Why holiday homes could make emotional and commercial sense in 2021

Mr McKibbin opined that while a decision to purchase a property should never be based on emotion alone, but when the numbers align, “lifestyle is a perfectly good reason to buy”.

“This year, lifestyle as a factor in a holiday home purchase potentially carries greater influence. The pandemic and its aftermath, including the widespread acceptance of working from home, means a holiday home may account for a larger proportion of a purchaser’s time spent.

“A holiday home in 2021 has the potential to be much more than a weekend getaway for families when timing makes it possible. Instead, a visit to the holiday home in the future could form part of their weekly routine.

“This realisation could result in an uplift in transactions in holiday destinations this summer,” Mr McKibbin said.

And according to REINSW, the increase in activity is already underway.

In NSW, the 3.1 per cent growth in regional dwelling prices in the three months to November significantly outperformed Sydney (0.3 per cent), according to CoreLogic figures.

Regional NSW sales volumes for the same period showed a huge 14.2 per cent increase, underlining the pandemic-fuelled decentralisation trend.

“Buying property is always a serious financial decision. Unfortunately, some spur of the moment purchasers experience buyer’s remorse because the acquisition was driven by a disproportionate amount of emotion and not enough reality analysis,” Mr McKibbin said.

But, Mr McKibbin opined, if the purchase is for lifestyle, and the prospect of rental returns for part of the year is simply a bonus, “it can make both emotional and commercial sense, depending on the numbers”.

“Should the decentralisation trend triggered by the pandemic continue to play out, demand for quality properties in traditional holiday destinations will steadily swell and become less susceptible to seasonal shifts. It follows that the impact on prices will be positive.

“Instead of a holiday home being a cause for buyer’s remorse, as it may have in the past, this year people who don’t proceed with a well-considered holiday home purchase may experience a case of lifestyle remorse,” he said.