Every Sunday Cate shares a recent adventure or interesting industry observation.

Bear Markets always create a change in emotion for buyers. Those who have been anxiously pushing themselves at auction during a Bull Market seem to forget the desperation they felt to just secure their property, sometimes anyproperty in the face of what felt like a brick wall between them and their acquisition plans. Fast-forward the… Read more »

This descriptor is used by agents a lot these days. What they really mean is that we have an unusual Melbourne property market right now. The days of auction results consistently setting new price records, auction clearance rates in the heady 70’s and 80’s, and multiple bidders at almost every property are literally yesteryear. Our market… Read more »

Auctions. Usually dreaded, sometimes feared and often avoided. But when a buyer has success at auction, can they ever put it down to Tactics? Absolutely. Of course we know that some auction results are a perfect correlation with budget. A willing buyer who is prepared to fight in a price war will always have an… Read more »

Whether the property plan is a home or an investment purchase, most couples are not completely aligned. In fact, sometimes couples are so misaligned that issues can strike. Whether it be fear of debt, a disbelief in property as the most suitable asset class to tackle at the time, anxiety around the proposed price tag or concern… Read more »

Over the past week I’ve had two prospective clients ask me about the suitability of their property selections as they canvas the market for their home. My responses to both were very similar. “I don’t recommend it at all.”  My reason was all about the zoning of the property. Unlike some of my words of caution where… Read more »

Like no other real estate topic, this one gets hearts pumping and sometimes tempers frayed. So many people misunderstand the legal rules though, and in particular the relationship between the three. This is understandable, particularly given we’ve had recent changes to our Victorian legislation around how agencies can represent a price expectation on a property… Read more »

I presented recently to a crowd of interested property investors and as I always find, the answers at the end of the presentation were varied and thought-provoking. People often ask situational questions that give me an insight into what they are considering, what they’ve already signed up for, or what has perhaps frightened them. It’s no… Read more »

After four straight years of strong performance, heady auction results and highly competitive buying conditions, Melbourne’s market pace has finally slowed down to a more balanced market. What felt like the run-that-would-never-stop has been tackled by APRA (our prudential regulator) and our auction clearance still sits above 60%; technically not quite a buyer’s market, but… Read more »

There are multiple property investment strategies out there and while some Advisors have a preference for a specific strategy, there is no right or wrong answer, provided the investor achieves a suitable outcome. The differences in strategies revolve around how the debt is treated. It is either retired passively, retired in measured increments, or it… Read more »

Many of us love a nice old pub… but what about when it comes to buying one? This week’s exciting finalisation of a converted pub purchase in Ballarat bought many emotions and considerations to the table and it made me consider all of the reasons why pubs raise so many questions yet are such rewarding capital… Read more »