Posts by Cate Bakos

Transparency is a worthy goal, but a disclosure document is only ever as useful as the information it actually contains. Victoria’s new underquoting reforms took effect on 1 October, and from this weekend every auction and fixed-date sale must have the vendor’s reserve price published at least seven days beforehand. Buyers have been told this…

Buyers tend to get most of the sympathy in the property market, and for good reason. But selling a home asks a great deal of people too, and the emotional load on the vendor’s side of the table is rarely talked about openly. As a buyer’s agent, I deal with negotiations and campaigns every week,…

Few words in a property due diligence report carry as much weight, or cause as much confusion, as “heritage.” People often assume it signals character and charm, and buyers often panic about the potential implications of heritage protection, and the restrictions that such protections can represent. The reality is that heritage protection in Victoria comes…

Is a buyer’s agent allowed to have a favourite suburb? Of course. Everyone who knows me, understands how much I love the inner west’s Yarraville. it’s my home, our office base, and a location I resonate with deeply. But if I could pick another favourite, it’s Williamstown. I’ve toyed with good descriptors for Williamstown for…

This recent article prompted today’s blog; an insight into property values within the same radius from our city centre, and the reasons why some buyers from the east are prepared to move across town. I’ve written before about such moves, but property prices can really put this concept into perspective. Cotality’s September figures put Melbourne’s…

After sixteen years as a buyer’s agent, I’ve assessed and competed for enough properties to know exactly which features push a price beyond the appraised value, and those that attract the strongest, most emotional competition. This includes results that exceed what vendors expect, and in today’s blog, I’ve paved out the attributes that mainstream buyers…

Over the past three months, I’ve met plenty of buyers who are in a position to buy. Their pre-approval is sorted, deposit is sitting in the account, and they are genuinely able to transact today. And yet they’re sitting on their hands, waiting for a “proper” downturn to hand them a bargain before they’ll move.…

We have seen an interesting switch in investor activity since the Budget announcement on 12 May 2026. Prior to the recent negative gearing tax changes, Victoria had received strong investor interest from many interstate buyers. They were broadly targeting dated houses in established areas on full-sizeed blocks of land. The $700,000 – $1,200,000 price point…

I had a conversation this week from a buyer who has been sitting on the sidelines since last year, intermittently inspecting property for his first home purchase. He was concerned he had missed his chance, wondering whether it was too late, had the window closed, should he have moved sooner. I told him what I…

I had a call this week from a client who has been contemplating a home upgrade for the better part of a year. Her question was the one I hear almost daily right now: “Is this actually a good time to buy, or am I about to make a mistake?” I understood the hesitation completely.…