What Impact Is The Coronavirus Having On The Housing Market?

Back at the end of January, Louis Christopher from SQM Research shared in-depth Australian Real Estate Market Predictions for 2020 when he caught up with Real Estate Coach, Tom Panos and during this report Louis Christopher mentioned that COVID-19 could impact the market but at the time he was referring to it more from the viewpoint of what impact it was having on the Chinese economy, not so much from a global pandemic perspective nor with the hindsight of what impact the Coronavirus was going to have on the Australian economy.

This was the first time that I had heard any of the real estate forecasters mention Coronavirus. Louis Christopher’s previous forecast included 4 different scenarios within his 2020 Boom & Bust Report Forecasts.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a 5th scenario factored into that 2020 Boom & Bust Report. The real impact that the Coronavirus was going to have on the global economy was impossible to predict. To see the previous report, click here

Markets are fluid and one of the quotes that I heard about how to adapt during this pandemic is…

You can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.

As Tom Panos said towards the end of their previous interview… “A lot of things can happen in 12 weeks, who knows we may have been sprung a surprise - something has happened or some sort of crash that no-one expected”.

So now with COVID-19 LockDowns in effect and the Federal Government providing Financial Relief packages almost daily plus with 2 drops in interest rates by the Reserve Bank along with a significant drop in both the Stock Market and the Australian Dollar since the Australian Real Estate Market Predictions 2020 was originally recorded, I feel that tonight’s interview between Tom Panos and Louis Christopher is a must watch for anyone wanting to gain a greater insight into… What Impact Is The Coronavirus Having On The Housing Market?

Louis Christopher from SQM Research is one of Australia's most recognised and respected property analysts, and also one of the most conservative and accurate analysts that Tom Panos knows. 

In this video interview Tom & Louis talk about the much-anticipated topic: How the Australian real estate market will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the short term and long term impacts?   

11:44 – Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market right now?  

12:34 – What type of clearance rates are we seeing with digital auctions?   

18:40 – The two possible scenarios following COVID-19. Should we be hopeful? Or could we be entering into a depression?  

19:50 – When we can expect lockdown restrictions to be lifted?  

23:13 – Has Australia done a good job responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?  

25:05 – What’s the difference between a recession and a depression? Where does this fit in?  

30:36 – What is the situation with rentals right now?  

36:19 – What type of agents will survive this period of uncertainty? Will there be casualties?   

39:44 – What changes can we expect in the global supply network? 

44:35 – What are the opportunities, and why we should be optimistic.  

47:30 – What is the outlook post-Coronavirus? 

So What’s Happening In The Acreage Market?

Back on the 25th January when I shared the Australian Real Estate Market Predictions for 2020 here, I reported that there were…

“360 acreage properties for sale across all suburbs within the Hawkesbury, Hills and North-West Sydney region that I outline within The Acreage Report and in this past week there have been 3 acreages Sold, 13 are Under Offer and there were 11 New Listings, which shows that the number of sales will need to increase significantly to reduce the amount of available supply before we’ll start to see prices increasing as much as they have been in the Sydney housing market.”

When you compare the above figures from January against those that I shared in yesterday’s Acreage Market Wrap - 4th April 2020 below, it’s clear that the oversupply of acreage stock has been increasing.

Currently there a total of 426 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region. This overall total includes 231 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 133 in The Hills and another 62 acreages For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

This week, there’s been an additional 21 new acreage listings come onto the market but again there were only 3 acreage properties Sold this week plus there’s been a slight decrease to the number of acreages that are ‘Under Contract’, but, even so it's good to see that there are still 14 acreage properties currently ‘Under Contract’ across the region.

In March, there were a total of 86 new acreage listings come onto the market and 25 acreage properties were sold. The Hawkesbury had 12 sold, The Hills had 8 sold and 5 sales occurred in the Penrith & Blacktown Acreage suburbs we cover.

The current oversupply of acreage stock looks set to increase even further over the coming weeks or at least up until we go into a COVID-19 LockDown Stage #4 (if we do), which may slow down the number of New Listings being uploaded onto Realestate.com.au.

However, there’s likely to be an increase in the number of acreage properties listed ‘Off-Market’ during the LockDown period. Which is where ‘Off-Market Acres’ will be able to provide an excellent solution for acreage owners.

If you’d like to find out more about How’s The Acreage Market? or What Buying Or Selling ‘Off-Market’ Actually Means, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me or alternatively you can register here

I hope you find this information helpful

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 4th April 2020

Hi, my name is Greg Vincent and welcome to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

This week I launched a brand system which I believe will become The NEW WAY to buy & sell acres, it will be especially effective during this Coronavirus period and I’ll share more about this new innovation shortly...

But first, there were a lot of changes announced during this past week which caused a few concerns for property investors, many of whom were looking to move their money across to property on the back of the low interest rates and the falling stock market.

There was some confusion for Landlords around the Rent Relief package released by the Federal Government this week and whilst some tenants thought that because they couldn’t be evicted for 6 months that they no longer had to pay their rent, but that’s certainly not the case.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Tenants have to pay their rent unless they can demonstrate a reason not to. The lease is a contract and the obligations within that contract need to be fulfilled.

The plight of the landlord was completely overlooked in the early stages of the Government's announcement but via some good work done by the REINSW and other industry stakeholders, the difficulties for landlords has been highlighted and more should be announced to resolve this issue early next week.

In the meantime, if you're a Landlord then your Tenants should be referred to the relevant Government websites to see what initiatives and assistance the Government is providing to help them through this pandemic.

Landlords need to be careful not to panic too quickly.

In an article in today’s Australian Financial Review titled 'The Landlords Guide To Surviving The Pandemic' by Nila Sweeney, the Property Investment Council of Australia Chairman. Ben Kingsley said

Landlords should hold off reducing or foregoing any rent until the government releases more details on rental relief. We’re telling any Landlord who decides to reduce rent is potentially impacting their claim if rent is unpaid in the first instance. And also potentially putting at risk how much they will receive if there is a tenancy relief package announced by the Federal Government in the coming days or weeks or months.

In the article, they suggest that while Landlords wait for further guidance from the Government it is a good idea to do a budget to see how much it will cost you to hold the property with reduced or no rent over 6 months.

And also Cathy Bakos, the President of the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association says…

Investors need to realise the moratorium does not allow tenants to walk away from their obligations.

This is something that so far hasn’t been explained properly by Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and I expect that there will be more clarification on this from the Government in the coming days.

As you can see, it’s really important that you get the facts right before you start making any impulsive decisions.

Also, in other news, apparently there’s been a change to the Material Facts regulations regarding agent disclosure and an agent must now declare if an occupant of a property has tested positive for COVID-19. This is very new legislation and we’ll hear more about how this works in the coming weeks.

Additionally, with a lot of properties having been sold recently and many that are still due to settle some may experience unexpected complications. If it’s an owner occupier leaving then that’s okay, however, if it’s a tenant vacating then with these new laws regarding tenant protection against evictions there may be some potential issues which could now arise which could leave owners without a sale and leave owners liable to be sued if they can’t give vacant possession. However, apparently new laws are being drafted to fix this situation very quickly.

The speed at which everything is moving there are so many unintended consequences when the government makes broad brush decisions and the REINSW and the Law Society have been actively involved in liaising with the State Government to find suitable solutions.

So as you can see, there’s a lot going on behind-the-scenes that we are all having to adapt to very quickly.

Speaking of adapting to change, This pandemic is a life-changing time for so many where we really need to be Strategic, Pragmatic & Innovative.

We need to ‘Re-Imagine & Re-Emerge'.

...Here at McGrath we have Re-Imagined and anticipated what some of the changes will be within our real estate business ahead of if or when we do go into a COVID-19 Stage #4 LockDown. We have pivoted and implemented extremely quickly and are now embracing Online Auctions, Private Inspections By Appointment and Digital Inspections.

Here’s an article which goes into more detail about what we're doing here at McGrath to Re-Imagine and Re-Emerge.

Plus, on top of all that, I'm excited to announce that this week I officially launched a brand new innovative strategy called ‘Off-Market Acres’ where Secret Places Are Revealed as well launching a brand new 'Off-Market Acres' Facebook Page and with registrations climbing daily, both the website and the Facebook page have already been well received.

'Off-Market Acres' is a brand new system that may end up becoming The NEW WAY To Buy Or Sell Acres. (especially for anyone looking to sell their acreage property during the COVID-19 LockDown period). If you want to find out more about’Off-Market Acres’ and how it all works, visit... www.offmarketacres.com.au

Okay, So How’s The Acreage Market?

The increased number of new acreage listings coming onto the market versus the reduction in the number of acreage sales occurring is continuing to fuel the current oversupply of acreage properties that are now on the market.

Currently there a total of 426 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region. This overall total includes 231 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 133 in The Hills and another 62 acreages For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

This week, there’s been an additional 21 new acreage listings come onto the market but again there were only 3 acreage properties Sold this week plus there’s been a slight decrease to the number of acreages that are ‘Under Contract’, but, even so it's good to see that there are still 14 acreage properties currently ‘Under Contract’ across the region.

