Post-lockdown open homes equal offers
Busy open homes prompt agent to ask what are sellers waiting for? Prices to drop? Colleen Hawkes reports.
While the real estate market had an enforced slowdown over lockdown, the first week of open homes and sales in level 2 shows things appear to be getting back to normal.
Ray White offices across New Zealand made it the best of both worlds on Tuesday evening with multiple bidders battling it out both online and in an auction room. Eight properties sold under the hammer for a combined
$7,965,000.
Ray White Royal Oak principal Rohan Thompson and salesman James Burry managed the
$1,495,000 in-room sale of a home in Onehunga, Auckland.
‘‘Between private appointments and the one weekend of open homes, this property attracted more than 50 groups, because the home represented a higher quality than would usually be found in this area,’’ Thompson says.
‘‘There is such a large buyer pool out there, and we were expecting strong competition – that certainly materialised on the night with eight registered and four active bidders. The numbers we’ve had through and the strong sales we’ve had recently tells us that stock being sold is really active – and we hope it makes people feel confident to come to market.’’
Thompson says he sold three properties at auction the previous week.
‘‘We are finding a lot of buyers are willing to commit; they’re not just browsing.’’
Jamin Marshall, sales manager at Harcourts Merivale in Christchurch, says his team met early Monday, and noted that every open home in the weekend had between eight and 10 groups through each day, although never more than 10 people at any one time, as per the level 2 rules. And the firm is seeing results.
‘‘We have already had preauction offers, including a couple of multi-offers, with another coming in today. We have had to bring forward an auction to this Friday, and the property is guaranteed to sell.’’
Marshall puts the interest down to a lack of stock on the market.
‘‘There is a lot of buyer interest