Flying High
A real estate professional once said to me that an acquisition tomorrow will always cost you more than an acquisition today! Away from the often talked about waterfront and canal homes of Noosa there’s been a frenzy of hinterland activity, especially in places like Doonan and Eumundi, as John Caruso discovers.
“About a year ago when we first heard of COVID, no one knew what was going to happen, not even the banking sector. Then suddenly from Easter 2020 to now, the property market has done something I’ve never seen it do before and I’ve been in this business for 20 years,” explains David Berns Real Estate Principal David Berns.
Hinterland properties from around the 1.5-million-dollar mark down, are in so much demand agents are fielding multiple offers per property with some homes selling in a week.
“The interest and market performance are greater than what I witnessed back in 2007 and 2004. People might think there’s an endless supply of land in the hinterland; there simply isn’t. I’m getting five to ten calls every day and we’ll probably move into doing more auctions because at the end of the day, auctions deliver a good price for the seller and if there’s ten potential buyers it also gives them a better opportunity to get themselves into that property,” says David.
A testament that speaks volumes to the level of professionalism and expertise offered by David’s team, is the fact he has a property he has sold six times, over several years!
“I sold it, and then resold it again and again and again, so that tells me we’re doing the right thing as far as service goes. All our agents are good agents. We’re committed to our clients and we develop and train our team to a high standard when it comes to ethics. Knowledge and data stand us apart from other agents and problem solving and negotiating are areas where we excel,” he said.
David’s belief is that you’re only as good as your last listing.
“I’ve honed my real estate skills over the last two decades, my approach to the business is sharper. Not enough agents ask the right questions of buyers and sellers; you can get a faster outcome by simply asking the right questions. You might have fifty people looking through a property, however only two of them are genuine buyers and if you don’t ask specifically about intention, then there’s a lot of wasted time,” he explains.
The million-dollar question from both potential buyers and sellers remains, is the hinterland market softening considering that cases of COVID in southern states appears to have eased? David delivers an emphatic response.
“No! And I’ll give you an example. I listed a property on Blanckensee Rd, Black Mountain on Friday, three days ago, and I have five inspections this afternoon, on a Monday, I’ve had one offer already with another potential buyer flying up from Sydney at the end of the week, and that property is priced around 2.4 million.
“Twenty five percent of buyers are from interstate; the rest are from South East Queensland and most properties are sold within two to fourteen days. We’re seeing a percentage of people who are moving away from Noosa beach-front property or homes that are close to the ocean and buying in the hinterland primarily for peace and quiet, space for families and animals and a garden to grow your own veggies. You simply have to look at how popular Bunnings is at the moment. Have you tried to buy plants and seeds lately?” he asks.
David believes his brand and his team, which includes Heidi Woodman, George Andrews and Alexander Payne, is about legitimacy and working hard for their clients. Heidi was recently voted ‘agent of the year for Eumundi’ with David awarded ‘agent of the year for Doonan’ for a fourth time.