In March, there were a total of 86 new acreage listings come onto the market and 25 acreage properties were sold. The Hawkesbury had 12 sold, The Hills had 8 sold and 5 sales occurred in the Penrith & Blacktown Acreage suburbs we cover.

Out in the field, this week, we officially launched a spectacular couple of ‘Off-Market Acres’ at 26 Wavehill Avenue, Windsor Downs and 14 Lamrock Avenue, Glossodia. These are both incredible properties and here’s some information about these stunning homes below….

Also, I have another acreage property which should become available via 'Off-Market Acres’ later this week. If you’re looking for an excellent land bank acres investment or an acreage property with a comfortable home, a large workshop and good paddocks to suit horses for under $1.5m then keep an eye out for the email notifications that will be sent out about this one. You can register to receive the email updates at... www.offmarketacres.com.au

Once you register to be notified about any of the 'Off-Market' properties you’ll also receive instant access to The Acreage Report 2020 (Autumn edition) which features an insight into ‘The Future For Acreage This Decade' and outlines the Two Biggest Factors Set To Impact Acreage over the next decade and at the same time you'll be amongst the first to know about any of the 'Off-Market' acreages that I have coming up.

The Acreage Report also includes statistics about exactly what's happening within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

Plus, you’ll also get instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features some great insights from property expert, John McGrath.

Now finally, if you’re thinking of selling your acreage property, I am currently working with a number of buyers who are still very keen to settle on an acreage property during this current market.

For example: One family are looking for an acreage property with dual accommodation for around the $1.5m price range and another qualified buyer who is looking for a larger acreage parcel with river frontage along the Hawkesbury River for around $2.3m and they would prefer either vacant land or something with an older house on it so that they can build a large home, but even if there's a larger home on the property it may also suit.

if you feel that your property maybe suitable and you’re considering making a move, get in touch here

So there you have it, that’s it for another week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching, stay safe and bye for now.

Regards

Greg Vincent

www.OffMarketAcres.com.au - The NEW WAY To Buy Or Sell Acres Launches

Over the past couple of weeks I have been developing The NEW WAY To Buy Or Sell Acres and this new system is called ‘Off-Market Acres’ - Where Secret Places Are Revealed
…and I had the pleasure this evening to launch the www.OffMarketAcres.com.au website was via the brand new ‘Off-Market Acres’ Facebook Page.

The ‘Off-Market Acres’ system has already started gaining traction, with numerous subscribers registering during the Pre-Launch phase over these past few days, PLUS there are already a number of ‘Off-Market’ Acreage properties which are about to be promoted out to our registered acreage buyers.

If you’d like to Register for FREE, visit www.OffMarketAcres.com.au now to Gain Early Access.

If you’re curious but don’t quite know what all the fuss is about ‘Off-Market’ properties is all about, then here’s an article I shared last week which may help you to understand a bit more about the concept…

What Does Buying Or Selling A Property ‘Off-Market Actually Mean?

Also, it’s important to note that promoting an acreage property ‘Off-Market’ should be seen as Plan ‘A’ of the marketing strategy and if your property needs to be promoted via Plan ‘B’ (using the traditional marketing methods to find the right buyer) then adopting that approach is an option that is available at any stage of the campaign, but it may not be required.

It’s important to look at the best approach as well as investigate NEW WAYS to do things differently with minimal outlay as well as adopt proven ways to tackle the shifting landscape of today’s rapidly changing world, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic crisis, and the ‘Off-Market Acres’ system isn’t simply part of a future plan, it’s already available to implement right now.

THE FUTURE FOR REAL ESTATE

In a very timely post by Lee Woodward, CEO of The Real Estate Academy, he said earlier today that real estate agents need to Accept & Adapt if they’re going to not only survive but thrive over these coming months.

If you’ve got any questions about ‘Off-Market Acres’ and how it could potentially work for you, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Old Fashioned One-On-One Buyer Appointments Are An Effective Way To Sell Acreage

There are going to be a number of changes to the way that you will be able to sell your acreage property during the COVID-19 crisis, and we’ve already started implementing The NEW WAY To Buy or Sell Acres, especially since Scott Morrison announced that Open Homes and On-Site/In-Room Auctions were Banned.

As John McGrath said in a recent article…

The pivot to private appointments due to Coronavirus reminds me of my early days in the 1980s as a sales agent in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.  There were no opens or auctions.  In those days agents took buyers in their car to look at properties.  They had a price on them, they’d negotiate and put a deal together. 

Good old fashioned one-on-one buyer appointments are a very effective way of selling property, so I don’t expect this requirement under new social distancing rules to make it harder for agents to sell real estate. In fact, it will give us a chance to provide a much more personalised service to buyers. 

The most important part of selling a home during the Coronavirus crisis will be the extra level of trust the agent can build with the buyer and how closely they work with the buyers to build rapport and help negotiate the sale from start to end.

During my 30+ years in the industry, I’ve found that private inspections help to facilitate the trust building process because it allows me more time to spend one-on-one with each buyer, which enables me to gain a greater understanding of the buyers needs and wants.

There are also several other ways that we are adapting to the changes in operating in the real estate industry during COVID-19.

Online Auctions, Video Conferencing, Digital Inspections and ‘Off-Market’ strategies are amongst just a few of the recent changes we are making to look after our acreage clients throughout these rapidly changing market conditions.

It will be interesting to see how the acreage market reacts throughout the pandemic, especially after the numerous Government incentives being offered in today’s New Wage Subsidy announcement by Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and Treasurer, Josh Friedenberg.

In John McGrath’s article he also went on to report that…

In a special report on Coronavirus released March 17, CoreLogic said if stimulus could adequately support business and household income, then dwelling values might not necessarily be impacted. 

Macroeconomic shifts tend to immediately effect share prices but there’s a lag with property, so a lot depends on how long Coronavirus lasts. 

In the past, housing has performed pretty well up against significant shocks. On ‘Black Monday’ in 1987, the Australian share market lost approximately 23% of its value in a single day but housing values were largely unaffected. In the 1990s recession, property values declined only -4.4%.  

This will pass, just like SARS and other viruses have done before. It’s scarier this time due to the scale and comparatively rapid spread but there will be an end point. I can’t stress enough not to make any rash decisions. Always keep in mind property investment should be a long term proposition.

To read the full article from John McGrath visit, How real estate operates through COVID-19 

We are still busy with enquiries for acreage and are arranging private inspections with qualified buyers.

If you’re thinking of selling your acreage property, chances are that we already be working with the right buyer for your place. If you’d like to discuss how selling your property with $ZERO Marketing Costs via our BRAND NEW marketing platform ‘Off-Market Acres’ works, don’t hesitate to get in contact.

I hope you find this helpful.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Pre-Launch Announcement: BRAND NEW ‘Off-Market’ Acres Website

COMING SOON FOR ACREAGE BUYERS & SELLERS! : : Pre-Launch Announcement : :

As Promised, Here It Is!

There's About To Be A 'BRAND NEW WAY' To Buy Or Sell Your Acreage!!!

...Get In Early And Register Now During The Pre-Launch To Gain An Early-Mover Advantage + Get VIP Access To Exclusive 'Off-Market' Acreage Properties Here!!

Visit, www.OffMarketAcres.com.au

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 28th March 2020

Hi, my name is Greg Vincent and welcome to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

This week there’s been so many changes happening that it’s been hard to predict what the latest Breaking News announcement was going to be from either the State Government or the Federal Government and what real impact they were going to have on our lives and our livelihoods.

Seeing the images of so many Australians lining up at Centrelink was absolutely horrible and the consequences of this Coronavirus crisis on our society and our economy are hard to predict.

One thing's for sure ...there will be an economic recovery, but, it’s hard to know how quickly that will happen because no one knows how long it will be before we see the end to this global crisis.

During this current period of uncertainty the main thing that we can do is to be there for each other as a broader community and do what we can to stay healthy (both physically and mentally), as well as doing our bit to help stop the spread.

Our medical personnel and care workers are stretched to capacity and they are already exhausted, yet sadly we still haven’t seen the worst impacts of this virus in Australia as yet.

Please do whatever it takes to help these people by stopping the spread.

I’d like to share my enormous thanks to everyone working in the essential services sector who are going to be working tirelessly throughout this whole pandemic whilst the rest of the community stay at home, plus, I’d like to pay deep respect to all of those people who have lost their jobs during this Coronavirus pandemic through absolutely no fault of their own.

This period of time is going to be extremely difficult on a lot of people and it’s so important as a community that we do whatever we can to help lift the spirits and provide hope to those who currently feel lost or without hope.

During the inevitable LockDown period that we are all facing, there are some things that we can do to be prepared and on my website I’ve shared 5 Quick Tips To Help You Prepare Ahead Of COVID-19 LockDown (Stage #4) .

I suggest you take a few minutes to check it out today or over the weekend if possible before we potentially go into the next phase of LockDown this coming week. I hope you find it helpful.

One thing to think of, is that, during the LockDown period a lot of people are going to have a lot of spare time on their hands and this may be a great opportunity to start that online business, or fix those things that you’ve been meaning to get to around the house, enjoy re-connecting with your loved ones or look at innovating, strategising and discovering new ways to do things.

