I really enjoy questions. They give me the ability to address any issues that a potential client might have, and it allows the conversation to progress to a deeper level. This process will often uncover fears or uncertainties about the sales process. While at a presentation the other day the owner asked about my negotiating skills. This lead the conversation down a path about the skills of a good agent....
We are often asked ‘how long will it take to sell my house? No two properties are the same so it is hard to give an exact time-frame for the sale of your home. At the moment, the average days on the market is 25.2 days but this does not differentiate one style of property from another. With regards to your unique property, there are a number of factors which will determine the answer. Some which you...
It came to my attention recently, that roll around mid-afternoon, big takeaway chains bombard our screens with enticing imagery of smiling families, pizza & burgers. This all happily coincides with kids engaged in afternoon programming and weary parents contemplating the evening meal. Oh, the convenience of super value meal deals and luxury of contented children! In the old days, this was about as...
For the movie aficionados out there you may have picked up the subtle reference to “The Castle” in the heading. Although the title is tongue in cheek, it is interesting that two such similar words can inspire very different emotions. What a purchaser sees When viewing property as a buyer, they see a house. In its most basic form, it is shelter which needs to meet a pre-prepared set of criteria....
Real Estate Agent Fees A recent article published on Stuff once again put the spotlight on Real Estate Agent fees. This article, and topic, always generates great debate and outrage as the members of the “I hate real estate agents club” come out in full force. Like all good journalism, the article was full of misinformation and factually incorrect statements. But hey, let’s not let the truth get...
One of the biggest changes in the residential real estate industry is the reliance on building inspections when buying a home. Historically this was uncommon. People bought and sold property on gut and it was rare for buyers to discover major faults with their homes. Enter the 1980’s and the downward spiral in the quality of both materials and design. This was ongoing throughout the 90’s and right...
When you're hot you're hot, but when you're not... It appears that the property market has had its fifteen minutes of fame and the obsession with property gains has been put back in the locker. Gone are the packed auction rooms and the frenzied bidding. Headlines are no longer ablaze with stories of sales prices X, Y and Z % above RV. Talk back agenda’s are now not packed with outraged members of the...
Alternative Facts January 20th 2017 will go down history for two reasons. Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, Donald J Trump became the 45th President of the United States. The second event, not so obvious (but equally outrageous) was the coining of a new phrase “alternative facts”. So what are alternative facts and how does this impact the real estate market? The way a consumer receives...
Feeling the cool The latest figures out from the major data companies have highlighted a nationwide cooling of the market. This is not news to us. Changes in the property market can come about very rapidly, and can brought about by as little as a minor policy change. We will normally feel this first at open homes. Numbers in attendance dwindle and this results in a reduction of offers and a return to...
The last sixteen months have been tough work for buyers. Turning up to open homes five minutes early only to find half of Wellington is already there. You've been dropping off your tender to find the box is already full. Agonising over what figure to offer only to find out that you were 150K off the final sale price. If you haven’t been successful over this period and are on the verge of giving up,...