Beaches, lifestyle and affordability are driving market interest as city-dwellers make the big call to sell up.

The mantra to come from the impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis is "why wait?". With more and more people successfully transitioning traditional business to a work-from-home or remote environment, the shackles to the city are well and truly gone.

Sporting culture, tertiary options, hospitals and transport to capital cities are other common denominators among the most-searched-for towns and regions for property on Domain.

The search results, including for houses, units and developments for sale, as well as rentals and sale results, reveal Port Macquarie as the most browsed postcode outside of metropolitan areas in NSW. Second is the surfing haven of Newcastle, followed by Orange, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong.

David Gray, owner and chief executive of Elders Port Macquarie, said locals who left in their late teens to early 20s and settled in Sydney were returning to the region.

"They forged a career and now, as 30 to 40-year-olds, they are coming back and they either have business that they can work remotely from, or what we are also seeing is them starting up restaurants or cafes," he said.

"Eighty per-cent [of listings] are family homes, and there is an investor market, but it is a traditional home area."

Face-to-face open homes and on-site auctions across New South Wales will resume this weekend (May 9-10) under strict health guidelines. But many agents have continued contact with potential buyers and sellers digitally while business has been in lockdown.

Michelle Percival, of Percival Property in Port Macquarie, said there will be challenges in getting people through the doors of listed homes again under the key health guidelines that will be followed at every open home from social distancing to hand sanitising, collecting detailed records of every person entering and leaving a home to thorough cleaning procedures.

"We will resume but it will be a little different ad we are still working through that," Mrs Percival said.

"We have been doing virtual tours for more than three and a half years now and had already invested in technology for the digital space which we have found to be incredibly useful for our clients during this time.

"We believed that was the future anyway."

As for the property market, Mrs Percival said there has been solid enquiry in the region from across the country on top of a recent multi-million dollar sale at Hibbard Drive that has smashed local records.

"I think the news for Port Macquarie is very good We get lots of enquiry from out of area from all over the country - Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane.

"The virus has really made people make some life-changing decisions. They are looking for affordability and lifestyle. We've got an amazing hospital, great medical facilities, a university, excellent schools, good infrastructure - we are a beautiful town with a lot of community spirit."

Belle Property owner Sue Jogever said some people are also making decisions about buying and selling after the financial pinch on their superannuation.

"For many people who have had to dip into their super, their home is their only asset now," Mrs Jogever said.

City sellers are moving to regional areas and downsizing.

"I think it all comes back to a person's motivation for selling," she said of the current market.

"A lot people four weeks ago did not want to go on the market because of the risk. But now, people are planning to sell because they have been talking about moving closer to family - it has now crystallised their decision do it now more than ever. They don't want to hang around."

Belle Property has also been using its digital platforms to match buyers with their dream homes and will, under key health guidelines, return to open home inspections this weekend.

"I have found the current property market has been very fortunate that we are able to adapt to the changes through modern technology and use of virtual inspection tours and 3D virtual floorplans.

"And now more than ever we have very qualified cashed up buyers keen to purchase property in this region."

Real Estate Institute of NSW CEO Tim McKibbin said the property industry is fully cognisant of its obligations to ensure social distancing, the use of sanitising procedures and the like to protect the community.

"The Government has clearly demonstrated that the health and safety of the community is its primary obligation," Mr McKibbin said.

"Now that systems have been developed and deployed to protect the community, the Government has clearly turned its attention to slowly reigniting the economy. The property industry as the single biggest industry in NSW is the logical place to start."

Malcolm McKinlay is the proud new owner of Lot 31 in Sovereign Hills' newest residential precinct The Heritage.

For most new land and homeowners, the landscaping comes after the keys have been handed over, but for the Bonny Hills Garden Centre expert, his dream home has been planned around one element - the garden.

"I'm wanting to have an open plan with plenty of natural light and a strong focus on the outdoor alfresco area, maximising the summer breeze," he shared.

"I'm planning on creating a tropical style garden with lots of different foliage and colour. Most rooms will have an outlook onto the garden.... Thorough soil preparation will make it a very waterwise garden."

The former Hunter Valley man moved to Sovereign Hills in Port Macquarie two years ago and has been renting a home while planning his new digs.

"Having to wait for some time for a property to settle in the Upper Hunter Valley allowed me time to consider my requirements in building my new home. This enabled me to try before I buy at Sovereign Hills.

"I enjoy the sense of community, the space and having a local town centre with well-planned roads and cycleways, and NBN fibre to the premises with reclaimed water being made available soon."

Sovereign Hills' proximity to the Pacific Highway was also a big tick allowing an easy commute to his workplace at Bonny Hills and beyond. He's looking forward to watching construction start upon the land's registration soon.

The land sales, display home and construction industries have been able to continue to operate amid the COVID-19 restrictions, with appointment-only bookings, and social distancing and hygiene rules in place.

Sovereign Hills land sales manager Luke Moreta said Sovereign Hills' latest land release has been extremely popular with 80 per cent of the 46 lots in Stage 1 of The Heritage already under contract.

"On the back of really strong sales over the past six to eight months, there are as many as 100 homes in the planning and construction stage making our most recent land stages a hive of construction activity which is really good to see," Mr Moreta said.

Over the past 12 months the developer of the Sovereign Hills master planned community Lewis Land Group has completed the bulk earthworks for 500 lots in The Heritage precinct.

"We are proud to be contributing significantly to the growth of our local area," Mr Moreta said.

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