Wide Bay builders are calling for an extension to the Federal Government's HomeBuilder grant to help them deal with an influx of houses waiting to be built.
All states and territories have now signed up to the National Partnership Agreement, with applications for the $25,000 grant soon to be available through the Queensland treasury.
Aletha Walters from Stroud Homes Wide Bay said people were jumping at the chance to receive the grant in addition to the state's first home owner grant.
"We've found that we've gone from selling an average of nine to 10 homes a month to 25 … which is incredible," she said.
"This is unheard of and we probably won't ever see this again, so everyone is trying to jump on."
To be eligible for the grant, building contracts must be signed by the end of the year, and construction must begin by March 2021.
Calls for extension to grant conditions
Mrs Walters said it would be difficult for the industry to meet the start date requirements because most suppliers shut down over the Christmas period.
"It really is a little bit grey at the moment at what the Federal Government considers commencement, and how we can logistically plan to have these slabs down in time so that no one misses out on this grant," she said.
She said there will likely be a backlog of homes waiting to be built between December and March.
"We would love for the Federal and State Governments to come to an agreement to extend that slightly," she said.
"At least by another three to six months so we've got a chance to actually deal with the influx of work that's going to be coming through in such a short period of time."
She said Bundaberg is already shaping up as one of the hotspots for people building new homes.
"We are noticing that Bundaberg would probably be one of our biggest areas, we are signing up 10 to 12 new clients there a month," she said.
"A lot of people building at Bargara and at Branyan … and we see a lot of new people building in Childers, which is also great to see."