…and that’s exactly what I’ve already started doing within our real estate business...

You see, since the Australian PM, Scott Morrison made the announcement that Auctions and Open Homes were banned from midnight on Tuesday, I’ve already started developing a whole new marketing strategy for acreage properties which I believe will become The NEW WAY to Buy and Sell Acres.

It provides a solution for my clients during the LockDown period and it’s a leading-edge approach which could actually turn out to become ‘The Way Of The Future For The Acreage Market’.

Also, this week I’ve noticed I growing trend from real estate agents and real estate trainers talking about selling properties’Off-Market’ and on my website I’ve shared an insight into ‘What Does Buying Or Selling A Property ‘Off-Market’ Actually Mean?

Plus, here’s a link to an announcement I made earlier in the week that Realestate.com.au were releasing a brand new feature called ‘Digital Inspections’ which allows for a new style of video walkthrough to be uploaded onto their site.

So as you can see things are changing very rapidly within the real estate industry as we innovate and try to find the best way to serve our customers during these uncertain times because even though we may not end up being seen as an essential service during the next LockDown phase, people still need to have somewhere to live and there are still a lot of property transactions going on here at McGrath and across the country, especially within the residential market.

Which leads me to…

How’s The Acreage Market?

The number of acreages being sold remained at the same low level as last week and we saw a dramatic increase in volume of new listings coming onto the market which has added to the current oversupply of acreage properties on the market.

Currently there a total of 414 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region. This overall total includes 228 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 126 in The Hills and another 60 acreages For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

This week, there’s been another 22 new acreage listings come onto the market but once again only 3 acreage properties were Sold this week plus there’s been an decrease in the number of acreages that are ‘Under Contract’ which is expected in light of the uncertainty within the market, but, that being the case it's good to see that there are still 15 acreage properties currently ‘Under Contract’ across the region.

As we're nearing the end of March, there's been 77 new acreage listings and I anticipate that figure should reach over 80 new listings for March by the end of the month and so far 22 properties have been sold this month. The Hawkesbury has had 11 sold, The Hills had 8 sold and 3 sales occurred in the Penrith & Blacktown Acreage suburbs that we cover.

Out in the field, this week, we launched a stunning home at 35 Grand Flaneur Avenue in Richmond which has been beautiful renovated by FANDR Constructions and is a great home for anyone thinking of downsizing from acres who wants a quality 3 bedroom home with a studio, privately landscaped yard and high-end finishes.

Also, we launched a superb 25 acre parcel which overlooks The Hawkesbury River at 209 Greens Road, Lower Portland which is an ideal place to establish your dream acreage lifestyle. Both of these 2 properties are amazing. Make sure you check them out. I'll put a link to them underneath this video.

Also, I have a couple of acreage properties which are going to be photographed over the next few days which I will be promoting 'Off-Market' to my acreage database so keep an eye out for them in your inbox.

Speaking of your inbox, if you would like to be notified about any of the 'Off-Market' properties you can register to receive the latest edition of The Acreage Report 2020 (Autumn edition) which features an insight into ‘The Future For Acreage This Decade' and outlines the Two Biggest Factors Set To Impact Acreage over the next 10 years and at the same time you'll be amongst the first to know about the 'Off-Market' acreages I have coming up.

The Acreage Report also includes statistics about exactly what's happening within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

Plus when you grab your copy, you’ll also get instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features some great insights from property expert, John McGrath.

The report is FREE, you can access a copy right now at www.TheAcreageReport.com.au

So there you have it, that’s it for another week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching, stay safe, stay healthy and bye for now.

Regards

Greg Vincent

5 Quick Tips To Help You Prepare Ahead Of COVID-19 LockDown (Stage #4)

In these uncertain times it’s better to be prepared than be caught by surprise. New Zealand are currently under COVID-19 LockDown (Stage #4) and it’s not definite, but it’s highly likely that Australia or some states of Australia will follow similar LockDown measures shortly to tackle the Coronavirus crisis.

Yesterday, I tuned into a couple of live conference calls with a group of people from New Zealand who recently had Stage #4 LockDown imposed, which means that they are all now working from home and they anticipate being Locked Down in their homes for the next month or two.

One of the contributors said that a lot of Kiwis were ready for Stage #2 level LockDown, but, many were caught by surprise by the sudden upgrade to Stage #4 LockDown.

So I thought I’d share 5 Quick Tips that might help you prepare for what could be ahead.

1. The most important thing is to look after your health first and foremost along with adhering to the rules imposed to protect yourself as well as others.
   Remember, the safety demonstration in an aeroplane says “if the oxygen mask falls from the ceiling make sure to apply your mask first before you help others.” If you don’t look after yourself, you can’t look after others.

2. If you’re working from home make sure you set up your home office with everything you need. Download files you may need from your work computer. Get a scanner if you haven’t already got one (apparently scanners sold out very quickly in NZ). Buy office supplies, ink cartridges for your printer, batteries if any of your equipment uses them, envelopes, printer paper, letterhead and buy some stamps from the post office because apparently the postie still delivers, but the post offices are closed. Also, set up a closing down your office protocol or checklist so that you’re not in a panic when you have to close your business or workshop, because my understanding is that you can’t go back to your place of business to get or fix anything during Stage #4 Lockdown. eg. things like emptying the fridge/freezer just in case there’s a loss of power, diverting the phones to the best person to handle the incoming calls, etc.

3. Buy your hardware supplies now if you’re thinking about doing any of those repair jobs you always wanted to do around the home. You’re going to find yourself with a lot of spare time during Lockdown and it’s better to get what you need now to do those odd jobs, because you won’t be able to buy them if we go into LockDown Stage #4.
   Also, if you’re preparing your home for sale it may be worth doing a quick FaceTime call with a stylist like Jeanine from The Styling House to get a few tips about colour selection and staging your property for when you’re considering putting it on the market.
   After we get through Lockdown I anticipate that there will be a lag period for getting supplies because businesses will take a bit of time to get back to normal operating levels, and if you get your property ready during the LockDown, you’ll be able to get a first mover advantage on other properties that are going to come onto the market.
   I would also get in contact with your Conveyancer or Solicitor and request that they prepare your Contract Of Sale prior to Lockdown because the required certificates from the local councils will take longer than normal to be issued, plus Swimming Pool Inspections may be delayed.

4. Buy board games, puzzles and craft supplies, etc to help keep your family entertained and provide a bit of fun & sanity during the Lockdown period. Apparently, there was a rush for these items at the shops when Lockdown Stage #4 was announced and there were none left on the shelves.
   Also, a new Facebook Group has been set up called Parents In Quarantine which you may want to join to get some ideas about what other parents are doing to entertain their kids during LockDown.

5. Take this opportunity to improve yourself. The next few weeks or months (however long the Lockdown takes) is an ideal time to get into a personal routine and improve your habits. Apparently, in Stage #4 Lockdown you can still go for a walk (on your own). This is a good opportunity to tune into some podcasts are listen to audiobooks via Audible
   A couple of the best podcasts I have listened to recently regarding getting through the Coronavirus crisis are from Brendon Burchard. Here’s a link to Part 1 and Part 2.
   A couple of good Audiobooks around setting new habits are High Performance Habits and Atomic Habits.

   Happy to hear of any other suggestions or ideas others may have in the comments below.

   So, What am I doing in my real estate business to be prepared for my clients ahead of COVID-19 LockDown (Stage #4)?

   Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced that real estate agents are banned from conducting public Auctions or Open Homes as of midnight Tuesday evening.

   Many real estate agents were outraged by this announcement, but, the fact is that our industry is extremely lucky because it wasn’t shut down (from operating at this stage) like lots of other industries have been eg. beauty therapists, events, etc.

   However, I anticipate that very soon we will be instructed that no physical inspections of properties will be able to occur, which is why I have already started looking into innovative ways to still do Business As Unusual during the next phase of LockDown.

   One thing that I am doing with my clients right now to be prepared for Lockdown Stage #4 (which I believe is imminent) is arranging Pre-Purchase Pest & Building Inspections via a company called BuyBeforeYouBid. The inspections cost the owner $49* initially and the reports are able to be purchased by potential buyers for only $49*. For more information about these reports visit BuyBeforeYouBid.

   Another thing that I’ve been doing for each of my clients is recording a video walkthrough of the properties so that anyone enquiring whilst we are in Lockdown will be able to do a Digital Inspection of the property.

   Also, I have a number of properties that are about to go up For Sale ‘Off-Market’ and I am in the process of setting up a Brand New Way To Buy And Sell Acreage which will work very effectively throughout the COVID-19 LockDown period and it’s likely to become…

   The NEW WAY To Buy And Sell Acreage In The Future

   These are very uncertain times, but there’s also an opportunity during times like these to take more of a helicopter view of what’s ahead and anticipate where these changes to our lives will lead us into the future, beyond the Coronavirus crisis.

   I hope you find this information helpful.

   Please stay safe.

