Sunday Blog - Expert property investment insights

Our last auction of 2018 was indeed a special one. Unique, competitive, commercially zoned and sold significantly above the reserve. In a climate of low auction clearance results, limited competition and a general correction above the $800,000 price point in Melbourne, this one bucked the trend. Why? The first hint is in the Auction Schedule itself.…

With our last official auction Saturday of 2018 behind us and dismal auction clearance rates yet again echoing our tough market conditions, is it time to take advantage and buy? In typical fashion, we will hit Christmas and have leftovers. Buyers who are happy to push past the Christmas sales and holiday planning will mop…

Have you ever wondered why a property can sit on the market for weeks, and then all of a sudden when you submit an offer, there is suddenly another offer? Many buyers believe that the agent is bluffing. Occasionally they are, but it’s rarer than people imagine. In the majority of cases, the agent does have another…

When it comes to moving into the next home, most buyers are faced with the prospect of selling their existing home in order to make the move. Gone are the days of easy access to bridging finance, and buyers often ask us; “How do we do this?” In a stable market, the process is relatively…

Many properties have covenants on their title and this can be a positive, negative or moot point depending on the buyer’s intentions for the property and their understanding of the restriction that the covenant places upon the property. What is a covenant?   It’s a restriction on the property and can range from affecting the…

Every week, without fail I speak to prospective investors who wish to purchase investment properties with high depreciation benefits. Likewise we get targeted by marketing groups offering lucrative commissions for their brand new, Off-The-Plan stock. Explaining why we don’t target brand new comes as a shock to some, but the reason is simple. When depreciation…

This weekend’s clearance rate dipped to the lowest point so far for this year, yet two of the auctions we bid at flew past reserve and had multiple bidders striving for the keys. What was it about these two properties that defied current market conditions? Scarcity. But this late spring market, plagued by finance delays…

Recognising that our needs will change and lifestyle will evolve is important. Provisioning for this in advance can be clever. But how far out is too far out when it comes to predicting your timeframe? I meet with prospective clients often who have this strategy in mind and some reasons are completely rational, yet others are…

In the southern hemisphere we talk about optimal orientation for property as being north-facing. Watching British renovation television programs always reminds me of our universal need for natural light when they place an emphasis on capturing their south-facing sun. The link between limited sunlight and depression is very real for some, and at the very least, we…

Melbourne and Sydney both delivered dismal auction clearance rates this weekend; each sitting under 50%. This marks our lowest point so far this year, and it could well slide below that figure in Melbourne next weekend as we bulk up our auction numbers in what some would term a Super Saturday, making room for our local agents…

What causes it? Why do we dread it? And how can stress be avoided? These two words can turn a busy Buyer’s Advocacy business day from ‘zero to ten’ on the stress meter. Property settlements are carefully worked towards by a host of professional service providers, and when things go wrong the impact can be upsetting…