The homes of bushfire victims are hopeful that agents will rush to find homes
Victorian communities just outside the state’s worst-hit areas are rallying to provide housing for victims. Photos: provided, Jason Edwards.
Victorians who have lost their homes due to bushfires are being rushed to find alternative accommodation as special registers are being created to link them to places to live.
Real estate groups including Ray White and seniors in the Euroa and Seymour areas are working to find owners with available properties, or even rooms, to provide parking spaces and long-term housing options for those who have lost their properties – and their four-legged friends.
From farms to granny flats near the Longwood state park, property owners with spare land are encouraged to contact the groups establishing the registers.
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The goal is to help those who are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise unable to get a place to live that is covered by their insurance, close to the community in which they work.
Agents also report complicated situations where homes that were recently sold, or listed for sale, are now lost to fire.
On Sunday, Brendan Allen of Elders Euroa made a heartfelt plea on Instagram for housing to support those who have lost everything, and those who need shelter following the fires to contact him.
![2209A Creightons Creek Rd, Creightons Creek - herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 1024"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A Creightons Creek farmhouse that sold a few months ago for $570,000. Image: provided.
There is a little left in this place. Image: provided.
“We are a strong community, we will face this together,” he said.
A post from his brendanallen_euroa Instagram account had attracted more than 500 likes by Monday afternoon.
Mr. Allen said that there are already a number of people asking for help, others volunteering in their homes without being asked but they fear that many more will be needed.
“We’re trying to be a temporary channel,” he said.
“It’s not an organized thing. People in the forest are trying to help each other.”
The agent said they are looking to create a list of everything from family homes, to granny flats, even caravans and cabins in blocks of flats, so that the disabled can live as close to their community as possible.
Mr Allen added that they hope to find homes that can accept pets, either with their owners or guardians.
![2209A Creightons Creek Rd, Creightons Creek - herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The neighboring property in Creightons Creek, which was also destroyed in the fire, was listed for sale, but has now been withdrawn from the market. Image: provided.
Remains of Longwood’s rented building. Image: provided.
They are looking for homes in Euroa, Avenel, Nagambie, Violet Town and Benalla.
“Wherever people are affected, that can be on the register,” Mr Allen said.
So far they have had many specials for these homes, as well as for motor motels and similar businesses.
“There’s a lot of land that’s been destroyed and it’s going to take a long time to get things back to what they did,” said Mr Allen.
“But the people of the forest endure.”
Elders Euroa also has a hay depot in the fire-affected areas, and is looking for anyone with stubble from last year’s harvest that could be used to graze the displaced cattle.
2209A Creightons Creek Rd, Creightons Creek – herald sun real estate
Farmers and locals are working to protect property near Yarck as part of the defense against the Longwood bushfires. Photo: Jason Edwards.
The agent said his company knows of cases where homes for sale, or that were recently sold, have burned down – but in most cases he knows the buyers took out insurance when they had a financial interest in the property, and it should be covered.
Those who can help can contact Madala on (03) 5736 4300.
Principal of Ray White Euroa and Shane Thomson said his company has already been notified that it has lost one property that has been sold, another that was sold a few months ago and a rental house.
“And we are waiting for more calls,” said Mr Thomson.
Brendan Allen made a heartfelt plea for housing help on Instagram that has already helped connect homeowners with people who have lost everything.
The remains of another house that burned down in Yarck. Photo: Jason Edwards.
However, they also want to connect those who have lost their homes with rental properties in the region, with about 20 homes currently on their books across Euroa, Seymour and Benalla where they intend to expedite applications for bushfire victims seeking long-term housing through formal rental agreements.
“The idea is to try to match people with the right property that their family needs,” said Mr Thomson.
“And there will be more to come in the coming days and weeks.”
The agency is collecting donations in the form of household furniture and appliances.
Ray White Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee recently released a column that noted that while the timeline for recovery may vary, the values of many fire-ravaged areas tend to decline initially but eventually recover.
Firefighters were left to watch in sadness as buildings burned several times. Photo: Jason Edwards
Ms Conisbee pointed to Mallacoota, which was hit hard by the black summer fires in 2019-2020, where there was a crash in house prices – but the average price of a town house rebounded by 70 per cent over the next three years.
This was partly a response to the Covid-19 pandemic in regional Victoria, and the economist noted that recovery times could vary depending on a number of factors.
“The short-term price effects from disasters usually recover, but the timeline can vary greatly by location and circumstances,” Ms. Conisbee said.
“But insurance costs and availability are increasingly important factors in property values, especially in high-risk areas.
“(Also) government investment in disaster mitigation can have a significant impact on long-term property values in affected areas.”
– Additional reporting, Alesha Capone
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