33A Hope Street, Geelong West has been popular with Melbourne-based buyers – but they’ll need to prove they’re ready to go if they want to inspect it.
Regional real estate agents are screening prospective buyers from Melbourne amid concerns some are using property inspections as an excuse to escape lockdown.
Citywide isolation measures, which also cover residents of Mitchell Shire to the city’s north, allow residents to travel for private inspections of homes — but not for open for inspections.
Maryborough Ballarat Real Estate’s Kate Ashton said she had encountered prospective buyers who appeared to be using inspections as something to do, or with only vague plans to buy in six months time.
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Covering a patch of Victoria’s goldfields just outside of Bendigo, about two hours from Melbourne, she said the region was enjoying springlike conditions and was very attractive for a daytrip, but urged Melburnians to stay away for now.
“On Thursday afternoon I declined two people who asked for me to write them a letter to say they are going to look at a property,” Ms Ashton said.
Last weekend a couple from Narre Warren arrived unexpectedly at a home in Dunolly she had open for inspection and questioned whether she had the right to refuse them entry.
“I think there are some people using it as an excuse to come to the beautiful country areas,” Ms Ashworth said.
Off-the-grid homes such as 85 Baker Road, Amherst are attracting Melbourne buyers.
Unless a buyer had finance approved and a 10 per cent deposit, or was a cash buyer, she said she was turning them away.
Even those who are looking for a home to buy with plans to then sell their property in Melbourne to finance the purchase are being asked to wait until after COVID-19 has been contained again.
“I would hate there to be an outbreak that is traced back to real estate in our community,” Ms Ashton said.
30 Thompson Street, Dunolly is for sale at $230,000 and has investors keen.
She added that she was making most of her weekend available for private inspections to accommodate genuine buyers, with recent high demand from Melbourne.
In the past week house hunters from the city had been showing strong interest in a $285,000 two-bedroom mud-brick, off-the-grid house at 85 Baker Road, Amherst, she said.
Meanwhile, a pair of homes in Dunolly — north of Maryborough — for under $250,000 had been popular with city slickers looking for a good rental return.
A two-bedroom house at 91 Broadway expected to fetch $195,000 had attracted significant inquiry, as had a two-bedroom house at 30 Thompson Street with a $230,000 asking price.
With a $195,000 asking price, 91 Broadway, Dunolly, is exceptionally affordable.
In Geelong, Gartland’s Nathan Ashton, no relation to Ms Ashton, said he was turning away buyers unless they were ready to buy that day and had only allowed one couple from a hotspot suburb to inspect after they showed proof of a negative COVID-19 test two days prior.
“Most of our vendors aren’t comfortable with having Melbourne buyers come through at the moment,” Mr Ashton said.
“And most people and buyers are being really good about it, they are being understanding, though a lot are trying to sneak down. Some people will be misleading about their whereabouts.”
For those that were being allowed to inspect, they were confirming they had finance arranged before allowing them to visit a property.
“We are treating it like they are coming to an auction, they need to be able to buy ‘today’,” Mr Ashton said.
14 Emerald St, Geelong West sold to a Melbourne-based buyer last month.
He said Geelong West properties such as 33A Hope Street had been particularly popular with Melbourne based buyers recently.
Another home in the suburb at 14 Emerald Street sold for $650,000 to a Melbourne-based buyer on June 17.
Both agents said they would enforce the government ban on Melburnians attending open for inspections and turn buyers from the city who hadn’t made private inspection arrangements away this weekend.
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