources and experiences to adapt to what out clients need and to create an agency that is ‘of today’,” he said.

“From a client perspective, it will be business as usual.”

A point of difference for 4one4 is the goal of providing a one-stop shop.

It has a strata arm, sales, rentals and marketing that is all in house.

The guys also have a podcast together, for fun, and to educate people on the local market.

The Property Pod. Picture: ROGER LOVELL

COVID has left its mark on every aspect of society and business decisions are not exempt from its influence.

For Patrick and Paul, they took the long view of what would be possible by pushing ahead with the merger.

“There was probably a bit of nervous energy about doing it, but because of the team we were working with, ultimately we were not worried,” Patrick said.

“If we didn’t know the McGregor family as well as we do it might have been different, but for us it was a great opportunity and we wanted to go for it.”

Regardless of the climate, John said, it was still a “solid plan”.

“COVID has effected the greater market, and yet we have still been able to do go numbers, which is a reflection of the hard work we all put it,” he said.

The post From strength to strength, local agents join forces in win for customers appeared first on realestate.com.au.