Dan Andrews flags hope for spring auction market
Home inspections could be back in Victoria this weekend to kickstart the spring property market. This is what is being discussed.
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Home inspections could be back in Victoria this weekend to kickstart the spring property market.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said “common sense” would apply when allowing buyers and sellers to view property.
The Victorian Government had flagged inspections of unoccupied properties would begin once the state hit 70 per cent first dose vaccination rates.
That mark was likely to be hit on Thursday, breathing life into the market ahead of the usually busy selling season.
Mr Andrews said plans were being considered on restarting inspections, with details to be released soon.
“I can’t confirm whether this Saturday or next Saturday they will go back but it’s our aim to make those changes and to make them in an enduring way,” he said on Wednesday.
“You’ve just got to give us a little bit more time on that.”
When asked whether an unoccupied property meant vacant, or simply the owners left for the day, the Premier said: “I think it’s just common sense, there needs to be no-one there when the people are going through.
“The exact specifications of that will be there in the orders. We will confirm that for you with a precise set of words but common sense drives all these things.
“You can’t be having people through doing an inspection while you’re there – that is essentially visitors to your home.
“This is transmitted from one person to another and aerosol transmission is a really significant part of that.”
There were 112 houses sold at auction last weekend but Melbourne’s lockdown has frozen the market.
Frantic sellers had been considering moving out of their properties and into Airbnb’s to allow inspections to go ahead.
Some who had already bought must sell quickly, leaving some at risk of being forced to delay settlements or stay with family and friends while they waited to purchase a new home.
The lockdown has also hit the rental market hard, with homes unable to be inspected while tenanted.
There were 112 homes sold at auction last weekend, with a 91 per cent clearance rate.
However, there has been a surge in private sales, with 1193 recorded last week.
stephen.drill@news.com.au
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