Canberra house prices jumped in 2020 despite the endless crises of epidemic, fire, smoke and hail, according to one of Australia's biggest real estate companies.
But buyers switched to houses rather than units in tightly packed apartment blocks as they sought space in the era of COVID.
And Bungendore emerged as second only to a small town in Victoria as the most attractive place in Australia for fugitives from the city to relocate to.
Despite the horrendous year, home prices in the ACT rose by 7.5 per cent, according to data collected by the national real estate company CoreLogic.
Of the state and territory capitals, only Darwin saw a faster rise. Prices in Melbourne fell over the year and those in Sydney rose by only 2.7 per cent.
The general picture was: Canberra did better than other capitals but apartments were less attractive compared with houses - and some sought the safety of space in the country.
"It's been an unbelievable market," Bungendore estate agent Dan Woodford, of PRDnationwide, said.
"When COVID started we weren't sure what was going to happen but we've been bombarded with calls and emails. At the end of December, it was frantic."
The demand for property outside the city was unrelenting as the agency reopened for business after the Christmas break.
"We were searching and searching in Canberra," Hamish McCluskey said. He and his family ended up opting for Bungendore because "I'm far enough to feel I'm not living on top of someone".
They get a lot more property for their money outside the city but Bungendore is not so far away that he can't commute in to run his construction business in Mitchell.
Across the country, prices for houses rose faster than prices for units. CoreLogic reckons that this was because lockdowns meant "remote working opportunities" became more attractive. Flats in cities became less attractive.
"Demand for lifestyle properties and lower density housing options became more popular, regional areas of Australia saw housing market conditions surge," a company statement said.
"Regional housing markets had generally underperformed relative to the capital city regions over the past decade, but 2020 saw regional housing values surge as demand outweighed supply," CoreLogic's research director, Tim Lawless, said.
Separate research by ME Bank put Bungendore second to Nairne in Victoria as "the best regional town for those looking to buy their first home".
The bank thought that the trend would continue this year. "Topping the property trends in 2021 is the desire for 'urban village' living, related to the significant increase of professionals working from home," ME Bank's Head of Home Loans, Andrew Bartolo, said.
"With the daily commute no longer a deciding factor in the homebuying process, regional areas within a commutable distance to CBDs are being added to homebuyers' wish lists.
"Many are succumbing to the appeal of a slower pace of living, a closeness with nature and connection with neighbours."
