Blair Haddow: Lockdown log-jam stalls spring property market – but only temporarily

Four weeks of Level 4 Covid-19 community lockdown in Auckland may have stalled the spring resurgence of Ponsonby’s residential real estate market… but it failed to quench buyer demand, according to the area’s leading real estate salesperson.

Blair Haddow of Bayleys Ponsonby said that while residential property sales in the locale during the second half of August and first half of September were predominantly confined to internet video auctions – seeing transactions concluded online – the number of new listings coming onto the market dried up.

“Many potential vendors thought there was little point in listing when no-one is able to come to an open home. On top of the inability for purchasers to physically view properties inside, we couldn’t organise any professional photography of new listings, so promotional activity came to a halt for those homes which weren’t already on the market before we went to lockdown on 17 August,” said Blair Haddow.

“However, the Level 4 restrictions simply stalled the inevitable spring activity for four weeks. And now that we’re back in Level 3, there is the ability to launch campaigns and host viewings under strict Government guidelines restricting how many people can view a property on any given day, and the ability to attend auctions.

“Interestingly, our auction clearance level rose from 70 percent under the relative freedom of Level 1 conditions, to a 90 percent clearance level under Level 4. That essentially meant our listing stock has been all but cleared out.”

Blair Haddow had multiple new spring listings coming to the market just as the 17 August Level 4 Covid-19 conditions were imposed. Now that the marketing collateral for those new homes has been completed, they are now officially on the market for sale, and include:

1 Ariki Street in Grey Lynn – a three bedroom/two-bathroom/two-living area villa. This family home on a flat north-east facing section situated near the Grey Lynn ridge has double car garaging and additional off-street parking for another vehicle.

Extensive decking wraps around the kitchen and dining room – making for a relaxed al-fresco space accessed by large bi-fold doors.

57 Williamson Avenue also in Grey Lynn – showcasing a classically-styled three-bedroom/one-bedroom villa with off-street parking for two vehicles. In its near original format, the property has been a rental for its current owners for quite some time, and has plenty of scope to add value through renovation and modernisation.

99 Franklin Road in Freemans Bay – a mixed-use property which was originally a four-bedroom/one-bathroom residence with double off-street car parking, but more recently it has been used as commercial premises by its current owner and their professional services business. The single level 112-square metre property offers a ready-made opportunity for a ‘work from home’ scenario, or could just as easily be converted back into a purely residential address in a street famous for its Christmas lights display.

12/8 Dock Street in Freemans Bay – a two-bedroom/two-bathroom terraced townhouse with double car garaging overlooking Victoria Park.

Amidst all the reshuffling of listings, Level 4 and Level 3 were also a time of celebration for Bayleys Ponsonby – with the office winning the Best Medium Sized Residential Office of the Year title at the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand 2021 Awards for Excellence. It is the second consecutive year Bayleys Ponsonby has won the title.

It was also a dual time of celebration for Blair Haddow – whose outstanding sales results over the winter period have seen him rank among the top 10 residential salespeople within Bayleys’ national network, and top five percent of the company’s greater sales teams in the 2020/2021 financial year. χPN

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Published 1 October 2021