Vendors have been advised not to pull their homes from the market after government measures forced the axing of thousands of upcoming auctions.
More than 2700 sellers in Victoria were booked in to sell their properties under the hammer in the next three weeks, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.
While some were able to reschedule early auctions before tonight’s midnight deadline, many are desperately seeking a new way to sell.
REIV president Leah Calnan said those affected would have to change their plans to another viable sale method but encouraged them to remain on the market.
“It could be a private sale, a sale by a set date or an online auction,” Ms Calnan said.
“While auction houses, auctions and open for inspections are being put on hold, we are still able to conduct private inspections for rental and sales campaigns.”
From tomorrow, March 26, realestate.com.au will offer vendors a chance to add virtual tours to their listings for free.
Advantage Property Consultants director Frank Valentic said he had encouraged vendors to list for private sale rather than go down the online auction path.
“It may have a slight effect on final prices, as sometimes buyers get emotional at auctions which leads to them paying a higher price,” Mr Valentic said.
“But you can still get great results via an expressions of interest campaign or a private sale.”
He added there was no reason for vendors to pull their properties from the market, as there could be residential price drops in the near future.
“If you have to sell your house, get onto the market sooner rather than later,” he said.
“We’ll see adjustments to a buyer’s market over time and vendors may have to adjust their price expectations downwards if this is still going in about six months.”
Buxton Bentleigh director John Rombotis said online auctions seemed a bit “too hard” at the moment for some buyers.
Agencies including Ray White, Woodards and Barry Plant have teamed up with online auction platforms as a way to get properties sold.
Auction streaming and online bidding service Gavl reported a 200 per cent increase in traffic over the past fortnight, suggesting digitally savvy Melbourne market participants were already adapting to the new norm.
“Vendors (should note) there is a way to engage and attract buyers while making sure health and safety is a forefront of people’s minds,” Gavl chief executive Joel Smith said.
— with Samantha Landy