   Regards

   Greg Vincent

   PS: If you’re thinking of selling your acreage property (or you’ve been trying to sell) but you or your agent have decided to put it all on hold for the moment, I may actually have the way forward for you and if you’d like to find out more about The NEW WAY that I have developed, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

What Does Buying Or Selling A Property 'Off-Market' Actually Mean?

Have you ever heard about a property being sold ‘Off-Market’ and wondered  what on earth does that actually mean?

There are a number of different ways that real estate agents approach the sale of a property ‘Off-Market’ and it’s important to gain a clearer understanding about how it actually works, because, after having to adapt property marketing strategies very quickly to deal with the recent impacts of the Coronavirus crisis, it now looks highly likely that listing your property ‘Off-Market’ will quickly become a more mainstream method of buying and selling property.

One of the main reasons why the Off-Market method of marketing is becoming more and more popular nowadays is due to technology advancements and the increased use of Social Media to promote property.

This week’s announcement by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison which saw Auctions and Open Homes banned, will also have an impact on what marketing approach real estate agents will now be recommending to their clients, especially as we move closer and closer to the inevitable enforcement of stricter Lock Downs restrictions being imposed.

In addition, the real estate websites like realestate.com.au and domain.com.au have become extremely expensive (continually increasing their prices), and as such, real estate agents and property owners are now looking for alternative ‘low cost – high yield’ marketing strategies.

The savvy, more ‘in-tune’ real estate agents have lots of buyers that they are currently already working very closely with who are more than willing to purchase a property before it gets advertised …and from my personal experience I’ve found that these buyers typically pay fair market value and in many cases they would prefer to pay ‘a premium price’ to secure the right home that suits their family’s needs rather than take their chances of the property being advertised out to the broader market, where they could end up missing out on securing the home.

What’s One Of The Main Benefits Of Selling A Property ‘Off-Market’?

There are a number of benefits to selling ‘Off-Market’ and the first one relates to minimising the costs related to selling.

With an ‘Off-Market’ sale the owners don’t have to invest $thousands in up-front advertising costs or enter into delayed payment schemes, which can really make sense and be a large saving, especially, if the property ends up selling to a buyer the real estate agent already had on their books.

However, that’s not to say that an investment in a Marketing Campaign no longer has an important role to play in the sale at all. Far from it, but there can now be a 2 Step Approach to marketing your home for sale.

You see, the ‘Off-Market’ sale option is typically adopted for an initial period of time which allows for the agent to source interest parties via their existing database of buyers, plus, savvy agents will promote the Off-Market listing via a targeted Social Media campaign.  

During the initial Off-Market period you rely on the contacts, market reach  and market knowledge of the real estate agent to generate interest and encourage buyers to view your home.

What Is An Off-Market Property?

To put it simply, Off-Market properties aren’t yet advertised on the open market. Typically, when a vendor confirms a listing with an agent, it can take approximately up to seven days to compile all the marketing tools, such as signboards, professional photos, and the necessary information to load into the property portals. While the property is for sale, until everyone knows about it, it’s technically ‘off-market’.

An off market property is for sale, but it is not being marketed or advertised via the traditional channels.

Typically real estate agents use a variety of ways to market your property, including online listings on sites such as Domain.com.au and realestate.com.au, newspapers and magazines (not so much nowadays), or produce and distribute brochures, flyers and a signboard for outside your property.

On the other hand, an Off-Market approach to selling a property, often referred to as a ‘Plan A Marketing Option’ doesn’t have any of these campaigns running, however, launching a full marketing campaign could always be adopted right from the start or it could be a ‘Plan B Marketing Option’ which could be swiftly activated if the initial ‘Off-Market’ approach was unsuccessful.

During the Off-Market (Plan A Option), the agent would contact their existing buyers directly. They will source potential buyers from their database, use Social Media marketing or from people who have expressed an interest in buying property in their area.

Agents build their database from enquiries about other properties which have been listed and by collecting names at open houses and good agents keep in regular contact with these potential buyers.

"Properties are also classed as Off-Market in the few weeks before they are listed on any of the major real estate portals and they are sometimes referred to as Pre-Portal Listings.”

During this period the property can be emailed out to the agent’s database, SMS’d to potential buyers, promoted via Social Media, listed on off-market property portals or on the agent's website.

Whilst the property isn’t marketed via the traditional channels, it’s important to highlight that during this period, the property is actually for sale.

Would you consider selling ‘Off-Market’ if the price and terms were suitable?

If you live in a street or suburb where there’s been a high-priced sale recently, or there’s been extremely high interest from buyers, agents may reach out to you directly and offer you the option of an ‘Off-Market’ sale.

In this scenario the agent may already have ‘hot’, qualified buyers on their books who could have missed out on a recent sale, and are desperate to buy in your area. You could capitalise on this interest and seal a deal without even advertising your property for sale.

How do ‘Off-Market’ sales work?

If you are interested in selling your property ‘Off-Market’, you'll still need to choose the best real estate agent for the job.

In terms of your relationship with a real estate agent and the paperwork involved for an off market sale, the process is exactly the same as any other sale.

You still need to sign an agency agreement to appoint the agent for an ‘Off-Market’ sale. The agent still needs to comply with Fair Trading regulations which require an agent to have a valid authority to represent you or they could be fined.

In addition, if the property is less than 2.5 hectares a current Contract of Sale (usually prepared by a Solicitor or Conveyancer) must be prepared and made available or otherwise both the agent and the vendor can be heavily fined and/or penalised by Fair Trading. So it’s imperative that you discuss these items with your agent and/or Solicitor/Conveyancer.

So, What’s It Really Like?

During the ‘Off-Market’ phase your agent will let everyone who views your property know that it is an ‘Off-Market Sale’, so most people are unlikely to expect your home to be pristinely presented or staged by a styling company.

If someone is interested in your property, they will make an offer and the sales process will proceed as per normal. If a buyer is serious, it's recommended that you get them to make the offer in writing, and then sign an agreement as well as pay a deposit.

I have now sold several properties ‘Off-Market’, and every time both the owners and the new purchasers have enjoyed the experience.

Firstly, the owners were extremely relieved because they didn’t have to prepare their home for Open For Inspections week after week.

Secondly, they were really happy that they saved money on not having to advertise …and most importantly each of them achieved excellent outcomes.

In addition, all of the purchasers really appreciated the personalised service, the opportunity to buy with a minimum of fuss …and they were all able to move forward with a greater level of understanding and appreciation between both parties, which helped to make the whole process a Win-Win.

What Should I Do Next?

If you’d like some more information about the Next Steps and How an ‘Off-Market’ Sale Could be Highly Beneficial to You When Selling Your Acreage Property, (especially within this current climate), then don’t hesitate to get in touch with me here for an obligation-free chat about tailoring a personalised solution that works best for you.

I hope you found this information helpful.

Regards

Greg Vincent

The NEW WAY To Buy And Sell Acreage

If you're looking to Buy or Sell Acres during the Coronavirus crisis we are adapting to the changing landscape really fast.

I have already invested the necessary resources into developing 'THE NEW WAY To Buy or Sell Acres' to comply with the new guidelines announced by the PM last night as well as paving 'The Way Forward' in anticipation of future Lock Down restrictions.

:: :: Watch This Space! :: ::

This Is A Brand New Innovative Approach Specifically Developed For The Acreage Market.

It's Strictly Limited And Is Only Available To My Acreage Clients Exclusively.

Don't hesitate to get in contact with me if you need any help with buying or selling during this period or if you have any questions about 'THE NEW WAY To Buy or Sell Acres'

Regards

Greg Vincent

Realestate.com.au About To Release BRAND NEW Digital Inspections Feature

In a few days, realestate.com.au will be launching a BRAND NEW Digital Inspections feature to allow video walkthrough tours to be uploaded to properties displayed on their site.

This newly developed feature is separate to property videos or virtual tours.

The digital inspections feature is designed to allow agents to simply record a video of the home from their smart phone or tablet whilst walking through and around a property so that potential buyers can see the raw footage of some of the other features that may not be shown in the professional photos or existing property video.

This is an excellent idea for both buyers and sellers, especially during the current Coronavirus pandemic and it will help provide extra detail along with more transparent information about a property online so that buyers can make more educated decisions about a property and should help to pre-qualify and determine whether the buyer wanting to schedule an inspection is serious about purchasing the home or not.

During this next phase of the Covid-19 crisis I anticipate that we are going to find that there will be more online views and more enquiry from potential acreage buyers due to the fact that people will have more free-time to look at property online.

Visitor traffic to realestate.com.au will follow a similar online trend to what typically happens each year during the Xmas holiday period.

However, due to the pending Lock Down laws, so many people Working from home and the Social Distancing, the number of physical buyer inspections look likely to reduce.

But, now with the New Digital inspections feature, more information about the home will be available (if your agent uses it), and you’ll find that the actual need for the physical inspection from the buyer may actually be reduced and we may see a lot more transactions occur without the buyer inspecting the property at all.

The physical inspection of a property is what I actually call the ‘Validation Inspection’.

The Validation Inspection is where the buyer validates that the home is actually like what they expected when they saw it online and they want to check to see if there’s anything that they should be aware of that wasn’t displayed.

