Sunday Blog - Expert property investment insights

RECHARGE & RELOAD YOUR PROPERTY GAME.

Fishing Lure

Spotting a dodgy off-market

By Cate Bakos | January 14, 2024

Buyers have become trained to ask for off-markets, putting an unwarranted value on them. They do this in the hope that they’re getting access to something secret and undervalued. But what happens if the property isn’t a secret, and isn’t good value?

Heat Map Square

How could stage three tax cuts influence the Melbourne property market?

By Cate Bakos | January 7, 2024

Despite opinion about the stage three tax cut, we have to consider how it could impact our property market. Like all cash incentives and net cashflow hikes, markets do get impacted.

5 Door

Your top five!

By Cate Bakos | December 17, 2023

As the year draws to a close, I reflect on the many changes to housing that have resulted since the pandemic. This past eighteen months has also thrown us many challenges as we grapple with the impact of inflationary pressures on our lives. The Reserve Bank’s cash rate hikes have played their part too, as…

8 Hamer Square

What features will buyers break records for?

By Cate Bakos | December 10, 2023

Yesterday I received a call from a great journalist. He was covering Melbourne’s auction results and asked me to weigh in on a significant result in Brunswick East. The house reportedly sold for some one million dollars above reserve. Once I checked the listing, this record-breaking figure for its land size was no shock to…

Man On Phone

Dummy bidding

By Cate Bakos | December 3, 2023

I remember when this practise was ruled out by new legislation. Much of 2002 and 2003’s newsfeed covered the reasons for the crackdown, including citing fines for those caught dummy bidding (or arranging dummy bidders). Agents wondered how the declaration of “vendor bid” would impact auctions, and at the time I recall a broad commitment…

Corner Sites

Corner sites… good or bad?

By Cate Bakos | November 25, 2023

I get asked this question a lot. In fact, one of my students asked me specifically how a corner site compared to a regular site when we were conducting comparable sales analysis in class. The answer is… it depends. A corner site has it’s challenges, but it has pro’s too. It all depends on the…

2024

What does 2024 look like?

By Cate Bakos | November 19, 2023

As the selling season approaches it’s close for year, what can we anticipate in 2024?

Crystal Ball

Can we believe all the economists’ predictions?

By Cate Bakos | November 12, 2023

For decades, economists’ predictions have hit the newsfeeds and influenced forecasting, opinion and buyer/seller behaviour. But how often do they get it right? Over the last twenty years in particular, (a familiar time for many of us as property investors), we have watched the negative news headlines come in waves throughout the post-Keating era, The…

Portarlington

Investment properties aren’t all selling to first home buyers

By Cate Bakos | November 4, 2023

We’ve all been hearing about the rental crisis. A depleted supply of rental properties is not meeting current demand. Queues for newly advertised rental properties are long, often wrapping around blocks. Rents have been rising aggressively since the pandemic, and unfortunately it doesn’t look like the situation will improve for a very long time. Several…

Apples

How do you know if it’s a *good* off-market?

By Cate Bakos | October 29, 2023

I’ve written about off-markets plenty of times, and in particular, the allure of off-markets. After all, many buyers think that a buyers agent is a ticket to a train of great off-market properties. The reality is, not all off-markets are good. In fact, right now, most are poor quality. From mirage off-markets that ultimately run…

Price Gains

Why are prices rising when interest rates are higher?

By Cate Bakos | October 22, 2023

So many prospective buyers have been waiting it out for the fixed rate cliff to create price fall opportunities for them. Plenty of others have simply subscribed to the notion that that the increased cost of borrowed money will have a direct correlation with price falls. Surprisingly for them all, our national median house prices…

Pass In 2

Navigating a pass-in

By Cate Bakos | October 15, 2023

Auction properties can pass in for numerous reasons. When a pass-in occurs, many bidders play their cards badly. Firstly, let’s identify what a ‘pass-in’ means and what the auction rules permit. A property can be passed in by the auctioneer if the vendor’s reserve is not reached. When they announce that the property is passed…

REGISTER TO OUR NEWSLETTER

CONTACT US

1A/58 ANDERSON STREET,

YARRAVILLE VIC 3013

0422 638 362

03 7000 6026

CATE@CATEBAKOS.COM.AU

CONNECT WITH US