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

We say it often to clients. “This is a financial decision and you need to separate emotion from the process.” It might be the selection of an investment property that matches all of the criteria set by the strategy, or it could be the avoidance of a home purchase due to a fundamental issue that… Read more »

This weekend we proudly represented four clients with purchase attempts, two successfully, and interestingly, both were in the same suburb and each had some commonality. Both were double storey townhouses in Newport, and both were priced in the 6’s. Our first successful purchaser came to us with a desired investment budget of circa-$600,000 and a… Read more »

In late 2014 our prudential regulator warned banks that the percentage of investment loans needed to decrease. Months later, APRA instigated some tough and noticeable changes and investment lending scrutiny began.  The consumer outcries at the time were mostly in relation to the new differential in interest rates. Investment mortgage rates had sat in line… Read more »

Property prices are impacted by many things, but the simplest of all drivers is supply and demand. Our stock levels have been particularly high so far for 2018 when compared to the stock levels of previous years and this could be attributed to several things; vendors capitalising on first home buyer demand, lending scrutiny precluding… Read more »

An eye roll or a sigh usually accompanies the thought of packing up and moving house. It’s disruptive on every level and while some people do it easier than others, it still requires time and energy – or money. Even when the task is outsourced the need to sort, cull and direct box handlers remains… Read more »

Ballarat is experiencing some unusual demand at present. Capital growth has been stronger than typical growth for the region and while heady double digit growth is not sustainable long term, there are some key reasons why the region is performing so well right now. Firstly – affordability. Melburnian buyers (and even some interstate capital city buyers) are… Read more »

We have been active in Ballarat for quite a few years now. My first reconnaissance voyage was in 2010 and my first acquisition for a client was back in 2011. In this time the market has exhibited higher rental yields than Melbourne and Geelong and the capital growth could be fairly described as moderated (when compared to… Read more »

This is a common question, particularly when a private sale negotiation relates to an off-market property (where a vendor is selling without taking the property to the open market, but rather, a select buyer or handful of buyers). Every buyer likes to know that they have paid a fair price for a property (or better… Read more »

There are two camps when this question is posed. Some vehemently believe that it boils down to the top end budget of the buyer, while others feel that a competing buyer’s bids can be influenced by emotion, perception and nerves. I have seen both apply. There are those buyers who vaguely plan for auction and arrive with the… Read more »

We often hear the term ‘Days on Market.’ This is one measure that can be effectively used across a data set to measure the health of a property market. Melbourne is a little bit more unique than other markets because we sell via auction method for a significant percentage of property sales. Unless a Vendor… Read more »