Be market ready when lockdown lifts, says Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly

Now is the time to be preparing to place your property on the market, to be ready for the eventual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, according to Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly in Navan.

Lockdown has meant there is a pent-up demand from buyers looking to acquire a new home, with a particular emphasis on detached properties in the country as a result of the pandemic and life during lockdowns.

"While our offices are closed to the public, we are still allowed to conduct appraisals and valuations," says Ed Reilly, director of Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly, Watergate Street.

"This is done under strict and safe Covid-19 protocols. We can appraise your property and advise you on what is required to prepare your property to go to the market," he adds.

"When ready, it can be photographed and we can then go live on all of the main property websites, which will lead to enquiries.

“We can then have a list of potential buyers ready for viewings when lockdowns are lifted,” Ed continues.

"The market is currently very strong, and the message is the we are very much open for business. Despite the door on Watergate Street not being physically open, the phones and websites are fully operational."

Barry O’Brien Lynch, negotiator with Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly, adds that prices reflect the strong demand there are on properties at present, and that there are many buyers waiting for a suitable property to come on the market, having sold three-or four-bed homes last year.

The agents point that the lockdown has made people reconsider their current situation, while the proposed new legislation on remote working will be a ‘gamechanger’, with many people choosing to continue working from home.

Prices, transactions and mortgage activity have been on the rise since last summer, and the lifting of the first lockdown.

Property prices nationally rose 0.2 per cent in the 12 months to November as the market recovered from the impact of coronavirus.

The latest Residential Property Price Index also pointed to a significant pick-up in transactions. There were 4,326 sales filed with Revenue in November, a 6.1 per cent on the same month in 2019.

Barry O’Brien Lynch points to the simple supply versus demand equation, where the demand for homes, new and secondhand, continues unabated, while there as been a slowdown in construction due to the impact of the coronavirus.

"Our advice is to have the property on the market and be ready for viewers once restrictions are lifted," he says.