Lyn Davenport and her 12-year-old daughter, Grace, have sold their Mornington home, but now can’t look for new homes under the stage four lockdown. Picture: Alex Coppel
The extension of Melbourne’s real estate lockdown has left many buyers, sellers and homeowners in limbo.
Among them are Mornington’s Lyn Davenport and Ringwood’s Brenda Hemphill, who had no choice but to sell their homes and are now facing the prospect of being unable to find new places to live before they hand over the keys to new owners.
Then there’s Tim Drew, who is footing the bill for expensive bridging finance and stranded in his almost-empty Balwyn house after its selling campaign had to be shelved due to the stage four coronavirus lockdown.
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The plight of these people, and others like them, has sparked desperate calls for the real estate sector to be deemed an essential service and as a result, for private physical inspections to be revived as soon as possible.
The Victorian Government’s road map to reopening revealed in-person inspections would only be able to resume if the state recorded fewer than five daily cases over the two weeks prior to October 26.
Ray White Group managing director Dan White said the sector provided access to “a basic human need” in shelter.
And Real Estate Industry Partners chief executive Sadhana Smiles said the “stress, anxiety and financial pressures” many Melburnians were facing could “so simply be avoided with very minor changes to the current restrictions” — namely, allowing one-on-one inspections.
“It is beyond unreasonable to expect tenants and buyers to make such drastic financial and
emotional decisions based merely on virtual tours,” she said.
Belle Property Balwyn principal director Robert Ding said the situation was particularly dire for those who had “already sold their properties and need to find somewhere to rent or buy”. “They’re going to be homeless, otherwise,” he said.
Read on for the stories of some of the Melburnians facing added hardship amid the pandemic due to the real estate lockdown.
‘A few of us need dispensation’
Lyn Davenport just wants to be able to “go and look at a rental”. Picture: Alex Coppel.
Lyn Davenport sold her Mornington house “between lockdowns”, after her marriage broke down.
And now, under a stage four lockdown in which in-person home inspections are outlawed, finding a new home for herself and autistic daughter Grace, 12, has essentially become mission impossible.
“I can’t go and look at a rental,” Ms Davenport said.
“I understand Daniel Andrews is trying to do the best thing for all of us. But I think a few of us need dispensation.
“This is certainly not to upgrade (homes). The end of a relationship means you come out worse off emotionally and financially.”
With physical inspections not expected to resume until October 26, the single mum won’t have much time to view properties before her house sale settles in mid November.
On top of trying to find a new home, Ms Davenport is struggling to keep her business selling vintage clothing and upcycled furniture, French Vintage and Chic, afloat.
She said she couldn’t shift her store online because she would have to travel much more than 5km to the business’s base at Waverley Bazaar to pick up stock.
“I was really hoping I could buy a house, but I don’t think that’s going to be happening because I can’t work (and) I can’t get a loan,” she said.
Ms Davenport will also have to decide where Grace will start high school next year — a decision that may simply hinge on where she can find them a home.
“Another six weeks of this is going to be really tough,” she said.
‘We’re in a bit of limbo’
Tim Drew, his wife, Sam, son Jian, 18, and niece Boramey, 29, have been left stranded in their barely-furnished Balwyn house by the real estate lockdown. Picture: David Caird
Melbourne’s extended real estate lockdown has left Tim Drew and his family living “in limbo”, in a house furnished by only a trestle table, fold-out chairs, blow-up mattresses and a bean bag.
Mr Drew and his wife, Sam, bought a house in Ringwood East in June, agreeing to a 151-day settlement thinking it would give them plenty of time to sell their current Balwyn home.
In late July, they, their son Jian, 18, and niece Boramey, 29, moved out of the Balwyn abode into Quest Mont Albert down the road to get minor renovations done ahead of listing the property.
They cleared out the house’s furnishings to make way for staging furniture and engaged a real estate agent and photographer to prepare the listing.
Melbourne’s stage four lockdown — and with it, a ban on physical property inspections — was announced three days before the house was set to hit the market.
“All of that got brought to a grinding halt,” Mr Drew said.
“We moved back (into the Balwyn house) on August 3. The house is basically empty — the staging furniture is piled up in two rooms (and) we’ve borrowed a trestle table, four fold-out chairs, one bean bag and blow-up mattresses. We’re sort of glamping.
“We’re in a bit of limbo. I’m sure we’re no different to thousands of other homeowners in Melbourne.”
Mr Drew said while he was able to get bridging finance, it was costing “a substantial amount of money every month that goes by”.
“We don’t need a fire sale, but it would be good to sell as soon as possible,” he said.
“We’ll be listing as soon as the market opens up again.”
‘We have had to sell our forever home’
The real estate industry is lobbying for private one-on-one inspections to be revived as soon as possible, expanding to open for inspections like this one once COVID-19 is more under control. Picture: Tim Carrafa
Bone marrow cancer patient Brenda Hemphill has to move out of her Ringwood home by September 25.
This puts the 70-year-old in a significant pickle, as the extended COVID-19 lockdown outlined by the state government will prevent her from touring new rentals until a month after this deadline.
Ms Hemphill recently sold her unit at auction, via Ray White Ringwood, after her husband’s “business went bankrupt and forced the sale”.
“We have had to sell our forever home, and there’s no chance of delaying the settlement as my husband went bankrupt,” she said.
“I have bone marrow cancer and need to stay close to the hospital for treatments.
“I also cannot go and view any rental properties. I am imploring Daniel Andrew to make life a bit easier for us.”
‘Massive financial burden’
Desperate to keep the tenants at his North Melbourne investment property, Dennis heeded the Victorian Government’s call for landlords to offer rent reductions for those in COVID-19 hardship and agreed to a $160 weekly discount.
Even with this, his renters couldn’t make their last two payments and then expressed a need to vacate.
If they follow through, Dennis’s property will likely remain vacant until physical inspections can resume — which at this rate, is at least six weeks away — meaning no income from the investment.
Dennis, who declined to provide his surname, said he was facing “a massive financial burden when my tenants vacate”.
“It’s not really a question of if, but when,” he said.
“We’ve got our own mortgage, and I’m not in a financial position to be paying two mortgages on my own without any rental income to support that.”
“How is it fair people can visit places like Bunnings just to pick up some fertiliser, or nuts and bolts, and housing is a necessity, yet, we can’t even get a professional photographer through the property to relist?”
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