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Victoria’s latest on Underquoting Reform

By Cate Bakos | January 25, 2026

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…

Celebration

My seven best tips for finding your home sooner

By Cate Bakos | January 18, 2026

We help our clients find their property, every day, every week, every month. Many come to us after they have been searching for over a year. In fact, some clients we’ve assisted have been searching for over two years. The surprise they experience when we locate them a property that meets all of their requirements,…

Frankston LGA Square 1

Melbourne’s Highest-Performing Suburbs of 2025: Why Median Data Doesn’t Tell the Full Story

By Cate Bakos | January 11, 2026

Melbourne’s median value property data throughout 2025 consistently showed a modest recovery. The only month to record a negative pace was December, albeit 0.1% for the month. Otherwise, the city’s growth in spite of the headwinds was encouraging. Melbourne’s annualised growth figure, (according to Cotality) was 4.8%. However, median value movement is merely generalised. Segmenting…

Cate Why

A Strong “Why” Is the Cornerstone of a Successful Property Plan

By Cate Bakos | January 4, 2026

I’ve been creating property investment strategies now for over fifteen years. I meet investors from far and wide, and their questions are always abundant. But one key question is missing for so many, and I often have to strip back the layers of motivation to get past what they want to achieve and how they…

Renovator Square

A Forward Look at Victoria’s Property Market in 2026

By Cate Bakos | December 28, 2025

Over the past twelve months, many have asked m when the best time to buy would be. My answer was simple. “In 2024”, is what I told them. This years’ recovery for the Victorian market has been modest. Melbourne hasn’t outperformed the capital city markets by any means, but unlike the previous three years, every…

Cate Hodges Square

Optimal capital growth comes to those who are most patient

By Cate Bakos | December 21, 2025

We always talk about the importance of holding property for a long tenure. An ideal tenure is greater than ten years, but what does it look like when that tenure is twenty years? Or even thirty years? I was reminded of this only yesterday, when a dear past client sent me an email out of…

Bathing Boxes

Finding Value in Victoria: Investment Locations You Can Buy for $650,000 or Less

By Cate Bakos | December 14, 2025

I am often asked this question by prospective purchasers. For whatever reason, $650,000 seems to be a popular first-time investor budget. Even for those who could borrow a higher amount, a more cautious approach is often pursued. Many assume that a house in the fringe locations of our capital city is the best approach. There…

Christmas Santa

Is the Melbourne property market now over for 2025?

By Cate Bakos | December 7, 2025

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had many prospective clients reaching out to ask about our services. Some have been happy to commence their search in 2026, yet others have been quite motivated to complete their acquisition in 2025. The last of the auction campaign launches dropped last week. For those vendors who decided to…

Melbourne Flood Square

Water-related overlays in Victoria: what buyers need to know

By Cate Bakos | November 30, 2025

When it comes to Victorian real estate, water-related overlays are one of the most commonly misunderstood planning controls. These overlays can dictate where and how a home can be built, limit future improvements, and influence long-term capital growth. For buyers, overlooking them can create both financial and resale headaches. But panicking about every overlay and…

Pass In

When Competitive Auctions Pass In: The Hidden Cost of Inflated Vendor Expectations

By Cate Bakos | November 23, 2025

Jade and I made the most of our day out yesterday. Between our auction and our final inspection, we spent a couple of hours observing some auctions in Melbourne’s north. Of the three auctions we tracked, two passed in following highly competitive bidding. What does that mean? Anyone who’s spent enough Saturdays out at auctions…

Umbrella

Does bad weather make a difference on auction day?

By Cate Bakos | November 16, 2025

I remember a year twelve maths exam I sat back in 1992. We were armed with a stack of weather data and we were asked to determine whether there is a relationship between Adelaide’s and Melbourne’s weather patterns. After all, many of us would be familiar with the idea that a heat spell in South…

Boxes

How can a really young person get into property ownership?

By Cate Bakos | November 9, 2025

Last night my nineteen year old daughter and I went to a fabulous 21st birthday party. My childhood friend’s daughter is now 21, and her special evening was buzzing with chatter, music, beautiful speeches and friendly folks. Gab and I had a great time. Gab made a new friend and the pair sat together talking…

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