It comes after a very strong year for Bathurst, despite the COVID-19 pandemic creating economic uncertainty.

In fact, December 2020 was the most productive month in history for the region, with 112 properties sold in the 31 days.

READ MORE: Bathurst ends 2020 with two months of triple-figure property sales

Real estate agents across Bathurst say the market has remained strong into 2021.

Raine and Horne Bathurst director Grant Maskill-Dowton said his agency has already sold five properties each worth over $1 million, with a number of those transactions occurring before the properties were advertised.

"To date, we are above our normal sales target for this time for the last five years, so we're miles ahead. More and more property is turning over," he said.

"We've had at least five million-dollar-plus sales this year already, so that end of the market is certainly ticking along at an absolute rate of knots, to the degree where some of those properties haven't even hit the market, they've just been sold off market."

READ ALSO: Surprising people snapping up Bathurst's million-dollar homes in 2020

Mr Maskill-Dowton said that, with so many high-end sales last year, his agency was a able to develop buyer database that has led to these off-market sales this year.

While homes are selling fast, there is a severe lack of stock to meet the demand.

One Agency Bestwick Real Estate's Mitchell Bestwick said it is making it difficult for people considering moving to list their home.

"For us, we're finding there's a high demand for properties, right through from entry level investments to lifestyle rural properties," he said.

"There's a lot of property owners that can't find an option to move to, which is causing a lot of them to stay off the market and creating a shortfall of listings."

His agency is trying to combat this by advising vendors to negotiate a longer settlement period to give them time to find the right option for their next home.

Ray White Emms Mooney director Patrick Bird said that people shouldn't be discouraged from selling at the moment, as the market is strong.

"The market is excellent now, it's as buoyant as I've seen it in a long time, so I wouldn't be concerned about going to market now," he said

"If you're thinking of upgrading or selling, now is as good a time as any."

Although it is hard to predict, Mr Maskill-Dowton, Mr Bestwick and Mr Bird all agree that Bathurst could be on its way to a record-breaking year after such a strong start.

"If things keep going the way they are at the present time, I do believe that is what will happen," Mr Maskill-Dowton said.

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