They also want to get the feeling and sense of proportion of the home along with the essence of what it would be like to actually live there.

By providing raw walkthrough videos, some of that validation inspection could actually be done online and the need for the physical inspection may be reduced

You see currently many owners say to their real estate agent, ‘there hasn’t been anyone coming through”, but, in reality there really has been, but, they haven’t been through physically.

The buyers first inspection of a property is actually the online inspection and then if they see features about the home that they feel may suit them and their family, they will then arrange to come out and do the physical (validation) inspection.

Here’s an insight into what realestate.com.au are about to release in an effort to assist agents, property owners and property seekers throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

During a time where social distancing is being practiced to help flatten the COVID-19 curve, open for inspections may be unsettling for some. To help overcome this, on Thursday we will be launching a new free Digital Inspections feature, so you can showcase your listings to those who may prefer not to inspect in person. This will help buyers and renters discover the features of a property they’d normally see when attending an open for inspection, ahead of making a face-to-face appointment.

Source: realestate.com.au

Here at McGrath we are doing Business As Usual In An Unusual Way.

Free video walkthroughs is just one of the recent innovations (amongst several others) that I am adopting as part of my newly developed ‘Acreage Sellers Go-Forward Plan’ which I sincerely believe anyone looking to sell or lease their acreage property should be seriously considering during this current uncertain climate.

I have developed a planned approach which I’m very confident that I will be able to create the enquiry required to maximise value and achieve the best offers possible for your acreage property.

If you’d like to know more about the ‘Acreage Sellers Go-Forward Plan’ along with the other ways that we can assist you to sell your acreage property during the Coronavirus crisis, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if I can assist you in any way or if you have questions about what’s involved in arranging a Digital Inspection.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 21st March 2020

Hi, my name is Greg Vincent and welcome to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

So this week, the Coronavirus pandemic has created a lot of disruption in the market and there is quite a lot of fear out amongst the community at present.

There have been a lot of changes occurring and as a society we have to educate ourselves effectively, change our behaviour, be there for each other, also take this opportunity to protect those amongst our community who at risk and at the same time evolve with the changes plus find new and better ways of doing business.

For example, earlier this week I shared an article on my blog which included an insight into some of the ways that we will be adopting new technologies and moving forward in the acreage market as a result of the current changes taking place within the real estate industry ...here’s a link to that article.

I’m focussed on doing whatever I can to help my clients and my future clients navigate through this current period of uncertainty the best way possible.

Today is now about doing ‘Business as usual, in an unusual way’.

It’s about understanding and embracing the changes in a Calculated, Confident, Competent, Caring, Connected and Calm manner ...and getting through these challenging times together.

Whilst these are unprecedented times, the headlines of panic seem to be getting the most attention with the social media spotlight shining brightly on them constantly and they’re getting so much air time that they’re spreading across the web so fast that it’s creating a lot of confusion and fear.

Hey, I’m not saying don’t be concerned, far from it. You should be concerned, but you should also take the time to educate yourself on the facts, and not get sucked in by all the sensationalism & click bait 'fake news' headlines.

One of my greatest concerns is that it's likely that a lot of people will end up making extremely poor, irrational decisions which can be very expensive mistakes, especially in real estate off the back of all the crazy panic & added pressure.

Which is why it’s important to remember during these highly stressful and uncertain times that…

When Emotion is High, Logic is Low

..and try to remain as logical with your thoughts and actions as possible.

In fact, I also shared another article this week about how the property market is historically sturdy against stock market downturns.

Plus, in between appointments, I tuned into a couple of live streamed property auctions held in different parts of Sydney’s housing sector today and each had good numbers of registered buyers in attendance and the clearance rates were still high.

Last week I mentioned that we had a buyer pull out from an acreage purchase in Annangrove due to concerns about the Coronavirus impacting their business, but, that property was subsequently Sold this week for $2.1m and the owner is extremely happy to be now on her way out to the country where she’ll enjoy being closer to her family.

Smart buyers are buying real estate at the moment because they know that when we get through the other side of this pandemic, we’re going to have the lowest interest rates in our countries history after the RBA called an emergency meeting for the first time this century and dropped the Cash Rate down to 0.25% add on top of that the population growth expected for Sydney this decade along with all of the extra infrastructure required, I anticipate that we should see a quick market recovery.

Actually, it’s come as no surprise to me to see reports now filtering through that investors are coming back into the property market.

You see, previously when there’s been a drop in the stock market like we had back with 9/11 and the GFC, many investors put their money into bank term deposits, but this time around the return on that investment is so low that investors are now seeing the yields from property as being very attractive right now and they like the security and stability that bricks & mortar investment provides during uncertain times.

How’s The Acreage Market?

Well last week, I mentioned that my greatest concern for the acreage market, was that the recovery for the acreage market was still lagging several months behind the price growth in the housing market that the acreage sector may not actually get to the point of price growth in this current property cycle and even though the housing market is still relatively strong, the impacts of an increase in unemployment, business downturns, lack of consumer confidence and sudden financial pressures may create a levelling off of the market, just at the time when acreage looked set to commence its strong recovery.

On a positive note, there are still a number of qualified buyers who are seriously in the market and are committed to buying an acreage property in today’s market regardless of the current conditions, and whilst buyer enquiry hasn’t been at the same levels as they were a few weeks ago, there’s still lots of enquiries from buyers who are keen to move onto acres.

Currently the number of acreages being sold has reduced this week and the increased volume of new listings coming onto the market is presently creating an oversupply.

Currently there a total of 401 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region. This overall total includes 217 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 126 in The Hills and another 58 For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

This week, there’s been another 17 new acreage listings come onto the market but only 3 acreage properties were Sold this week (nearly half the number of sales that happened last week and almost a quarter of the sales that took place the week before) however, some good news is that there’s been an increase in the number that are ‘Under Contract’ with 19 acreage properties currently ‘Under Contract’ across the entire region.

So far in March there have been 55 new acreage listings and 19 properties sold. With both The Hawkesbury and The Hills areas each having 8 sold and 3 sales occurring in the Penrith & Blacktown Acreage suburbs that our acreage data is collated within.

Out in the field, this week, as mentioned before the property at 7 Everett Place, Annangrove was sold, I’ve also listed a magnificent property in Windsor Downs which I will be promoting ‘Off Market’ to my acreage database of buyers first. Also, the property video has just come in for a stunning 25 acre property at 209 Greens Road, Lower Portland which will be launching onto the major real estate portals next week. If you want an affordable acreage playground overlooking the Hawkesbury River then you won’t find a better opportunity than this.

Also, this coming week, I will be launching a spectacular home in Richmond which is absolutely perfect for anyone living on the other side of the Hawkesbury river who wants to downsize from acres and move closer in to transport and amenities.

The attention to detail and high-end finishes makes this home a place that I think you're really going to fall in love with.

I can't wait to showcase these amazing upcoming properties to the market later this week.

If you want a deeper understanding about what's happening in the acreage market make sure you grab a copy of The Acreage Report 2020 (Autumn edition) which features an insight into ‘The Future For Acreage This Decade' and outlines the Two Biggest Factors Set To Impact Acreage Over The Next 10 years.

It includes statistics about exactly what's happening in every acreage suburb within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

When you download your copy, you’ll also receive exclusive instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features some excellent market insights from property expert, John McGrath.

The Acreage Report is FREE, and you can access a copy right now at www.TheAcreageReport.com.au

So there you have it. That’s it for another week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Property Market Historically Sturdy Against Stock Market Downturns

There are some positives that will come out of today’s unplanned, emergency rate cut (the first to happen since 1997) which was rushed through by the Reserve Bank of Australia to stem the economic damage and protect ordinary Australians from the Coronavirus crisis.

The nation's top economists decided to slash the official cash rate from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent and interest rates are now at their lowest point in Australia's history.

When you add both the lowest interest rates ever plus the fact that there’s now more acreage property on the market than there was at the start of March, the overall outcome is that moving onto acreage has now become even more affordable with access to the cheapest money in our history.

Plus, historically when the stock market crashes, property tends to be seen as a more secure alternative for investors and it looks like this trend is happening again.

As the stock market is ravaged by fears of Coronavirus and the Australian dollar dips to its lowest levels in many years, Mark Williams of WILLIAMS MEDIA ponders the reactions of previous disasters in this article.

"This week we have seen a flow of capital to property," said Mr Williams.

"Property has become a safe haven in the past whenever there is a stock market correction."

"We saw this in the recession of 1987, the Asia crisis of 1997 and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008."

Mr Williams said indications this week showed that people were again moving their money to property when stock markets suffer significant corrections.

"In the past 3 days we have seen significant competition with above reserve results reported for both residential and commercial properties nationally. A record residential price in excess of $13m was achieved in the Brisbane suburb of Ascot” said Mr Williams.

"We saw strong bidding results at last weekend's auctions. Tempered by the fact these auctions are the result of buyers and sellers committed to transactions weeks before the pandemic was announced. However, they continued on with the knowledge of the stockmarket’s worst losses in many years and Coronavirus impacts on business starting to take hold."

