PROPERTY POINT

My Christmas-New Year holidays were a wonderful mixture of beaches, beer, test cricket, family time, beer, time in a resort, jerky morning exercise and beer. Oh, and phone calls from real estate buyers.

The beaches and resort were on the Gold Coast, the cricket was in Melbourne, the jerky morning exercise was on whatever discreetly hidden grassy spot I could find, the beer was pale ale and the buyer phone calls were an indication of a strong market heading into 2023.

Sometimes the calls interrupted my morning exercise (“Oh, I’d better take that”), sometimes it interrupted the beer (“Bloody hell, can’t a bloke have a holiday”) but they kept coming and it instilled a great anticipation in me for the year ahead.

I only had a couple of listings left from 2022 but I also had a couple of listings that hadn’t gone on the market yet but some buyers knew about them and didn’t want to wait until I came back in the second week of January.

I work six days a week and need a decent break at Christmas just to keep my insanity below publicly perceptible levels … but don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about the calls.

While I was away I got to see people who live in other markets, I read newspapers that told a national story of real estate negativity and picked up a general vibe about mortgage stress in markets where people are trying to pay off $1 million properties.

The vibe I got from the callers inquiring about my Mackay properties was that they saw opportunity and value.

That positive feeling has continued now that I am back in Mackay and into the working year.

There is good buyer inquiry, plenty of activity at open houses and properties are going under contract.

All the fundamentals remain good. Rental vacancies of under 1 per cent, unemployment at the lowest levels in the country, a good bustling energy about the future, median prices that are far lower than other parts of the country.

It looks like peace has broken out in the recent trade war with China and word has it that their massive economy is ready to get moving again, which is a good sign for our coking coal production.

The Mackay region has managed to enjoy strong economic activity in recent years despite the trade ban from China so the détente in that area bodes well for local businesses … and real estate. Bring on 2023!