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“2021 was such a vibrant year for our housing market – we saw strong clearance rates and a record number of auctions,” Powell said. “That meant auctions were pushed to other days. There weren’t enough hours in the day to schedule auctions on [regular] Saturdays.”
“There’s also probably fewer of us wanting to travel. Long weekends prior to the pandemic, we would have exited cities. There is still a cautious nature for many of us, keeping us on home turf.”
Davis said plenty of buyers have shown interest in the property and are not concerned the auction is being held on a long weekend.Credit:Renee Nowytarger
The workarounds to keep property transactions turning over during lockdowns had disrupted traditional selling periods to a certain extent, as well, according to Michael Garofolo, auctioneer at Cooley Auctions.
“The intervention of technology since 2019, particularly online auctions, has allowed buyers to watch the auction, they have the ability to be by the beach on their phone bidding,” Garofolo said, adding that buyers can transfer and exchange on contracts electronically, as well.
“I had five auctions booked in for last Saturday. For an Easter long weekend, that’s ridiculous. It’s unheard of.”
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The pandemic had also meant many people play it safe on long weekends now and stay nearby said Stu Benson, auctioneer at Benson Auctions.
“You’re less likely to lose a buyer, however if they are overseas or interstate they can jump online to bid again. Over the years, conventional wisdom has been thrown out of the window.”
He said ultimately a genuine buyer on a property will always make sure to be there to bid, however that may be.
Ray White NSW chief auctioneer Alex Pattaro said the market has gone from strength to strength since the start of COVID-19, with consistent demand regardless of the time of year.
“Whether it’s going to be like that in the next 12 months is a different story. The fact we have hybrid auctions makes it a whole lot more accessible for buyers in remote locations,” Pattaro said.
“It’ll be interesting to see what the data does in the next little while, as stock levels thin out. I don’t think it’s a trend that will stick around, stock levels are starting to thin right out.”
He said a handful of sellers have already booked in their auctions on May 21, unperturbed by the federal election.