As a community we are in unprecedented times as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. The past five months have presented challenges none of us could ever have imagined we would be facing.

The past 18 months are best described as a tale of two halves. Prior to the Federal Election we experienced very tough market conditions, with values falling as much as 20%, before a swift recovery as confidence returned after the election, with the market rallying back by 15% in as little as four months as positive sentiment returned.

And now we have been hit with COVID-19, which left many in our industry unsure of what to expect, while the impact manifested itself in so many different ways – both positively and adversely.

The very good news is that house values have held firm at most price points and buyer demand has remained strong due to the limited availability of homes on the market. For this reason, we anticipate a strong rebuild once restrictions lift, with vendors returning to the market met with a group of buyers who are in most cases ready to purchase much faster than in the traditional four-week campaign.