"Upcoming auction numbers for the next four weekends has already been set. The auction numbers after that will show just how strong the market is, how much capital is flowing into property and how many people decide to hold onto their real estate, potentially creating an undersupply of stock."

“It will be interesting to see where the balance point is.”

There are a number of differences this time around.

Previously interest rates were much higher and many investors moved their money into term deposits, but now the yields aren’t there, whereas property has been showing solid price growth over the past 3 quarters and the rental yields are at the point where a large percentage of investment properties are now showing returns which are positively geared. Another new first for the Australian Property market.

It’s likely that the highly anticipated price growth in the acreage market still won’t occur in the first half of this year, but, at the current affordability levels we should start to see a lot more buyer activity in the acreage market as the impacts of the Coronavirus eases, especially off the back of the increased investment within the housing sector.

Property is looking like a very appealing option for investors, especially with recent reports now showing some hopes of a speedy cycle through the Coronavirus crisis…

Only a few weeks ago, China was overwhelmed by the coronavirus epidemic that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, accepting donations of masks and other medical supplies from nearly 80 nations and 10 international organizations. Now, with new daily cases in China dwindling into the single digits. ~ New York Times reported

If Australians work together during this crisis we may be able to get through it faster and with less fatality than many other countries, but only time will tell.

For more insights into the property market v’s the stock market, check out the rest of Mark Williams article here…

If I can be of any assistance to you or if you’re not sure which way to move during these uncertain times, don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Regards

Greg Vincent

The Evolving Acreage Market: Some Positive Signs But Not Exactly Business As Usual

This past few weeks has seen a lot of brand new, unexpected challenges that our broader community have had to face due to the Coronavirus.

The survival of any species on this planet has always relied on its ability to change and adapt to the changing environment, and adaptation is one of the greatest traits of human beings.

It’s important during these unprecedented, challenging times that we come together as a community and build a deeper mutual respect for each other, which may actually end up being one of the positive outcomes once we get through this pandemic.

During this current period of uncertainty, there’s an opportunity to both educate and adopt new ways of evolving the ways to do business more effectively and more efficiently, especially via the use of technology.

The number one priority must be… ‘A Safety First Approach’

I have done extensive research into what the recommendations are around COVID-19, what’s currently happening overseas to anticipate any further changes. Plus, I have spoken in depth to a General Manager within the cleaning industry who has been advising councils and companies on Coronavirus contingencies and risk assessment plans.

How Will Real Estate Be Affected?

There are a number of factors that are going to impact the way that the real estate industry operates and in anticipation of these changes we are adopting the necessary measures to ensure that we can continue to provide service excellence to our clients. in an effort to establish an evolving ‘business as usual’ approach.

In fact, there is now an opportunity for us to evolve and take our service delivery to another level across the acreage market.

As my friend, Tom Panos says after his numerous battles with cancer and the transformation it has made in his life, is…

Sometimes the best gifts are badly wrapped

In an announcement today, one of the latest technological improvements we’ve adopted here at McGrath is Auction Live Streaming. See today’s announcement below…

Yesterday, our company set out new guidelines via a CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS OPERATIONS UPDATE which outlines a planned approach to inspections and the processes we will be using whilst selling property during this current phase of the pandemic. Note: These operations may be subject to change.

Business as usual at open homes and inspections with added hygiene procedures

Our open homes will continue to be conducted with strict hygiene procedures in place right across our network, to help mitigate the spread of the virus, including:

• Regularly cleaning hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand rub

• Not shaking hands with colleagues, clients and open home visitors

• Making sure where possible hand sanitiser is used at open homes and auctions     

• Giving “shared” pens a quick wipe down with the sanitiser

• Washing and sanitising hands thoroughly after each property opening or inspection

• Always washing hands with soap and water before eating and after visiting the bathroom

• Covering their nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, and disposing of used tissues immediately

• Avoiding close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms

• Seeing a health care professional if they are unwell and staying away from the workplace and other public places

• Recording contact details of everyone entering a property. This is mandatory before entry

• At all times be respectful of each other

Your agent may also be organising inspections by private appointment in order to reduce the number of people inspecting the property at the same time. This will vary by property and agent so please contact the sales agent directly about this. In addition, we will be displaying the following sign at our open homes: 

COVID-19 NOTICE

If you are feeling unwell and experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms we ask that you do not enter this property.

Please contact the real estate agent managing the property and we will organise a way for you to view our properties without coming on site. 

It’s important if you are symptomatic or do not feel well that you maintain respect for the homeowners who are selling or leasing their properties and that you do not go on site and potentially increase the spread of any illnesses.

 We thank you for your cooperation.

McGrath

For more information regarding, How we will run property auctions? and What individuals can do to prepare? , visit CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS OPERATIONS UPDATE

There are several other safety measures and innovative approaches that we will be adopting in the coming days & weeks to assist our acreage clients.

Whilst doing my research, I found this recent interview featuring a lady who had contracted Coronavirus and Dr Elizabeth Forsyth, Medical Registrar from the Gold Coast Hospital to be extremely helpful and very informative.

I hope you find it helpful too.

Whilst it’s not exactly business as usual, here at McGrath we are on the front foot and are taking advantage of this time to ensure that we continue to evolve to the next level of Competency, Confidence, Connectivity, Caring, Calculation and Calmness that these difficult times require from our clients and the broader community expect from leaders in their field.

If I can be of any assistance to you or if you have any questions regarding what’s the best approach for your situation in the current acreage market, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 14th March 2020

Hi, my name is Greg Vincent and welcome to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

So this week, the Coronavirus has created quite a bit of uncertainty in the market as many business owners are now trying to anticipate foreign trade impacts and cashflow projections.

In fact, I had a buyer pulled out from an acreage purchase in Annangrove earlier this week due to concerns about their suppliers being able to provide materials for their construction business during the short to medium term. (But the good news for the owner is that we have another buyer for the home who should be exchanging contracts early this week).

Whilst this was all unfolding, I did some extensive research and I discovered that the ships out of China are back on the move and a large percentage of the delay in ship movements was actually due to the Chinese New Year, not so much from the Coronavirus as had been reported.

For anyone interested, here’s the link to the shipping information I discovered.

I also spoke with another business owner I know who regularly imports furniture from China and they’ve been receiving emails saying please place orders because they’re back to work and production is as usual. So, as you can see the exact impact of the Coronavirus is still such an unknown.

One thing's for sure is that whilst digital media has many positives, its biggest downfall is that it amplifies negative news dramatically.

There's been a lot of panic amongst the world and times like these calls for a calm and logical approach if you're looking at investing.

You see, when the share market drops as evidenced by the ASX 200 index shedding eight percent in value during February, historically many share market investors start withdrawing their equities and place their money in safer alternatives like property.

With interest rates at historically low levels and an unprecedented number of property investments now becoming positively geared with rental yields returning more than the mortgage repayments.

There are some great opportunities to invest in property at present and this current climate of investment affordability is something Australia has never actually seen before.

In the words of Warren Buffett: "The time to be greedy is when everyone else is fearful."

...and I anticipate that this current period of time will bookended by the positive start to 2020 and a return to a positive market after the period of Coronavirus nervousness actually settles down.

My greatest concern for the acreage market, is that currently on the latest Herron Todd White property clock, the Sydney property market was sitting firmly at 9 o'clock (a Rising Market), but we may find that due to the nervousness being experienced globally, the cycle of price recovery may actually become a shorter cycle than first anticipated and the housing market could actually reach the 12 o'clock position faster than first predicted.

Which would be a shame for acreage owners, because the recovery in the property market hasn't actually reached the acreage sector as yet and it's likely that we'll have to wait until the nervousness settles down before we see the double digit price growth that we were anticipated to occur around the middle to later part of the year, which looked set to occur off the back of the strong growth experienced in the housing market over these past 6-7 months.

On a positive note, bear in mind that acreage sales will still keep occurring, however, if you're looking to sell understand that the acreage market looks set to remain a lot more competitive than anticipated during these Autumn months as you'll see from this week's statistics.

So, what’s happening in the acreage market?

There are currently a total of 397 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region.

This overall total includes 218 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 125 in The Hills and another 54 For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

This week, there’s been another 16 new acreage listings come onto the market but only 5 acreage properties were Sold this week (less than half the number of sales that happened last week) but on a positive note there are 15 acreage properties that are currently ‘Under Contract’ across the entire region.

Out in the field, this week I listed an incredible acreage property which has a magnificent home plus a 2nd accommodation, a tennis court, motorbike track, flying fox over the dam, plus a brand new, enormous 360m2 workshop on nearly 7 acres of some of the best land you'll find in the district.

I can't wait to share this stunning property out to my database. Personally I think it may even get snapped up before it goes onto the real estate websites.

If you'd like to know more about this property get in touch with me.

At today's auction at 6 O'Dell Street, Vineyard, the property was passed in, but, we do have a couple of parties that we are currently in negotiations with.

Also, earlier this week I had a buyer who was due to do a 2nd inspection on another property this week, but when the husband flew home from overseas he was unwell and has gone in for testing and they're unable to inspect until he gets the all clear from the Coronavirus test.

