Take five

TAKE5

with RE/MAX Australia Managing Director,

JOEL DAVOREN

What do you think will be significant in the RE landscape of 2021?

The obvious factor will be the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and the efficacy and delivery of the vaccine in Australia and around the world. The sooner we can see the results of this, the better. Another factor will be the stability of the United States. The ripple effect from the instability in that region is felt around the world. A shifting internal population will also mean that some markets should see good market conditions well into 2021.

Presently, it is a seller’s market in most locations. if the trend continues, with low interest and tenancy rates as well, signs could point to prices rising.

One big unknown is how markets will hold up after the government stimulus phases out.

All in all, we are expecting positive trends for 2021, tinged with some uncertainty driven by the Covid-19 virus.

How do you think 2020 may have influenced the way buyers and sellers will act this year?

There’s strong buyer demand in many markets and the most active buyers are responding to the conditions by acting swiftly and strongly. Sellers’ expectations have been on the increase for a few months now and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

The use of alternative marketing strategies (virtual inspections etc) has seen our industry and our clients think laterally and look for other methods to achieve an outcome. We have seen a strong increase in pre-portal sales and the use of social media as a property selling tool. We believe this trend will continue and perhaps increase, depending on how these new channels evolve and service the demand.

What do you think buyers will look for this year when buying homes?

We might see activity this year from those people who decide to bring forward retirement, which may be anything from upgrading to downsizing, moving to new locations or staying put. Early data seems to be showing signs of tree/sea changes in buyer/seller transactions across multiple age brackets and demographics.

The spotlight has shone clearly on the quality of the life people are living.

The importance of the home as a sanctuary has never been more clearly highlighted, so people will seek to buy, build or renovate to create the home that delivers what they want.

With many more employers, employees and the self-employed realising they can work remotely, the work-from-home force will most likely grow as there is a shift away from traditional work environments such as CBDs.

The Australian RE/MAX network grew last year. What made this possible?

There was a great deal of hard work across our network in the years leading into 2020, as there is now. However, when we were faced by COVID-19 and the impacts it had on our customers, our agents and our industry, the four major determinants behind our growth were:

• Nimble leadership and thinking; • Innovative platforms and models for the future; • Stability in our network and • Acquisition opportunities.

What would you like to see or do this year that was taken away last year?

It would be great to see some continuity in the market, and for our network, our members and their clients. Continuity was rare commodity as COVID kept changing the way we led our lives – as was confidence in knowing what tomorrow might bring. I really would like to see these more in evidence this year.

I would like to see certainty in agents being face-to-face with their clients and customers, which was denied to them in varying degrees last year – with Victoria feeling the brunt of that. A smile in-person is worth ten on a screen. It would please me to see RE/MAX Australia roll out our face-to-face events – awards and mid-year rally for instance. We took it for granted in the past just how important these events are.

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