Shane Warne pulls Brighton home from auction hours before ban
A ban on public auctions was pre-empted by one of Melbourne’s most experienced property players: Shane Warne. It comes as others rush to beat the midnight ban by auctioning later today.
A Federal Government ban on public auctions was pre-empted by one of Melbourne’s most experienced property players: Shane Warne.
It comes as the chief executive of one of Melbourne’s largest real estate groups has revealed he is personally delivering disposable gloves to offices, and other owners bring forward auction plans to tonight ahead of the midnight ban.
Yesterday the spin king pulled his Brighton home from a planned April 4 auction barely seven days after listing it for sale, and just hours before the Prime Minister banned the sales method.
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It is understood Warne was concerned about having people inspecting the home.
JP Dixon director Jonathan Dixon yesterday confirmed Warne had changed his plans, and said other listings in the area were shifting to appointment-only inspections, with interested buyers required to register first.
In a national address on Tuesday night, Scott Morrison announced open for inspections and auctions would be banned for the foreseeable future as the nation fights the COVID-19 threat.
The move means thousands of Melbourne homesellers have had to scrap planned auctions.
At this stage home sales are being allowed to continue via private treaty, and private inspections are still believed to be acceptable.
Many agents are now restricting inspections to one person, with even families required to take turns inside a home at privately arranged inspections.
Most real estate agencies now have gloves and disinfectant regimes in place where agents are dealing with the public or homeowners.
Yesterday, Barry Plant chief executive Mike McCarthy said he was personally delivering a supply of disposable gloves to agencies in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
“We managed to get a supply of gloves from corporate suppliers, which are being shared out to our offices,” Mr McCarthy said.
The group was now looking ahead to how they would be operating as the threat continued to grow, and has a hand sanitiser shipment expected in about two weeks.
Shane Warne’s pedigree as a property expert includes owning several multimillion-dollar homes in Brighton, including one sold for $18,888,888 a few years ago and his current address: once owned by Essendon Football Club great Matthew Lloyd, to which Warne has added a nightclub style basement.
His concerns about inspections of homes have been echoed by many others looking to sell.
Agents now issued gloves and required those inspecting homes to sanitise their hands and confirm they were in good health, Mr Dixon said.
The number of those inspecting privately will also be highly limited, with expectations agents would be working “one-on-one” with buyers.
“It’s going back to the ‘60s,” Mr Dixon said.
Despite the uncertainty, Mr Dixon said he had a number of new listings coming up and that those considering buying could be confident they would be dealing with vendors who weren’t “testing the market”.
Some homesellers have rushed forward plans with auctions rescheduled to 6.15pm tonight, a few hours ahead of the ban.
A luxury home at 13 Daff Ave, Hampton East, is attempting to beat the clock, with Buxton Hampton East to auction the house at 6.15pm.
Buxton Hampton East director Noel Susay said the Real Estate Institute of Victoria had confirmed that for now real estate agents could continue working, but many agencies would be taking significant measures to protect staff and the public.
However, early data suggests the Bayside area is still keen to buy and sell.
“Last weekend our agency had an 80 per cent clearance rate, and the weekend before it was 100 per cent,” Mr Susay said.
With a limited supply of homes for sale, and many who had already sold now looking to buy before settlement, the Bayside market is expected to continue running at a reduced level.
“And a lot of younger people don’t want their pre-approval to expire before they buy,” Mr Susay said.
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Originally published as Shane Warne pulls Brighton home from auction hours before ban