Test Drive Your Real Estate Agent

Selecting the right agent to sell your property can be difficult. Sure everyone looks great on paper, They have have sold bazillions of dollars of real estate, are local experts and have thousands of buyers wanting to buy your property. But how can you cut through all the blah and research to make sure you pick the right person to work for you?

Luckily for anyone contemplating selling their property there is a really easy way to find out if an agent can  deliver on what they promise. You can actually watch them in action and put them to test. How? Easy, head out any Saturday morning and attend some open houses.

In fact earlier this month I had my team do just that just to see how we stacked up. Off they went to attend as many open houses as they could. I wanted to find out for myself if everyone was doing things properly. Let's just say the results were surprising.

Ask any agent, an open house time is SHOWTIME! This is where we should be at our very best. Everything should be just right, no mistakes.

Here are some of the questions I think anyone looking at selling real estate should ask of any agent they are considering employing to sell there property.

Will the agent take contact details of prospective buyers who inspect your property?

My research says 30% don't even bother to get a name and phone number of people who inspect a property. They have absolutely no chance of following up an interested buyer now or in the future

Is the agent enthusiastic about selling the property or do they look like they couldn't care less and standing around at a property is wasting there time?

It's showtime! If your agent can't get excited about a possible sale how can they possibly get a buyer interested.

Can the agent answer questions about the property? (or get the answers quickly for you)

OK so you can't know every intimate detail of every property, but we are supposed to be the experts. If an agent doesn't know the answer can they find out?

Will the agent ask people if they would like to buy your property?

Astonishing! 70% of agents don't even ask if the prospective buyer has any interest in the property. Back to Selling 101, a buyer just isn't going to make it that easy for you.

Is your property well represented by the marketing material the agent produces?

The average selling price for a property in this area is close to $500,000 some many times that amount. Is a black and white photocopy of something from the internet a good enough representation of what you are trying to sell for a premium price? I don't think so. I don't know about you but if I was ever in the market for a $500,000 car I would expect the marketing to be absolutely spot on, I hope the Ferrari dealer never hands me a print out off his website and says here is the info, I want to be dazzled. Why should the sale of your home (which probably costs more than a Ferrari!) be any different? 

Will the agent do any follow up work with buyers to make sure I have the best chance of selling my property?

Surely if you go to the trouble of advertising a property, get it ready to show people and print the brochures it's worth at least one phone call to follow up anybody who actually comes to inspect. Right? Again my research says 50% of agents never even bother to check in with prospective buyers after they inspect the property.  

Thinking of selling? I would love you to put my team to the test. Call in to any of our open houses, I am confident you will get a YES on every one of these questions.

Cheapest Unit In The 'Gabba

At just $245,000 7c/2 Carl Street is an outright bargain!

A 1 bedroom fully renovated unit right in the heart of the action. Across the road from Train and Busway Stations. Around the corner from PA hospital.

Perfect as an inner city base or a great investment. Tenants love the convenience of living here.

The price has come down and at $245,000 it's easy to see the seller means business. 

We have an open inspection booked this Saturday 17 December 10-10:20.

More photos and info here

Sneak Peak - Best Value 3 Bedroom Home In Greenslopes

This one won't hit the market until next week sometime but if anyone is looking for a well presented three bedroom home at the very right price you should investigate this one.

More photos and info here

Will be available for around $500,000.

HOT TIP: Like Greenslopes Real Estate on facebook to find out about new property listings first.

Market Update :: Plenty Of Local Activity

There still seems to be uncertainty in the market, particularly with people being concerned about the issues in Europe. Locally though things are looking pretty good. Personally November was a very successful month with plenty of activity. Here is a quick run down of some sales.

5/29 Lilly Street, Greenslopes SOLD for $280,000

2/54 Peach Street, Greenslopes SOLD for $343,000

"This is our second property transaction with Matt, and both have been a pleasure. His professionalism and honesty made the negotiations simple and stress free. We would always try to engage Jeff Jones in future property dealings, and I have recommended Matt's services to family and friends, which I consider the highest testimonial." Rachel Dunn

 

2/12 Somervell Street, Annerley SOLD for $430,000

7 St Leonards Street, Coorparoo SOLD for $465,200

5/15 Rialto Street, Coorparoo SOLD for $405,000

Latest REIQ Market Monitor Now Available - Download For Free

The latest edition of Queensland Market Monitor has just been published by the REIQ.

The current edition includes:
• Median sale prices for houses, units/townhouses and land across each suburb and all around the state
• Median weekly rents for houses, units and townhouses;
• Gross rental yields and vacancy rates;
• Useful charts and graphs; and
• Analytical commentary

Essential info for property investors and purchasers.

Download your copy here

Andrew Winter's Property Masterclass :: Free Download

Anyone who missed the Property Masterclass 2011 hosted by Andrew Winter (from Selling Houses Australia Extreme) a couple of weeks back can download a copy of the presentation material.

It's jam packed with useful advice and info including tips for buyers and sellers and recent property data and statistics.

Highly recommended, well worth a read.

Download your copy here.

