Virus uncertainty hits Stanthorpe housing sales
‘The biggest impact has been uncertainty about the rules of non-essential driving’ says local agent.
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CORONAVIRUS travel restrictions have affected property sales as people opt not to drive to inspect houses.
Local agents have reported fewer inquiries and sales, noting one of the biggest impacts has been uncertainty about the rules of non-essential driving.
Crisp Real Estate agent Julie Jones said buyers from Brisbane, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts and NSW were not willing to risk a fine.
Even the easing of restrictions to allow a 50km trip was not enough to get more property hunters into the region,” Ms Jones said.
She said the coronavirus lockdown was a continuation of the negative impact of drought and bushfires.
However she said there was a glimmer of hope city dwellers would consider moving to regional towns such as Stanthorpe to avoid pandemics.
“We might find in the future it will be really good for the area because a lot of people might decide they want to live in the country,” she said.
Cold Country Real Estate principal Bruce Green said he had fielded calls from prospective buyers considering a green change once COVID-19 was under control.
“People are still keen to move to the region. I’ve had some people ring me sussing out their options,” Mr Green said.
“Out here we don’t have a full grasp of what’s happening in the cities and people might just want to get away from that.”
However he said enticing people to the region would depend heavily on secure water resources and more jobs.
David Schnitzerling from David Schnitzerling & Co said the market had been quiet for three weeks but was picking up, with decent interest in bigger blocks of land.
Mr Schnitzerling said it was difficult to conclude whether drought, bushfires or COVID-19 had the greatest impact on property sales.
The median house price in Stanthorpe is $255,000, realestate.com.au shows, which is the same as May last year. The median is down on this year’s peak of $261,000 in February.
“Nobody will know what the full impact will be for quite some time,” Mr Schnitzerling said.
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