CATE BAKOS
OWNER
BUYERS ADVOCATE
QPIA (PIPA)
LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT
BUYERS ADVOCATE
Cate Bakos completed a degree with honours in Chemistry at Monash University in 1996, but held a passion for property long before her career in science. Winning 2018’s #1 National Buyer’s Agent of the Year Award marked a high watermark for Cate.
Purchasing her first property at 21, Cate continued to invest in property whilst developing her career in sales and marketing with Orica (formerly ICI). In 2003, Cate won a marketing and bursary award, however her passion for real estate saw her make the decision to move into the property industry as a sales agent in Melbourne’s Bayside. Qualifying and working as a mortgage broker after the birth of her daughter and throughout the GFC has become one of the most valuable ‘apprenticeships’ she could have served. Her appreciation of lending policy, loan restrictions, borrowing capacity calculation, and cashflow analysis is what sets her apart from her competitors.
Cate’s role as a co-director of a large Melbourne firm from 2011 was instrumental in introducing their Buyer’s Agency arm, where she guided her clients through their various property journeys until she left in 2014 to launch Cate Bakos Property; a boutique and independent Melbourne Buyers Agency firm. Cate’s extensive asset-selection experience not only in Melbourne metro suburbs but also in Victorian regional markets including Ballarat and Geelong has given her a valuable point of difference to offer her cashflow-driven clients. Cate has assisted over 2,000 clients with their property purchases, strategies and decisions over this time.
Cate is a regular commentator in the media, and contributes weekly to newspapers, live television, podcasts, and publications including Domain, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Your Investment Property, Herald Sun, Fox Business, Smart Property and commercial television. Cate shares her knowledge and experience regularly at seminars, volunteers her bidding skills often, and enjoys mentoring young people in the industry she so loves.
In addition to YIP Magazine’s Buyers Agent of the Year Award in 2018, Cate was a finalist in both 2019 and 2013 for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year, the National Winner of the Buyer’s Agent of the Year for Sterling Publishing 2013, and has been a finalist for the REB National Thought Leader awards for consecutive yars.
Cate's extensive experience includes her tenure as President of the Real Estate Buyers Agents’ Association (REBAA) from 2019 to 2023, where she previously served as Vice President for two years. Her leadership in these national bodies underscores her dedication to enhancing professional standards and supporting industry growth.
In addition to her leadership roles, Cate co-hosts the popular podcast series “The Property Trio” with fellow industry experts David Johnston and Mike Mortlock. This platform allows her to share insights and discuss trends in property Cate is also an accomplished author, having recently published her second book, “The Buy Right Approach to Property Investing,” co-authored with Pete Wargent. This follows her successful 2016 publication, “Successful Property Investment,” both of which are invaluable resources for aspiring and seasoned property investors alike.
On a personal note, Cate and her husband have built a substantial property portfolio, leveraging their extensive experience in renovation and value-adding to maximize their investments. Her dual focus on professional excellence and personal investment success positions her as a leading figure in the property investment community, inspiring others to achieve their financial goals through informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Cate enjoys her spare time (especially Sundays) with her husband and daughter in Yarraville’s village and is a supporter of Melbourne’s Inner West Community.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY?
KIND WORDS FROM OUR LOVELY CLIENTS
We recently engaged Cate Bakos and her team to help us buy our forever family home in Yarraville.
Her industry experience and relationships gave us the edge in buying a highly sought after property in a competitive situation. Cate gave us great confidence in estimating the property's market value and presented a clear and successful strategy to buy the house off market. She did all the work liaising with the agent and supporting us in our decision making.
We highly recommend Cate as a highly professional buyers' advocate. We really appreciated her calm and warm approach. Her team led us through the whole buying process and made it as easy as possible.
Cate does not let the grass grow under her feet! Within 3 days of contacting her, she had negotiated an offer for a property which we subsequently bought. Not only was she able to get us the price that we wanted, Cate took the stress and anxiety out of the entire process. She is most personable, and also communicated clearly with us through every step of the negotiation and buying process. Cate and her support team work very hard for the client - they provide a service that we believe, is second to none in its enthusiasm, attention to detail and professionalism.
We are repeat customers of Cate and her team at Cate Bakos Property. Each time we have benefitted hugely from their experience, professional relationships and expert advice. We were able to be completely assured that we were making the best purchase decision for our situation and were supported throughout the purchasing process. We would highly recommend Cate and her team to anyone looking to purchase either an investment or their own property, and we will be using their services again if the opportunity arises.
My girlfriend and I used Cate Bakos Property for our first investment property and we'll never look back.
Cate Bakos and crew are the most friendly, dedicated, understanding, hard working but always available team (sometimes replying to my emails at 10 at night!) you are going to come across in this industry. Full of suit wearing fat cats and big wigs it was very refreshing to have a female applying her craft, she's like a "velvet hammer" soft touch but packs a punch! I was treated as if I were her only customer!
Watching Cate on video as she was inspecting a potential property get down on all fours to check the foundations under the house in a pencil skirt and heels was amazing!
You can't put a value on the service you pay for including the quality professionals who will become part of your trusted team along the journey.
Remember, price is what you pay and value is what you get...
Thanks Cate!
I have recently worked with Amy and the team on purchasing my home. They have made the process extremely easy for me, not to mention the negotiated purchase price is below what we planned to pay for. I sincerely thank Amy and the team for the hard work.
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INFORMATION
CONTACT US
1A/58 ANDERSON STREET,
YARRAVILLE VIC 3013
0422 638 362
03 7000 6026
CATE@CATEBAKOS.COM.AU