Jeff Jones Real Estate announced as REIQ Awards finalist

Exciting news at Jeff Jones Real Estate yesterday when we received confirmation we are a finalist in the 2012 REIQ Awards for Excellence Large Residential Agency category.

The annual REIQ Awards for Excellence are the most prestigious event on the industry’s calendar, recognising outstanding achievement and commitment to integrity in the profession. The awards aim to encourage, recognise and promote excellence and best practice in real estate.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 10 February 2012. Plenty of time for the judges to make the right decision! Congratulations to the whole team for an outstanding effort!

For Sale :: New To The Market Today

At just $459,000, 16 Lucy Street, Stones Corner is the cheapest house in Greenslopes. What's the catch you ask? There isn't one, a motivated seller wants this sold ASAP and has priced accordingly.

It needs a little TLC but it has plenty going for it. A big, flat corner block, A1 location.

You can get all the info and pictures at www.jeffjones.com.au/lucy

First inspection this Saturday, 26 November from 10-50-11:10am. Hope you can make it.

Matt Jones 0424 149 026

New To The Market This Week :: VIP Inspection Today

50 Latimer Street, Holland Park is ideal for the larger family. 5+ bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, heaps of living spaces. There is plenty of space for everyone to spread out and do their own thing as well as excellent entertaining areas for large gatherings.

Come along to the VIP inspection of the property before it officially hits the market this afternoon, 5pm Wednesday 23 November. 

More info and pictures at latimerstreet.com

Priced to sell at $679,000.

Price Reduction :: This Seller Means Business

The sellers of 179 Juliette Street, Greenslopes have slashed the asking price on their 3 bedroom house.

This inner city property really is a set and forget investment. The property has been well maintained and in this location you are assured high rental demand. The current tenants are paying $450 per week until January 2012.

There is outstanding value here at just $479,000.

 

 

 

 

 

Phone me on 0402 023 176 for an inspection.

Price Reductions :: These Properties Must Be Sold

10 Cavan Street, Annerley. The sellers are ready to move on and have bought the price down to just $499,000.
There are so many options here. You can utilise this as a business premises, residence or combination of the two.

More info and photos here


It will be tough to find a better value family home than 38 Monash Road, Tarragindi. If you weren't sure the sellers were motivated before our new price of just $635,000 should confirm it.

Let's tick some boxes:

• 4 large bedrooms - Yes!
• Quality finish - Yes!
• Multiple living areas, inside and outside - Yes!
• Heaps of storage, upstairs and downstairs - Yes!
• 2 car garage - Yes!
• No major (or minor) work required, just move in - Yes!

Next inspection is this Saturday, 5 November at 10am. 

More info and photos here 

Market Update :: Recent Sales

It's been a busy month here. There seems to be doom and gloom in all the media re: the property market but we aren't seeing that at the coalface. Here is a rundown of some recent sales, click on addresses for more information.

4/116 Juliette Street, Greenslopes

3 bed, 2 bath, 1 car townhouse
Sold for $400,000

27 Dunstan Street, Moorooka

3 bed, 1 bath house
Sold for $465,000

262 Marshall Road, Tarragindi

3 bed, 1 bath house
Sold for $475,000

14 Leonard Street, Woolloongabba

3 bed, 1 bath house
Sold for $440,000

More:

3/14 Sinclair Street, East Brisbane sold for $420,000. 2 bed 2 bath unit

1 Paleoak Court, Jimboomba sold $349,000. 4 bed, 2 bath house

2/174 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo sold for $315,000. 2 bed, 1 bath unit

2/16 Norman Crescent, Norman Park sold for $582,000. 3 bed, 2 bath unit

22 Earl Street, Greenslopes sold for $414,500. 3 bed, 1 bath house

Curb Appeal Matters When Selling Real Estate

First impressions matter most. This is one concept that many homeowners trying to sell their homes or rent property fail to understand. Curb appeal is the first impression when it comes to a house. This is the place that you as an investor or seller want those driving buy to think of as home. For this reason you should pay careful attention and spend some degree of time and effort making the outside of the home inviting and appealing to potential buyers or renters.

One of the first things that people will notice is crumbling paint and bland or tired and faded colors on the exterior. If the outside of the home is rather unimpressive potential buyers are unlikely to discover the diamond that is the inside of your home.

Another thing you can do to add curb appeal is plant low maintenance flowers and plants around the exterior of your home.

Another thing to keep in mind when making the upgrades is to clean the footpath and driveway. It is amazing what a high power pressure washer can do to your driveway and front porch. Don't stop there however; take the time to make sure your doors and windows are clean as well. These little things often make the biggest impression. If you care properly for the exterior of your home and keep it nice and shiny chances are (in the buyer's mind) that you will have taken the same care of the inside of the home that they are quite possibly now considering.

Taking the extra time to ensure that the outside of your home is attractive to buyers can translate into higher and quicker offers than neglecting the essential real estate between the front door and the curb. Do not overlook this powerful piece of advice and you should enjoy a little more success in your efforts to sell your home or investment property.

Interest rate cut on Cup Day is odds-on bet

THE Reserve Bank will cut its official interest rate on Melbourne Cup Day - reversing the increase of last Cup day.