So as you can see The Coronavirus is having unexpected impacts in a number of ways.

But, this is also an important time to make sure that both you and your agent maintain a level head and stay in tune with what's really happening and not get swept up into all of the panic & hysteria.

If you want a more balanced understanding about what's happening in the acreage market make sure you grab a copy of The Acreage Report 2020 (Autumn edition) which features an insight into ‘The Future For Acreage This Decade' and outlines the Two Biggest Factors Set To Impact Acreage over the next 10 years.

The Acreage Report includes statistics and updates about exactly what's happening within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

When you download your copy, I've also included instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features some great insights from property expert, John McGrath.

The report is FREE, you can access a copy right now at www.TheAcreageReport.com.au

Well there you have it, that’s it for another week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 7th March 2020

Hi, and welcome to the first Saturday of the Autumn selling season for 2020.

My name is Greg Vincent and thanks for tuning in to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

So this week, the Reserve Bank cut interest rates further by 0.25% with the Cash Rate now at a historical low of 0.50%. Their decision to cut rates is off the back of the Coronavirus causing global economic shutdown along with both wage growth and inflation still remaining stagnant.

The rate cut and the fact that the banks agreed to pass on the full rate cut is very positive for the housing sector and buyer sentiment, especially with affordability set to reach new heights amongst the acreage market.

Also, with First Home Buying having soared to 10-year highs as thousands of young people take advantage of stamp duty concessions, record low interest rates and the new federal loan deposit scheme to get into the market.

There are some great opportunities for first home purchasers in both metro and regional locations in 2020, and all of this added activity is helping to fuel price growth amongst the entry level priced properties, as well as the house & land packages and eventually all of the extra activity at the bottom end of the market will help to drive price growth in the acreage market.

As a result we should start to see a lot more acreage sales occurring during the Autumn months.

Enquiry for acreage has definitely increased, especially from people looking to upgrade to acreage, as well as, investors looking at moving their savings into property investment as they’re now on the look out for better returns than the banks and the share market are currently offering.

I anticipate that many will be opting to land bank or future invest in the acreage market to capitalise on the inevitable re-zonings and urban sprawl that will take place around Sydney's fringe suburbs throughout this next decade.

...and speaking of Sydney's population growth and what's going to happen this decade, you'll be pleased to know that, The Acreage Report 2020 (Autumn edition) is Out Now! ...and it features a vitally important insight into ‘What’s Ahead For Acreage This Decade? as well as identifying the Two Biggest Factors Set To Impact Acreage between now and 2030.

I have a feeling that this latest edition is going to be extremely popular because it's packed full of valuable insights into the What? Where? and When? of the changes to acreage this decade along with statistics and updates about exactly what's happening within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

Plus, when you grab a copy you’ll also receive instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features exceptional information from property expert, John McGrath.

The Acreage Report is FREE, and you can access a copy right now at www.TheAcreageReport.com.au

What’s Happening In The Acreage Market?

Well during February there were a total of 39 acreage properties sold across the region, with 21 sold in The Hawkesbury, 14 sold in The Hills and the remaining 4 sold in Penrith and Blacktown areas.

The number of New Listings in February was a total of 71 across the region, which is nearly double the number of acreage properties that were Sold this past month, which means that the acreage market is currently still lagging several months behind the significant price growth which has been widely experienced across the Sydney housing market.

Currently there are a total of 402 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region. This overall total includes 222 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 126 in The Hills and another 54 For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

So far for March, there’s been 22 new acreage properties listed this week and 11 acreage properties Sold this week (almost double that of last week) and another 16 properties are currently ‘Under Contract’ across the entire region.

As predicted, it’s not necessarily a booming acreage market as yet but it’s already starting to look like Autumn is set to be an extremely active acreage market for buyers.

Out in the field, I’ve had a number of more qualified enquiries from buyers this week who are currently ready & waiting to make a move onto acres, and they’re open to moving quickly or purchasing under delayed settlement conditions if they find the right property.

So, if you’re planning a move in the near future, now may be a good time to capitalise on the positive mood in the market ...and if you’d like a McGrath perspective on market value and discover how you can maximise the value of your property, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

Well there you have it, that’s it for another week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching and bye for now.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Lifestyle Set To Reach New Affordability Levels As RBA Cuts Rates

As predicted, the Reserve Bank of Australia have cut rates at today’s meeting with the Cash Rate now at a historical low of 0.50%.

Their decision to cut rates is off the back of the Coronavirus causing global economic shutdown along with both wage growth and inflation still remaining stagnant.

The decision is positive for the housing sector and buyer sentiment, especially with affordability set to reach new heights amongst the acreage market.

The PM has put pressure on the banks to pass on any rate cuts, however, at this stage it looks like the banks are expected to pass on 0.08% to 0.13% with fixed rates already cut last week.

The US looks likely to also cut rates in coming weeks, which is indicative of further RBA cuts.

With the quarterly statistics in the latest Autumn edition of The Acreage Report 2020 showing a reduced number of sales during Summer compared to the Spring 2019 quarter, there’s still a large volume of acreage stock available.

This means that whilst the acreage market is still in the early stages of a ‘U’ curve recovery, right now is an opportune time for buyers to secure an acreage lifestyle or invest in affordable land bank opportunities with excellent potential returns.

Source: Herron Todd White

The Sydney residential market has moved from the previous ‘Start of Recovery’ position on the Herron Todd White Property Clock and this month moved into the positive 9 o’clock position on the Property Clock - ‘RISING MARKET’ as the residential market remains extremely active with new record prices being achieved across lots of Sydney suburbs at present.

While money is cheap, easier to access and acreage stock volumes remain high, early Autumn is an excellent time to make your move into the acreage market if you’re looking to buy to live in or invest.

If you have any questions about buying acreage… Or, if you’re already living on acres and you’re not sure whether to sell your acreage property now or you’re currently wondering whether or not it’s better to hold, then don’t hesitate to get in contact with me to discretely discuss your plans.

I hope you find this acreage information helpful.

UPDATE: It’s great to see that the major banks have agreed to pass on the full 0.25% rate cut.

Regards

Greg Vincent

First Home Buyers Set To Fuel Acreage Market Growth

First home buying has soared to 10-year highs as thousands of young people take advantage of stamp duty concessions, record low interest rates and the new federal loan deposit scheme to get into the market.  

There is great opportunity for first home purchasers in both metro and regional locations in 2020, and all of this added activity is helping to fuel price growth amongst the entry level priced properties, as well as the house & land packages.

in a recent article, property expert John McGrath revealed

According to latest ABS data, the number of new loans issued to first time buyers in December was at its highest level since December 2009. 

The figures also showed that first home buyers were borrowing more, with the average loan size up by about $50,000 year-on-year, indicating APRA’s loosening of loan criteria in July and falling interest rates in June, July and October has given young people a bit more borrowing power.  

As developers start to clear lots of their previously oversupplied land stock and home sellers are achieving higher prices for their homes, acreage properties are becoming a more affordable lifestyle and as well as becoming an appealing option for many investors or astute buyers looking to land bank acres on the outskirts of Sydney ahead of the population explosion predicted during the remainder of this decade and beyond.

The historic low interest rates and the need for extra living or storage space for vehicles, equipment, dual accommodation, etc, is making acreage a very appealing option for many of today’s buyers.

The lowest home loan interest rates since the 1950s make this an incredible time to take out your first loan. Rates might go even lower this year to support our economy through the impact of the bushfires and coronavirus so, as always, I recommend taking a variable rate over fixed. 

On top of the Loan Deposit Scheme are state government stamp duty concessions and First Home Owners Grants available across the East Coast in varying forms. Here are the details to remind you. 

NSW - No stamp duty payable on new or established first homes up to $650,000, with concessions available up to $800,000. There is also a $10,000 FHOG if you buy land to build your first home worth up to $750,000; or buy a new house or off-the-plan apartment worth up to $600,000. 

With all of the first home buyer activity plus with both investors and developers back in the market, the acreage market looks set to have a very active Autumn market.

If you have any questions about what’s happening and How’s The Acreage Market? in your area, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

Regards

Greg Vincent

There’s An Even Bigger Housing Crisis On Its Way For Sydney And Here’s One Reason Why?

The Daily Telegraph featured an article titled, SYDNEY SUBURB COMES TO LIFE 130 YEARS AFTER PLANS DRAWN featuring…

Plans drawn up 130 years ago to transform Riverstone from farming paddocks to Paddington-style terraces are finally coming to life, with residents staking a claim to building lots. Among them is 22-year-old Chandini Suresh.

Source: Daily telegraph

It’s a timely article showcasing how slow the local councils and governments are with providing the necessary housing and infrastructure for Sydney’s growing population.

These past few years of pathetic time-wasting and holding off on projects to try to save votes is going to cause absolute chaos in the housing sector as Sydney bursts at the seams.

Just wait and see what happens this year during the council elections, most of the protectionist Councillors will be too scared to make the necessary decisions for what the communities really need and instead they’ll be making decisions and spruiking promises and running popularity campaigns based purely on trying to protect their job, instead of getting on with the job.

