Some call it the regional rush, others call it the flee change, but whatever you call it there’s no doubt that what we’re experiencing at the moment is a regional Australia renaissance.
An unexpected benefit of the pandemic has been the realisation that people don’t need to live in the cities. Working from home was once the dream but it’s now the reality for many and, as a result, demand for country living has soared as people escape city life.
House prices across regional Australia rose by eight per cent last year, while the capitals rose by only two per cent, and record highs are again being forecast for the construction of detached homes in the regions this year.
“The extension of HomeBuilder is the primary cause of this significant upgrade in our forecast but the demographic shifts are also driving demand for detached homes. Regional locations in many states are showing a larger increase in activity than capital cities as the population moves away from inner city living.”
HIA’s Chief Economist, Tim Reardon
What does this mean for regional builders?
Harry Pontikis is the Director of Chocolate Money Finance Brokers, and is an experienced director, consultant and manager with the building and construction industry in Victoria.
Harry describes this period as: “The boom everyone saw coming for our regions. The proactive businesses are taking steps to increase their capacity to take on more work and are focusing their finances and marketing to ensure the jobs are more profitable than normal.”
How is Dahlsens supporting the success of builders in regional areas?
“Our customers get the best of both worlds – the strength of an Australia-wide network, and the commitment to strong and lasting relationships.”
For 140-plus years, Dahlsens has serviced the regional builder. The business and the Dahlsen family began in regional Victoria, and ever since has been dedicated to giving the regional builder access to the same opportunities as those in the cities.
Dahlsens is proud to support the success of the regional builder by providing:
- Locally employed, long-standing trade experts
- Access to the best products in the market
- Direct relationships with reputable suppliers
- Reliable, ongoing supply
- Regular deliveries into far-reaching regional towns
- Competitive buying
- After sales support
- Access to samples
- Product training and marketing support
“There’s been a rise in the desire for flexible living spaces that can adapt to families’ changing needs and home offices to accommodate working remotely. As people have realised they can not only work from home, but work from anywhere they have an internet connection, we’ve had a number of clients plan to take advantage of this and design their holiday homes with the intention to split their work weeks between urban and regional life. Dahlsens have been very supportive in our growth plans and have helped out a lot with our increased demand.”
Craig Perryman, Director, Swanbuild
“2021 and beyond will be challenging for builders who are all trying to select from the same pool of good quality sub-trades and deliver finished homes. Unfortunately, the quality trade shortage is still a real problem in our area. At the same time, this presents a fantastic opportunity for those who were looking at starting a trade business in 2021, to be inundated with work for their first few years of operation – a real coup. On the materials supply side of constructing a home, fortunately we have Dahlsens, who are the leader in supplying building materials, prefabricated truss and frame products, roofing products and everything in between, ready to meet the increased demand.”
Xavier Ryan, Director, Blay Builders
We salute our regional customers who haven’t always seen the growth experienced in other markets. Today, as your towns boom and the opportunities to secure new clients thrive, we wish you every success.