Qualified carpenters are as scarce as hen's teeth at the moment.
- Marcia Thomas
Demand for housing in Warrnambool is set to result in a building boom.
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Land at a number of city developments is being snapped up, necessitating the need for builders and other tradespeople to construct the homes.
Mugavin Homes builder Lee Mugavin said he was hoping to take on more work building new homes, but he was finding it tough hiring a qualified carpenter.
"It's proving a bit challenging at the moment," Mr Mugavin said.
He said he put the call out about three months ago, but was still searching for the right person.
"A lot of the qualified chippies are going out to the Mortlake wind farm," Mr Mugavin said.
He said builders in the city were flat out with more and more people wanting to build in the region.
"In the past four years it's really kicked off," Mr Mugavin said.
He said the generous first homebuyer's grant and low interest rates had resulted in more people making the decision to build their own house.
Mr Mugavin said he was keen to take on new projects in the coming months but would need to find someone to help him complete them.
Western District Labour Hire manager Marcia Thomas said it was almost impossible to find qualified carpenters to fill jobs in the south-west.
"Qualified carpenters are as scarce as hen's teeth at the moment," Ms Thomas said.
She said she had put out a number of calls for builders recently, with little to no success.
Ms Thomas said a number of tradespeople had found work at major projects in the area, such as wind farms.
Bricklayers and plumbers are also in high demand, she said.
Ms Thomas said any qualified carpenters looking for a seachange in Warrnambool would have no trouble finding work.
WestVic Staffing Solutions chief executive officer Dean Luciani said skill shortages in trades was nothing new.
"It's not a new problem and there's not a quick fix," Mr Luciani said.
"I truly believe we have to continue to invest in training people."
Owen Built Homes director Chris Owen said he had difficulty both finding and retaining qualified employees. "There is a very big skill shortage with experienced workers at the moment," Mr Owen said.
He said the industry was not for everyone because of the skills required and the toll it took on people physically.
"I believe trades people are not staying as long in the industry as they used to," Mr Owen said.
He said builders had seen an increase in demand for houses in Warrnambool in the past decade.
"We've had strong growth for the last 12 to 13 years," Mr Owen said.
"We see a lot of seachangers coming to Warrnambool."
Mr Owen said he anticipated he would have to employ more staff in the coming years to deal with the increased demand.
However, he is worried finding suitable workers may be a challenge.
"We've got a good crew at the moment, but we're constantly expanding," Mr Owen said.
One of the city's largest housing developments, Hopkins Heights, is set to go on the market in the coming weeks. It comprises 420 lots on Hopkins Point Road, varying in size from 450-square metres to more than 2000-square metres.
Harris and Wood real estate agent Matthew Wood said a number of builders had advised they had a backlog of jobs and people wanting to build new homes may face waits of more than six months.
"We've been working with local builders and a lot them have a backlog - some of them are about six to nine months," Mr Wood said.
He said the first titles were expected to be available in July next year and after that would continue to be rolled out.
"We want to make sure that we're giving the community the opportunity to purchase something that lines up with their builder," Mr Wood said.
"What's happening now is there are builders and people sitting there wanting to build a house but they can't because the builders can't keep up with the demand and the land's not available."
Mr Wood said buyers of land in the estate could use any builder to construct their home.
"We're trying to make things as easy as possible," he said. In a bid to speed up the process, developers of the estate have introduced the use of VicSmart Planning.
Mr Wood said he believed it was the first time this would be available in Warrnambool.
Project manager Tom Lindsey said this would help streamline the process for people who bought in the estate.
"If people are able to satisfy a set of criteria then they will get a planning permit within 10 days for their house," Mr Lindsey said.
He said this process could take four to five months otherwise.
Demand for new homes is expected to increase, not slow down, with the federal government offering further incentives for first home buyers. People on lower incomes will have the chance to enter the property market with a deposit of just 5 per cent.
The scheme will support up to 10,000 loans each financial year and will begin next year.
People who make $125,000 or less a year or couples who make $200,000 a year or less can apply.
In regional Victoria, first-home buyer grants are capped to homes worth $375,000.
Real Estate Institute of Victoria chief executive officer Gail King said the scheme had created a lot of excitement across Victoria's real estate sector.
"Our market will be boosted by new buyers, meaning further transactions in our community," Ms King said.
The REIV also revealed this week that land prices in regional Victoria had soared since 2014, with the median price increasing from $403 to $535 per metre square.
Another thing set to increase the number of buyers choosing to build is the lack of existing homes on the market.
Brian O'Halloran and Co real estate agent Brian Hancock told The Standard last month there was interest in south-west properties from all over the world.