Posts by Cate Bakos

When it comes to buying or selling property in Melbourne, timing isn’t just a throwaway line — it’s an essential part of the strategy. Listing activity ebbs and flows with the seasons, and understanding this rhythm can make a world of difference, whether you’re a first-time buyer, a seasoned investor, an upgrader, down-sizer, or a…

We often see underquoting stories emerging in the media. This has been happening for over thirty years. Underquoting is a pricing methodology that is sometimes adopted by agents and/or agencies. The premise of underquoting is quoting a price range that is below the vendor’s expected price. The intent of underquoting is to attract buyers with…

I wish I’d written this article fifteen years ago when I started working as a buyers agent. There are so many misconceptions about renovations and upgrades, and what legal documentation is required. Of all of the misconceptions though, the most common one relates to permits and the contract of sale. I often see updates in…

I often talk about the cost/benefit analysis of a holiday house, but what do the numbers really say? This week, I’ve modelled two similarly priced properties that have recently sold for around the mid-$700,000’s. One is a coastal holiday house on the Mornington Peninsula. The other is a house in the northern suburbs of Melbourne,…

Melbourne’s property market has a different air to it this year. Last year, many agents talked about the limited buyer numbers, and the associated challenges with managing sales campaigns. Anecdotally, buyers were hard to pin down and campaign visibility was tougher for agents. Auctions were often unpredictable, and higher numbers of auction pass-ins were a…

When markets correct, it is often the highest priced quartiles that can experience the toughest losses. Depending on the drivers for the market correction, when economic pain or uncertainty arises, affordability constraints can favour the cheaper markets. However, when markets recover, particularly when credit availability isn’t hampered, higher priced markets can really soar. Melbourne’s property…

In a recent Sunday trip across town, my uber driver asked me what many do. “Cate, what do you do for work?” So, I explained. Being a buyer’s advocate is an exciting role, but it’s not well-understood by everyone. Once my driver realised I had real estate expertise and I consulted my clients with strategic…

It has been exactly three years since Melbourne’s last property peak. In this time, our city has been set back by a cocktail of issues; from ongoing economic set back following painful COVID lockdowns, to increasing state government debt, hefty property taxes, heightened cost of living woes, and increased interest rates. In spite of some…

Closed tender sales campaigns have a few different descriptors. Some agents coin their campaigns “Expressions of Interest”, or EOI. Others refer to the method as “best and highest”. Buyers often dread this method of sale because it usually lacks transparency. In an industry of wide distrust, buyers are already cautious about the offer process and…

For over two years now, I haven’t been able to write about property market growth in my home state. Victoria’s property performance has been static at best, with small losses incrementally recorded for many of the months during this period. This table below showcases Melbourne’s (and regional Victoria’s) lacklustre performance since consecutive interest rate increases…