Posts by Cate Bakos

Many of us imagine this scene. We suddenly receive one million dollars….What would we do with it?  Generous recipients consider who they can help, which friends they can treat, and how they can all enjoy it. But what would a pragmatic Property Investment Advisor like me do? I’d model it out, combine it with considered…

Last week I met with a lovely couple who are struggling to find a well-located, nicely renovated, four-bedroom home in Yarraville. They said they’d been searching for many months and the right house just hadn’t come along. I explained to them, “Many inner-ring suburbs in Melbourne, particularly in the inner-north and inner-west are problematic for…

I get this question all the time. And I understand why. Buyer’s Advocate fees are a serious dent in some buyer’s pool of savings, and for those who need to see a tangible and guaranteed benefit, it can be a tough fee for an advocate to explain. But the thing is; it’s not measurable. For…

Yesterday I met a delightful young couple who were newly engaged, contemplating buying a property and saving for a (big) wedding. Their ability to save was strong, but their wedding guest numbers were larger than typical primary school student numbers. The cost would be significant. They justifiably had concerns about their additional savings capacity and…

This is a very common question we field, and the answer is simple.  “It depends on the situation.” Most buyers don’t like the thought of competing for a property in a public auction format. It’s intimidating, it’s fast, it requires emotional (and often some financial) investment in the process before being assured of a purchase, and…

When Bull markets turn Bear, the order of how people upgrade their home changes. This, in turn can impact stock levels, particularly when aspiring Sellers don’t like what they see. I was asked to comment for The Age’s Domain this week about the apparent concern that our State Revenue Office has expressed in relation to…