Auction day crowds mask up to bid before lockdown. Picture: Annette Dew
ALMOST 100 properties went to auction across Greater Brisbane on Saturday and auctioneers had gavels in hand when news of Brisbane’s snap lockdown came through.
“I was in the middle of an auction, we had paused to negotiate and I had a feeling. I kept peeking at my phone and then I saw heaps of texts and missed calls,” Apollo Auctions director Justin Nickerson said.
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Apollo Auctions director Justin Nickerson. Picture: Annette Dew
Across town, Place Estate Agents auctioneer Paul Curtain had heard rumours of a snap lockdown before his first auction of the day and was working on a plan to move his three afternoon auctions to Place Bulimba headquarters if needed.
Place Bulimba joint managing director Paul Curtain. Picture: Annette Dew
“We will go back to the way we did it the previous times this has happened.” Mr Curtain said when news broke.
“People are ready to buy property whether online or over the phone, everything just continues.”
Tony King of Coronis at Coorparoo hit the phones as soon as the news broke, trying to bring forward an open home for 23 Billan St, Carina ahead of its auction at 5pm. He was hoping to pick up another couple of bidders who had yet to inspect the home.
23 Billan St, Carina.
“Usually we open the home half an hour before the auction but that’s not possible,” Mr King said.
“We are reaching out to see if they can get through the property today before lockdown.
“I can’t put a time on it, as soon as possible, I’m mindful people have to also be able to get home before 4pm and some live more than 10km away.”
In the end, most of the nine properties listed for auction between 4pm and 6pm on realestate.com.au sold at their online auctions, with several sellers choosing to postpone their auctions until next week.
“If everyone does their part this will all be over on Tuesday,” Torres Properties director Will Torres said.
Place Bulimba’s Paul Curtain said it was important to keep auctions going in a lockdown environment because of the high demand for properties.
This was evidenced in a Ray White auction that saw 26 bidders turn up to buy 64 Stoneleigh St, Albion, the highest number of bidders recorded for any Ray White auction in Australia on Saturday.
“The people who are disappointed if auctions are cancelled are the buyers,” Mr Curtain said.
“They are ready to bid, and as much as buyers like to go onsite and see the transparent nature of an onsite auction, if a buyer can sit in their loungeroom with their loved ones around them and watch the auction live, they enjoy that too.”
Mr Curtain said it will be business as usual for auctions next weekend regardless of whether auctions are held onsite or online.
“The difference now is people are educated on the whole lockdown process and as an agency we have a lockdown way of doing business and a non-lockdown way of doing business,” Mr Curtain said.
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