Our Melbourne property market has been going strong, particuluarly in the housing market throughout the inner and middle ring suburbs for some time now. Unprecedented low interest rates, strong demand, stock shortage and the rising popularity of inner-ring urban living for young professionals and downsizers alike have been drivers for this growth. When auction stock… Read more »
Every Sunday Cate shares a recent adventure or interesting industry observation.
When making an offer can make a mess
In the last two months we have had a surprising number of buyers contact us about assisting with a purchase strategy that has glided off the rails. All have had one thing in common; they have presented offers in the wrong way. From misunderstanding the process to making verbal offers, the outcomes could have been… Read more »
Our Auction Cross-Section – Where is the Market Right Now?
Many of us receive the auction reports on a Saturday night with the clearance rates, but in the sea of contradicting media articles about our housing market, how can we digest the auction reports and make sense of them? As at this morning, Melbourne’s auction clearance rate is 75% for this pre-Queen’s Birthday weekend. Not… Read more »
How would you invest a million dollars in property?
I am often asked this question. Risk averse buyers like the idea of spreading their risk and often ask whether three or four regional purchases would aid a safer journey. Buyers who apply their own love of period properties will ask where they could buy in order to secure a beautiful Victorian at this level. The… Read more »
Auctions: What are the four reasons you should stop bidding?
Yesterday was a dismal day for us out at five auctions. Three bidders, five properties, five lovely anxious clients. We secured none of them. Weekend auction success rates vary, but in this hot and unexplained market, our overall auction success rate is considerably lower than past years… and so it should be. Yesterday’s auction misses… Read more »
Where can sheer determination lead us?
Two years ago this week marks the date which a family bought a house for $406,000 at auction in East Geelong. There was nothing ordinary about this adventure though… not for us, nor for them. The journey has been noteworthy from the conception of their idea to build wealth, to the finished product that they… Read more »
Will the First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Changes Skew Our Market?
The first half of 2017 is shaping up to be defined by our business as the change of our normal blend. We have historically helped a larger proportion of investors in their quest to build a wealthier future; and our blend of home-finders has generally sat between 20-40% of our active clients. The Home-Finder client numbers currently sit… Read more »
Mentored Advocacy – the Value of Homework
When we commence a Mentored Advocacy assignment with our locally based clients, the process is quite different from a traditional Buyer’s Advocate brief where the tasks are totally handled by the engaged third party. The essential process steps are the same, but the role our Mentored student plays is the differentiator. Equipped with a tailored weekly itinerary, Mentored clients… Read more »
Townhouses, Subdivisions, Owners Corporation, …Shared Land?
This week we proudly helped three clients with double story townhouse purchases. All three had one thing in common; they were on their own title with no shared land. But each presented us with a range of important questions about registered Owners Corporations. Why is the unit numbered the way it is? Is Body Corporate… Read more »
Understanding the Popularity of a Genre of Property
As Buyer’s Advocates, we are privy to the more common briefs, the areas which are highly contested and the property genres which are in tightest demand. Clients often appoint us to help them have a point of difference in an otherwise very competitive market. While it feels tough out there for most buyers, there are… Read more »