It would be more than surprising if it didn't. It would be almost literally out of character. The "character", that is, of governor Glenn Stevens.

For it appears he just can't let the day pass merely as only for the race that stops a nation. He has to "stop", and occasionally "start", it as well.

Stevens has had five Cup days so far as governor - next Tuesday will be the sixth. And on all previous five he has led the RBA to change its rate.

Four of them have been increases - most famously when he hiked in 2007 in the middle of the election campaign and (helped) "stop", so to speak, John Howard's prime ministership.

The only Stevens Cup Day cut was in 2008, amid the fear and loathing of the global financial crisis. With the prospect of GFC Mark Two, or maybe just Mark 1b, that's an interesting but hopefully not an ominous portent.

In 2008 he sliced the rate by 75 points. Absent a European meltdown over the next few days, next Tuesday's cut will be only 25 points. And at this stage it will be intended as a one-off. To "normalise" interest rates.

In real analytical terms, it's actually 50-50 line ball between a rate cut and leaving rates unchanged.

Indeed, there's a stronger argument to leave them unchanged - that we still most likely face an income and investment tsunami next year requiring rate hikes.

But yesterday's CPI numbers just blew all that away. The optics suddenly became crystal clear.

There is no way the RBA could leave rates on the restrictive side of normal after underlying inflation printed at just 0.3 per cent for the quarter - that's an annual rate of 1.2 per cent.

There's some uncertainty about the quality of that number.

The ABS's CPI numbers have been all over the place in the last couple of months.

But in very simple terms, how could the RBA maintain a policy aimed at fighting too-high inflation, when if anything inflation is pointing towards being too low?

read more at couriermail.com.au

No recovery for home building sector

Land sales are still well below where they were last year, suggesting there will be no recovery in the new home building sector until 2012, a survey shows.

The Housing Industry of Australia (HIA) and RP Data said the volume of land sales in the June quarter was 25 per cent lower than the same quarter in 2010 and 51 per cent lower than the peak in June 2004.

"The profile for residential land sales remains weak, indicating that the earliest we can expect a turnaround in new housing starts is the March 2012 quarter," said Harley Dale, HIA's chief economist on Thursday.

The HIA-RP Data Residential Land Report also found that the volume of land sales in the June quarter had increased by 18 per cent.

"It is encouraging that land sales have stopped falling, but there is a long road ahead to ensure a sustainable recovery in new home building to levels commensurate with the housing requirements of Australia's population," Dr Dale said.

The weighted median land value in Australia fell by 1.3 per cent in the June 2011 quarter to be 3.5 per cent higher than the comparable quarter in 2010, the report found.

Read more at news.com.au

Investment Buyer? Do The Numbers, This Adds Up

The sellers of 5/29 Lilly Street, Greenslopes are serious about selling and have slashed the price to just $299,000. 

This 2 bedroom unit is renting for $340 per week until May 2012.

There is some urgency to securing a sale (the asking price tells that story). Call me on 0424 149 026 to arrange an inspection or come along this Saturday, 8 October 12:30-12:50.

Kitchen or bathroom renovation: which adds more value?

It’s a well-known fact that bathrooms and kitchens offer some of the biggest opportunities to add value to your home or investment property. But if you had to choose between upgrading one or the other, which would give you more bang for your buck?

The answer, according to renovations expert Ana Stankovic from renovateandprofit.com, may surprise you.
“Most people will look to renovate a kitchen within a home, but you should be careful with how much you spend on a kitchen renovation,” Stankovic says.

“On average, in Australia, renovating an existing kitchen is only the fourth or fifth add-value technique, depending on suburb.”

Importantly, she adds that investors must note that in different suburbs – and in different types of homes within those suburbs – there will be a specific order of which renovations are going to add the most to your profit line.

“Let's have a look at a family house in Mount Waverley, for example. In this area, renovating an existing kitchen is going to be the fifth highest-returning renovation that you can do, and even that is going to have specific design and functionality requirements you need to adhere to in order to create a profitable result,” Stankovic says.

“However, if you wanted to add significant value, you might look at adding a second bathroom. In this particular suburb, doing so will add much more in value compared to how much it costs, rather than renovating the existing kitchen.”

So how do you figure out which area of the property to makeover in your own situation?

The answer, Stankovic says, is to do your research and be strategic. “Because the property market is currently a bit flat, guesswork and complexities need to be reduced as much as possible, and you need to follow a detailed and strategic approach to everything you do with your renovation in order to guarantee success,”

read more at your mortgage.com.au

New To The Market This Week - Tremendous Tarragindi Value

38 Monash Road, Tarragindi is priced to sell! At $665,000 this offers real value for family home buyers.

The sellers have made other plans. To make it all happen they have put a “can’t say no” price on this 10 year old home. Constructed over two levels and incorporating a perfect combination of modern design with character features typical of a "Queenslander" style home. This is definitely one property you do not want to miss!

More info and pictures here

Our first inspection is this Saturday 11:10-11:30 or call me on 0424 149 026 to arrange an earlier visit,