What a wonder it was to get through the Christmas break without the “C word” rearing its head this year. In our house Christmas 2021 was bookended by COVID contact isolation from an ill-timed café visit and 2020 saw a QLD/NSW border crossing more serious than an international arrival.
This year, family gatherings and Christmas parties once again saw a return to the fore, albeit more subdued than previously.
Market-wise, the end of the year saw a surprising rush of activity as people that have become used to house-hunting as a (seemingly) professional gig kept searching right up to the close of business. My final open home for the year in December was anticipated to be a quiet affair but ended with 15 families, 3 offers and an early Christmas present for clients, which was a delight.
With a few weeks of rest and relaxation under the belt, expect to see listings start to pop up again mid-month, once the weather calms down and photographers return to work. Stock levels are still likely to be tight though so don’t become complacent with your search. Moving quickly and confidently is still a key strategy for success.
On a more sombre note for my first column of the year, for those that aren’t aware, my grandfather George Quaid passed away earlier in December, at the age of 93.
Born in Dublin, Ireland but a member of the Mossman and then Cairns community from childhood, he is known best as one of the pioneering developers of Far North Queensland, among such other careers as auctioneer, cattleman, councilman sawmill and ferry operator and much more.
Having grown up in a real estate family which he founded back in the 1940s (followed into the industry by 3 children and 2 grandchildren), I found that he cast a big shadow, but a benevolent one – certainly to me at least. As a child I was always a bit in awe of him (as I suppose we should be of grandparents) but my fondest memories are a bemusing day spent fishing with him when I was 6, and the first time he met my son (his great-grandson) and their playing trucks on the loungeroom floor. That’s a video I will cherish for a long time.
While most locals had an opinion of him, his greatest impact by far was on his family. His wife Dawn, his 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren, one of whom he didn’t get the chance to meet. He will be missed. He IS missed. Cheers Grandad.