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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Kimberley Le Lievre

On-site home auctions go ahead in Canberra, some with supervision

A home in Lyons is auctioned off on Saturday by Peter Blackshaw Real Estate as social distancing restrictions ease. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos

On-site real estate auctions were held across the capital for the first time in weeks on Saturday as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

But some real estate firms are in no rush to return to give up the online platforms.

While open homes and auctions are now permitted, strict social distancing guidelines need to be obeyed, and a maximum of only 10 people, not including agency staff, are allowed at any one time.

Luton Properties agent Tim Burke said they weren't going to risk doing onsite auctions at this stage, as 10 attendees was difficult to police.

"10 is not enough, unfortunately," Mr Burke said.

"Luton will be completely online until the next restrictions are eased, then most likely they will be more logistically easy to do."

Mr Burke said more than half the auctions they had done in the past six weeks online had more than 10 people virtually there.

"The online stuff, we've embraced it and a lot of the bidders have been happy with it, so it has worked out well."

On Saturday, Blackshaw agents reverted to conducting on-site auctions within the strict guidelines.

An on-site home auction in Lyons is conducted by Peter Blackshaw Real Estate on Saturday. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos

Blackshaw Manuka managing director Andrew Chamberlain said Access Canberra employees visited their auction at 4 Ada Place, Lyons to ensure social distancing and crowd limits were being obeyed.

The five-bedroom family home attracted nine people, four of whom were registered bidders. The small crowd obeyed social distancing measures for the big event.

Across the road peering on were presumably the neighbours, who, as they weren't in the immediate vicinity of the auction, did not contribute to the total number of people allowed.

Blackshaw had seven staff at the auction to ensure crowd numbers were controlled and everything ran smoothly for one of their first ones back. Staff are not included in the 10-pax limit.

The home was passed in at auction but sold for $980,000 immediately after.

"We were very happy with how the whole day went," Mr Chamberlain said.

He said it was much easier to adapt to slowly changing back to pre-COVID-19 days than it was when coronavirus first hit and they were required to move everything online within days.

"It was a very large shift and was one that happened very quickly. In comparison to that, anything we're required to do in the gradual unwinding is very straight forward."

One of the posters agents are required to display at open homes and auctions.

On Friday night Access Canberra emailed ACT real estate agents to remind them of their coronavirus-related obligations and to request they hang signs at auctions and open homes reminding patrons of their responsibilities.

READ MORE:

The email said, under the new restrictions, the details of everyone attending an open home had to be recorded down to the minute they enter the building, for contact tracing purposes.

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