When you first start as a real estate agent, it’s drummed into you that a missed call or email can cost you thousands of dollars in missed opportunity.
Whether it’s a buyer that needs to inspect before flying out that afternoon, or a prospective seller who will sign up with the first agent they gel with, time (and proximity to your phone) is frequently of the essence.
Unfortunately, it’s one of those lessons often learned only after a few painful consequences.
Anzac Day, however, flips the script, as it is one of only a few days throughout the year where conducting the business of selling real estate is actively prohibited – with some very hefty fines applicable for signing contracts, conducting open homes or even responding to a call or email on the day.
Anzac Day march in 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer
Real estate businesses can technically still be open (for leasing) where reasonable, but sales agents are banned from attending the office and working from home (or wherever you happen to be on the road) is also off limits.
Having fielded inquiries at all hours, from 2am on a Thursday to 6pm on Christmas Eve, it definitely feels different to have a very loud “DON’T” applied – though, in this case, it’s easy to respect the why – both from a position of respect and of allowing agents the right to often much-needed downtime.
A bit of extra patience is encouraged for both buyers and sellers over this weekend as even the hardest-working agents lock their phones away to stay out of trouble – but you shouldn’t have to wait too long.
With no long weekend to tie in with Anzac Day, expect to see open homes shuffled into Sunday (along with children’s sport and everything else!) to keep the momentum going in a market that is really starting to wake up post-Easter and the wet season.
Real estate transactions are banned on Anzac Day Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard
Interest rates and Trump tweets have certainly been headwinds, but prices are still strong and demand continues to outstrip supply in a lot of areas and at many price points.
For tenants agonising over a broken water pipe or other property maintenance mishap, leasing and management activity is still permitted and you should still reach out to your appropriate emergency contact when something does go wrong.
For anything outside of urgent though, expect it to become Monday’s problem as tradies take the same opportunity for a day off.
* Tom Quaid is the REIQ Zone Chair for Cairns.
REIQ zone chair for Cairns, Tom Quaid.
English (US) · 