Australia’s booming real estate market, surprisingly fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic, is showing no signs of slowing with a tranche of property agents experiencing one of the busiest times in their careers.
Michelle Stephens, Victoria’s Top Residential Agent in the 2020 Annual REA Excellence Awards (AREA), said COVID-19 had given a lot of people “a massive wake-up call” and cause to reconsider their priorities.
This has fuelled markets across Australia by incredible proportions, evident in the significant number of sales attained by agents despite pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions.
Ms Stephens, from O’Brien Real Estate – Carrum Downs, made a staggering 174 sales as the primary agent in 2020, amassing $113 million in dollar value. The average sale price was $650,000. And she said the market was showing no signs of slowing.
Michelle Stephens made a staggering 174 sales in the Carrum Downs area in 2020. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
“People are saying stock numbers are down but they’re not down – it’s just that they’re selling so quickly,” she said. “It’s a case that you’re listing them and they’re just getting snapped up.
“I didn’t really sell anything sight-unseen last year but these last couple of lockdowns [in Victoria] I’ve got more people with buyer confidence knowing the market is not going to drop.
“That was a lot of the concern last year – no one knew what was going to happen on the other side of COVID, but this year people have been more confident to buy sight-unseen because they know how strong the market has been. Every time we come out of a lockdown it seems to get stronger.”
Realestate.com.au has celebrated last year’s top residential agents in each state with Alexander Phillips, from PPD Real Estate, taking out the Top Residential Agent for NSW with 159 sales totalling $704 million, while Alex Jordan, at McGrath Estate Agents – Paddington was named Queensland’s top agent with 74 sales netting $138 million.
In WA, Carlos Lehn, from Acton – Mount Lawley sold 94 properties worth $75 million. Nick Psarros, from Ray White – Port Adelaide, SA, sold 152 properties worth over $87 million,
In the ACT, Brett Hayman, from Hayman Partners – Curtin sold 133 homes worth $144 million, while Jeremy Wilkinson, at Harcourts – Launceston, took out the title in Tasmania with 115 sales worth $46 million. Sam Linn, from LJ Hooker – Alice Springs, was named the NT award winner with 62 property sales, valued at $28 million.
Alexander Phillips from PPD Real Estate, took out the Top Residential Agent for NSW with 159 sales totalling $704 million. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Ms Stephens said she was proud to be acknowledged with the prestigious AREA award and amongst the highest performing agents in Australia.
“I consider this one of the best awards in the industry and it was a massive honour to win it,” she said.
“I was surprised because my median sale price is a lot less than some agents. A lot of other awards are geared around the dollar value, but to me someone’s $600,000 house is just as important as a $3 million house. Each one is a significant asset to the owner.”
Realestate.com.au national sales director Kul Singh said the AREAs acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the real estate fraternity in a challenging year.
“The AREAs focus on recognising and celebrating the success of real estate professionals in the property industry,” Mr Singh said.
“Through recognising outstanding achievements, we are able to play a role in educating the market on who the top performing agents are and assist those consumers on their property journey in selecting the best and most suited agent.
“The resilience shown throughout the industry over the past 18 months has been remarkable.
“Undoubtedly, the pandemic challenged us all, both professionally and personally. Like so many industries, real estate professionals were required to adapt quickly to the change in conditions. It was through these challenging conditions that we saw fast-tracked innovation and great opportunities for growth – taking excellence to a whole new level.”
The post Surging property sales allow agents to shine during pandemic appeared first on realestate.com.au.
Australia’s booming real estate market, surprisingly fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic, is showing no signs of slowing with a tranche of property agents experiencing one of the busiest times in their careers.
The post Surging property sales allow agents to shine during pandemic appeared first on realestate.com.au.