Posts by Cate Bakos

Over the past year, we have had an increased number of interstate buyers purchasing property in Melbourne. This trend hasn’t only been observed by our business. Anecdotally, other buyer’s agents and selling agents have reported a similar observation. Both investors and owner occupiers from interstate have decided to circle Melbourne as a city to purchase…

Fourteen years ago I helped my first Yarraville clients purchase a beautiful house in the local village. I was familiar with Yarraville somewhat, as I’d worked for a chemical giant previously with a petrochemical facility on Francis St. I was entranced by the village character though. It was diametrically opposing my memory of the suburb’s…

Victoria’s performance has been lacklustre these past couple of years. It’s not surprising that people have compared the property market to the share market and asked themselves this question. According to Core Logic, “When accounting for both capital gains and rental income, housing offered a total return of 8.3% over the 2024 calendar year. This…

This is one of the questions we often field. Is one significant property better, or is spreading the risk with multiple smaller properties more optimal? Firstly, let’s explore the reasons behind this question for many investors. Some like the idea of a property portfolio that they can count on two hands. We often hear people…

I am often asked by prospective purchasers, “Can an agent do that?” when they have had a disappointing outcome in a pre-auction or negotiation situation. The reality may surprise some. Agents are bound by auction rules, but negotiation and pre-auction scenarios are quite different. When imbalance in our market conditions strike, campaigns are more likely…

People often ask me how I found out information about a sale. When it comes to negotiation or auction bidding, our job is to establish the facts, read the play, and execute the best strategy with the right tactics. It shouldn’t come as a surprise when we know roughly, (or exactly) where a reserve price…

We use the term “A-Grade” a lot, but what does this really mean, and how do we distinguish between A-Grade and other grades? In this Buyer’s Market, it’s easy to buy a bargain property. The critical element that buyers need to focus on now relates to the quality of the property. Anyone can buy a bargain, but determining whether…

The property market may not have been presenting idyllic conditions for investors in Victoria, and there is plenty of commentary on this topic. However, Victoria has delivered optimal conditions for first homebuyers, and for several reasons. The Victorian (and Federal) governments have historically provided some exciting opportunities to first home buyers, and justifiably so. Looking…

Every now and then I’ll take on the task of reviewing an investor’s portfolio. Often, this is initiated by a financial planner. I meet many different investors, and this particular task a few years back has stuck in my mind. The investor had a sizeable portfolio with mixed styles, locations and even had an interstate…

It’s that time of year again. Economists, banks and commentators start sharing their predictions for 2025’s capital growth around the nation. Plenty of us do it, but few get it right. Today’s Sunday blog focuses on the predictions for 2024. Who got it right? Who got it wrong, and why? Firstly, let’s consider the annualised…