Queensland's auction price guidance ban legislation is madness: Andrew Winter
From 1 December the Queensland housing market will start to look less like a serious player in the world market and more like Hazard County (of Dukes of Hazard fame), the prominent Queenslander property commentator Andrew Winter wrote in his weekend News Ltd column.
It is the date the recent legislation comes into force against auction price guidance. He says the banning of price guides for properties to be auctioned defies common sense and could drive buyers away.
"I do feel I have to share this example of bureaucratic madness with all of you across the land.
"Sadly there are many examples where common sense, logic, even fairness seem to have been forgotten in the pursuit of some hair brained, ill conceived concept.
"It will become illegal for agents to sell a home by auction and list a price guide of any type.
"But that is not the real shocker here.
"Guess what — real estate agents, who are paid to sell and negotiate, will be banned from even discussing prices, seller’s expectations, or even what a home sold for down the street.
"If they even mutter a hint they will be fined and the regulatory body is even sending out people to real estate agent offices to warn them.
"So no matter how keen you are to buy, no matter how much you beg, email or phone, agents risk their license and fines if they tell you.
"Have you ever come across anything else more stupid?
"If agents cannot give a price guide, what is stopping the seller putting a poster on their wall stating a guide if they want to?"
Andrew Winter, who settled in Australia following a successful UK television career in the UK said: "Queensland, this is a joke!"
"This legislation is all about excessive control," he sai.
Sydney agent John McGrath was the major opponent of the REIQ-supported legislation which passed the parliament with minor concessions to applease the News Ltd website, realestatecom.au pricing platform.
"Come on Queensland, you surely have been sniffing the sun screen bottle too much," Winter jested.
"None of these crazy legislative restrictions exist in prime residential markets like the United States or United Kingdom and they cope quite well," he wrote.