Open house inspections returned to Albury on Saturday, with Border agents reporting more demand than supply in property sales despite the coronavirus crisis.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
More than 40 homes throughout the city opened to potential buyers as NSW restrictions were lifted to allow public viewings for the first time since mid-March.
Jindera's Pat Wright and Hannah Etheridge appreciated not having to book a appointment to look though one of the open houses, a new listing in Felstead Circuit, Thurgoona.
The couple has been hunting for their first home for months without success.
"It's probably more the lack of houses that have actually been for sale," Mr Wright said.
Sales agent Andrea Lever, of Ray White Albury, said precautions like providing hand sanitiser, extra signage and monitoring numbers in each house helped fulfil social distancing requirements.
"At one property I did have seven groups, so we had to take it in turns," she said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Ms Lever said while some vendors had decided against selling at this stage, sales had been strong, particularly among buyers from Melbourne and Sydney.
"I've had some people buy because their money's sitting in a cash term deposit and it's doing nothing," she said.
"Other people, they've had time to scroll online and they're, 'Gosh, Albury's so cheap to buy'."
Stean Nicholls Real Estate director Lachlan Hutchins reported good numbers through the agency's open homes.
"There were lots of buyers back out, probably a few more than I actually anticipated," he said.
"Things have been selling well, it's probably more people are a little bit reluctant to put things on the market.
"I spoke to a few other agents and they've said the same thing, they've sold their stock list, they're just trying to get more listings."
Zelle Real Estate sales agent Sue Moss said the Zelle open homes were well attended and felt people had found more time to research properties during the COVID-19 restrictions.
"I think we've been very fortunate in Albury, really," she said.
"I can see it only progressing now really, as long as everyone does the right thing."
With winter to come, "who's got a crystal ball?".
"But we're really happy with what's happened (on Saturday) and the progress that we've made over the time we've been in isolation," Mrs Moss said.
Mr Hutchins said while the colder months tended to be quieter for the real estate industry, vendors wary because of coronavirus might now be more encouraged to sell.
"People who were sitting on their hands a little bit are now calling up wanting to get appraisals done, so I tend to think it will tick over like a normal winter," he said.
