Posts by Cate Bakos

When it’s tax time, as investors we get a glimpse into the outgoings and emerging patterns across our property portfolio. With Victoria’s rental law changes that have been applied over recent years, it’s easy to see that operating expenses have increased. We modelled out the list of expenses for each property as a percentage of…

In the southern hemisphere, we talk about optimal orientation for property as being north-facing. Watching British renovation television programs always reminds me of our universal need for natural light when they place an emphasis on capturing their south-facing sun. Many of us like to enjoy the benefit of sunshine all year round in our homes. A well orientated…

We face this question every single time we assist a purchaser with an offer that is subject to an acceptable building and pest inspection being done within a short timeframe following the acceptable offer. Building and pest inspections offer buyers peace of mind, and in a lot of circumstances we arrange them prior to making…

For the last two years, Melbourne’s outer-ring, fringe suburbs have been delivering outperformance capital growth in the house market category. While we have incentivised first home buyers with the broader rollout of the Federal Government’s 5% deposit guarantee, and stamp duty concessions remain in place, there is another reason why these areas have delivered growth.…

I’ve talked extensively about my personal experience in property long before my career in Buyer’s Agency began. I’ve shared plenty of ups, and plenty of downs. Most importantly, I have enjoyed sharing my learnings, because there is a lot of merit in saving someone else the hard lesson, (and the repercussions). I have purchased not…

Earlier this week, I was asked by a client, “Cate, how do you and your team shortlist my properties?” Our client was wondering how there are so many out there, yet we have just provided her a detailed list of only two properties that meet her criteria. Is her search particularly fussy? No, not at…

One of the most common mistakes I see property investors make is assuming that equity equals liquidity. It doesn’t. Just because your portfolio has grown in value doesn’t mean you can access those funds to buy again. Equity is the difference between what a property is worth and what is owed to the bank. On…

For most homebuyers, settlement day feels like an enigma. After the excitement of the purchase, the contract signing and execution, the finance approval and all of the planning for the big day, settlement mysteriously happens behind the scenes. Many buyers ask us whether they need to ‘be’ anywhere on settlement day. But PEXA takes care…

Underquoting has been one of the most corrosive issues in Victoria’s residential property market for well over a decade. It frustrates buyers, erodes trust, and for omany buyers, it has spelled an emotional guessing game. In response to the State Government’s recently proposed legislative changes, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) has released its…