As I shared in a recent article, Draft Report: A Look Into 'The Future For Acreage This Decade'

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) medium-growth model, we can expect Australia’s population to grow to 30 million by 2030 and by the end of this decade Sydney is projected to have a population nearing 6.5 million. That’s an extra 1.4 million on top of the current 5.1 million population of Sydney.

Where on earth are all of these people going to live?

The Aerotropolis will provide some of the housing, but it won’t be anywhere near enough to make a dent in the growing housing demand in Sydney

The proposed plans for the Aerotropolis shows that there are 10 precincts proposed in total, with housing estates not included in all of the precincts.

However, the 2 initial housing precincts:

1. Aerotropolis Core Precinct has a total area of 1382 hectares with housing proposed for 20-24,000 potential residents

2. Northern Gateway Precinct covers 1,616 hectares with housing proposed for 8 - 10,000 potential residents.

The other initial precincts which are scheduled to be signed off on by the end of 2020 are for parkland, waterways, commercial, light industrial, warehousing, freight distribution, agribusiness and urban services.

“Urban services includes industries that enable the city to develop and its businesses and residents to operate. Urban services support the activities of local populations and businesses. They include concrete batching, waste recycling and transfer, printing, motor vehicle repairs, construction depots, and utilities (electricity, water, gas supply)”, according to the Greater Sydney Commission.

There will be more housing provided within some of the Stage 2 precincts, but by the time the initial 2 housing precincts are gazetted, and the necessary services are provided (roads, water, sewer, electricity, and gas, etc) and the blocks of land get registered, then add on top the delay in getting the building approvals processed , plus the time it takes to build the homes, let alone providing community services like schools, transport, shopping centres, etc it’s going to take years to develop.

My prediction is that, it’s unlikely that there will be any homes to live in out in the Aerotropolis prior to late 2022 - early 2023 at the current rate.

By which time Sydney’s population is expected to have grown by another 300,000 people and yet these 2 precincts will only provide at best housing for 34,000, approx. 11% of Sydney’s population growth during that period (and bear in mind that by the time the population has grown by the predicted 300,000 people, they will only just be completing the first of the 12-15,000 places in these precincts. The construction of all of properties for 34,000 people will take around 3 - 4 years to complete, which means that by then there’ll be another 300,000 people in Sydney looking for a place to live.

Apparently, even the mayor of Blacktown admitted recently that the City of Blacktown is currently about 55,000 homes behind where they really need to be …and this is only going to become a more common and growing problem unless something is done, and fast.

The current NSW Government has been spruiking that they’re building the infrastructure for the future and building a better Sydney, but, they need to pull their finger out and get on with providing housing or we’re going to end up with an unfixable housing crisis on our hands.

Right now is the time for the State Government to start fast tracking projects and for the local governments to streamline processing. It’s also time for the Federal Government to invest further in Sydney’s projects, water supply issues and maybe consider a reduction to the volume of immigration until the country can actually cope with the rate of population growth.

I hope I’m wrong, but it currently looks like Sydney’s going to be in one hell of a horrible mess this time next decade.

Regards

Greg Vincent

Acreage Market Wrap - 29th Feb 2020

Hi, and Happy Leap Year Day and welcome to the last leap year Saturday that we'll see for another 28 years.

Plus, today is the last day of Summer ...and Mother Nature has certainly made this a Summer that a lot of us will never forget.

My heart goes out to all of those people impacted by the bushfires, floods and storms we experienced this season.

My name is Greg Vincent and welcome to this week’s Acreage Market Wrap where I share an insight into How’s The Acreage Market?

So this week, the uncertainty of the Corona Virus has had an enormous impact on the share market as well as the value of the Aussie dollar.

As a result we should start to see a lot more investors looking at moving their money into property investment.

Prediction: I anticipate that many will be opting to land bank or future invest in the acreage market to capitalise on the inevitable rezonings and urban sprawl that will take place around Sydney's fringe suburbs throughout this next decade.

Despite the RBA holding rates steady this month, several of the banks have just cut their mortgage rates for investors in anticipation of an increased uptake in investment loans from investors moving across from the share market. There will also be an increase in Mum & Dad investors who after the recent property price increases will now have extra equity in their home that they could use to buy an investment property and start expanding their property portfolio.

If you're thinking about investing in property, earlier this week, John McGrath shared his top tips for property investment in 2020.

In other news, Infrastructure Australia released the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List earlier this week. There are 147 infrastructure proposals on the list, which is the largest since its inception, with 37 new proposals added this year.

Whilst the infrastructure links to the Western Sydney Airport and the extension of the Sydney Metro rail through to the city and out to Bankstown will have some impacts, the three main projects that will have a direct impact on acreage in this area are…

1. Proposal to raise Warragamba Dam

2. South Creek Integrated Land Use And Water Cycle Management

3. The Outer Sydney Orbital (M9) corridor.

To find out more about the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List click here.

So, what’s happening in the acreage market?

As predicted, there’s now a lot more acreage stock coming onto the market.

In fact there were 28 new acreage properties listed this week (the largest number we've seen so far this year) which means that currently there are a total of 395 acreage properties For Sale across the entire region.

This overall total includes 218 acreage properties For Sale throughout all of The Hawkesbury, 125 in The Hills and another 52 For Sale within Sydney’s North-West acreage areas of Penrith and Blacktown.

But, there’s only been 6 acreage properties Sold this week and 15 properties that are currently ‘Under Contract’ across the entire region.

…and Autumn looks set to be an extremely active acreage market off the back of the positivity in the housing market with auction clearance rates hovering back up around the 80% mark again.

However, the reality is that with the current rate of new acreage stock coming onto the market, it will take a dramatic increase in sales volume over the coming months before we can start experiencing a booming sellers market in the acreage sector again.

Out in the field this week, there were a lot of enquiries from buyers who are now fully qualified and ready to purchase if they find the right property.

Also, this week I’ve been putting the finishing touches to The Acreage Report (Autumn edition) which will be going off to print next week. It includes an exclusive report on 'The Future For Acreage This Decade' and here’s a ‘Sneek Preview’ of part of that report.

Draft Report: A Look Into 'The Future For Acreage This Decade'

While I was putting together this latest report all I kept finding myself asking was if Sydney's population is projected to increase by 1.4 million in this next decade, then where on earth are all of these people going to live.

To find out more, check out the link above, and if you want to receive a copy of The Acreage Report (Autumn edition) before it goes to print then register now at…

TheAcreageReport.com.au

The current edition of The Acreage Report 2020 (Summer edition) was by far the most popular edition we’ve released to date, but, I have a feeling that this next edition is going to be even more popular.

The Acreage Report is packed full of valuable insights and updates about exactly what's happening within the Hawkesbury, Hills & Sydney’s North West acreage market.

Plus, when you grab a copy you’ll also receive instant access to The McGrath Report 2020 which features some great information from property expert, John McGrath.

So there you have it, that’s it for this week’s Acreage Market Wrap.

If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve shared this week or would like to discuss any of your acreage plans with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for watching and bye for now.

Regards

Greg Vincent

John McGrath’s Top Tips For Property Investment In 2020

With the share market suffering huge losses this week, with the ABC reporting today that the…

“Australia's share market has joined Wall Street in a correction, falling more than 10 per cent since their recent record highs, while the Australian dollar plumbed a fresh 11-year low.

In the space of just a week, the ASX 200 has gone from a record closing high of 7,162 last Thursday to a low of 6,427 in today's session.

This morning's initial 3.3 per cent slump took the losses above 10 per cent since that record, marking the beginning of what traders call a "correction".

To enter a "crash" or "bear market" share prices would need to lose another 10 per cent from there.

Looking at the broader market, represented by the All Ordinaries index, Australian shares have lost more than $240 billion in value since their highs last week. 

It is the biggest weekly drop for both Australian and US share markets since October 2008, during the peak of the global financial crisis market chaos.

The Australian dollar has also again plumbed financial crisis depths, falling to 65.29 US cents during afternoon trade.”

A Turn Towards Property Investment

When share markets fall a lot of investors often look to invest in the housing market again to diversify and spread their risk as bricks and mortar is seen to provide a more resilient investment during uncertain times. Whilst the bad news surrounding the impacts of the current global health crisis is causing turmoil & chaos amongst business.

If you’re thinking of switching across to investing in property, we’ve got some news! It’s now not only easier to get a loan but several of the banks have just cut their mortgage rates for investors, despite the RBA holding rates steady this month.

Property investment should always be for the long term and it’s certainly advantageous to get started when rates are at record lows.

if you’d like to know more about investing in property, and gain some valuable insights from one of Australia’s leading property experts, make sure you check out John McGrath’s top tips for property investment in 2020 here

Also, when looking at investing in property, it’s worth checking out my recent article titled…

Draft Report: A Look Into The Future For Acreage This Decade.’

There’s going to be some massive changes in the acreage market this decade.

Plus, I currently have some great opportunities amongst the acreage sector located on the fringes of Sydney which are showing excellent returns and excellent potential for growth along with future development opportunity.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to know more about these properties and the long term benefits of investing in acreage.

Regards

Greg Vincent