Sunday Blog - Expert property investment insights

We are all familiar with the theory of social proof. Everyone else is doing it, so it must be good. When it comes to property, there are multiple ways that social proof can strike. Sometimes it will completely foil a good plan. When it comes to real estate, social proof is a far bigger threat…

Auctions are interesting. People assume that all auction purchases must be unconditional, but technically this isn’t correct. However, if an agent has interested buyers who plan to bid, they will almost-always insist on bids being unconditional. This can be difficult for buyers who aren’t feeling confident about their chances of success. Buyers don’t like to…

When our clients purchase, it’s not unusual for them to spot the property online with a scheduled open for inspection. This can be alarming, especially after they’ve cracked the champagne and told their family and friends that they have bought. So, why is the property still being advertised for sale if it’s sold? The answer…

This weekend we’ve celebrated a significant milestone. Our business marks its tenth anniversary and it’s a wonderful chance to reflect on the privilege we’ve shared, working as trusted advisors with our clients on many, many special journeys. We had a great chance to bond together in Port Douglas and welcome Pip into the crew. Renee,…

Lender’s Mortgage Insurance is not well understood by many, but there are plenty of quirks and benefits to be aware of when it comes to buying property. Lenders Mortgage Insurance, (LMI) is quite a costly insurance. It benefits the lender, not the borrower, and in most cases, the lender passes this cost on fully to…

Saturdays can feel long for those on the property hunt, but with some insider tips, productivity and success rates can dramatically change. While Saturdays aren’t the only days to inspect properties, they are the main days for open for inspection activity. Agents aren’t always available to chat though, and often the properties of interest have…

We are often asked by prospective clients if we will door knock, or letterbox drop notes directly to owners. This is not a favoured approach, and for several reasons. It is easy to imagine how a vendor will feel if they receive a letter in the letterbox from one buyer who is particularly keen to…

Every quarter, Core Logic prepare a ‘Pain and Gain’ report on the Australian property market. The data breakdown is quite granular, capturing local government areas and segmenting houses and units. Sometimes the data is quite telling, and this first quarter of 2024 is interesting. The headline figures were reasonably encouraging. “ “The rate of profit-making…

Sentiment counts for so much, and it’s interesting to see the correlation between buyer attitudes and interest rate chatter. As our Reserve Bank meetings approach, plenty of buyers momentarily put their plans on hold and ‘wait it out’ for the RBA interest rate decision. In 2022, real estate agents were cognisant of auction schedules and…

Victoria’s property performance has been lacklustre for quite a while now. Since the market started to correct in May 2022 when interest rates started to rise, property prices haven’t quite returned to the highs of 2021. The chart below shows the quarterly change in values, with Melbourne in red. Unlike most capital cities, Melbourne’s performance…

Overlays are often misunderstood, and sometimes the presence of an overlay is not even noted by purchasers. They feature for a reason, though, and sometimes an overlay can restrict the use of the land and/or add significant costs. Many of us are familiar with the concept of a heritage overlay.  This generally applies to period…