A rising market is not the time to upgrade!!

Look at this scenario…

This time last year, you believed your house was worth $700,000. Now, prices in your suburb are reported to have increased by 10%, which makes your home now worth $770,000. You have just had a promotion and are keen to climb the property ladder. The trouble is that your next house, having been worth $1,000,000 a year ago, is now also worth 10% more - $1,100,000*. So, if you upgrade now, you’ll be $30,000 worse off than you would have been last year, plus the extra stamp duty. You will be better off when the market finally slows down…

* assuming you are looking in the same area or one with comparable sales growth.

If you would like more information on buying property in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

Image courtesy of Luigi Diamanti http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=879

A rising market – time to downsize!!

Look at this scenario…

This time last year, you believed your house was worth $2,000,000. Now, prices in your suburb are reported to have gained 10%, which makes your home now worth $2,200,000. You have just decided to retire and take on some consultancy work. The good news is that your next house, which would have fetched $1,000,000 a year ago, is only worth $100K* more than it was back then – now $1,100,000. So, if you downsize now, you’ll be $100,000 better off than you would have been last year and certainly better off than if you wait for interest rate rises to take effect and price growth to slow again. Time to jump!!

* all things being equal, which may not be the case if you are looking in a completely different area.

For more information on buying property in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

Image courtesy of Michal Marcol http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=371

Can you still buy something close to Sydney's CBD for under $500,000?

Last month RPData released a report listing median house and unit prices in Sydney. Surprisingly, there are two suburbs within a 10km radius of the CBD where you can still buy a house for less than $500K – Sydenham & Tempe. You just have to put up with a bit of aircraft noise…

You have a lot more options if you are wanting to buy an apartment. Due to an abundance of 1 bedders and studios, the City of Sydney Council area has the highest number of suburbs (20 in total) where unit prices are under the $500K mark. A further four suburbs can be found within the North Sydney local government area (LGA) and two each in Leichhardt and Woollahra LGAs.

The opportunities are diminishing, however as property values continue to rise, so how much longer we will have the chance to buy anything under $500,000 close to the CBD is anyone’s guess… Only yesterday, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald predicted further rises – and the median house price for Sydney is now $607,000, with the median unit price still under the half million mark at $457,000.

Click on this link to read that article: http://www.smh.com.au/business/house-prices-to-rise-further-but-theyre-worth-it-says-rba-20091125-jrta.html?autostart=1

For more information on buying property in Sydney: http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/

Gazumping is legal.

In a competitive market many buyers find themselves either trying to gazump or being gazumped. And with many people, the moral code is that gazumping is fine if you are the one doing the gazumping but unethical if you are the losing party!

If a property you are keen on has already had an offer accepted but contracts have not yet exchanged, then you are free to submit an offer. But it has to be a serious offer designed to entice the vendors to reneg on their previous agreement – don’t just add a couple of thousand dollars to the price.

One of three things are then likely to happen:
1. The vendor decides to honour the original agreement (even at a lower price)
2. The vendor gives the other buyer first right of refusal at the higher price you have offered
3. They accept your offer

If they accept your offer you’d better exchange contracts quickly to avoid being gazumped…

For more information on buying property in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

Apartment values growing faster than houses

In September this year RPData released national property growth figures that showed unit growth had caught up to that of houses around the beginning of 2008. They maintained a level growth rate for several months and since the middle of last year apartments have consistently exceeded the rate of growth of houses.

“The equivalent level of capital growth associated with units is a relatively new phenomenon. Over the last ten years houses have outperformed units by about two percent per annum” stated the RPData report.

Traditionally we have seen the capital growth rate of houses in inner city areas clearly exceeding the rate of growth of apartments. There are many reasons for this, possibly the main one being that houses have a land component and are a limited resource, whereas many new apartments have been built, particularly in rezoned industrial areas such as Pyrmont, Alexandria and along the Parramatta River including Concord, Abbotsford, Rhodes and Meadowbank. So why the sudden surge in values?

The RPData report cites some possible reasons. One idea put forward is housing affordability – the national average price for units is around $100,000 less than it is for houses. Other reasons they suggest include an increase in downsizing baby boomers, professionals in their 20s and 30s wanting to live closer to work and the rise in overseas students creating a whole new market. Certainly the first home buyer benefits, which were increased late last year, has seen unprecedented levels of buyer activity in the apartment sector of the market.

Sydney is one of those modern cities where the dream of owning your own home is alive and well. Young families look to move out of apartments into a house with some land soon after (or in anticipation of) having their first child. So the traditional apartment dwellers have been polarized between the young and childless and the empty nester – with some perennial professionals and gays thrown in for good measure. This is in stark contrast to older European cities such as Paris, London or Rome, where families live in apartments and make great use of local parks and community areas.

For more information on property buying, see our website: www.gooddeeds.com.au.

Do the opposite of what everybody else is doing – part 2

A common refrain at this time of year from weary buyers is “it’s getting close to Xmas, there’s no good property around, I think I’ll stop looking now and wait till next year.” Yet we encourage you to resist this urge to stop looking for a property at precisely the time so many other buyers are giving up.

There are 4 weeks of new auction campaigns yet to commence. In addition to less competition from other buyers, there will be some pretty motivated vendors who decide to list before Xmas – so don’t give up as some good buying opportunities may arise!

For more information on buying property in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au.

Fellas, don’t let the women to do all the house hunting!

This is a common scenario we come across: two people are buying a property together and one does all the legwork while the other takes on the role of devil’s advocate. This is often, though not always, the woman in a heterosexual relationship - we have also come across other partnerships suffering from this same imbalance.

Does this sound familiar? After some lengthy research and time spent inspecting numerous properties, she has educated herself about the market – enough to identify a property that she thinks they should buy. Then he takes take a look, says he doesn’t like it, dismisses it quickly, showing no appreciation for all the hard work that has got her to that point. Then she has to go through the whole process again as he becomes educated about the market and what they can buy for their money. By that time, prices have gone up and they can no longer afford what they originally wanted!

If you aren’t going to engage a professional to do the work for you, you really need to spend equal time in the property hunt and have a clear idea of what you want and what compromises you are prepared to make.

For more information on getting help to buy property: www.gooddeeds.com.au

What type of property buyer are you?

A sellers market often polarizes buyers. We often come across those who are fixated on prices as they were 6 months ago and will never pay market value. And the market keeps moving and they keep getting left behind. The other end of the continuum is the buyer who panics and pays far too much for a property which is often not that great and doesn’t really suit their needs.

Both buyers miss out. Buyer A keeps missing out and ruing the “one that got away” instead of actually getting onto the property ladder. Buyer B gets stuck with an overpriced dud property and gets left behind when it comes to capital growth.

For more information on buying real estate in Sydney look at www.gooddeeds.com.au

A political writer gets it right about property.

It is very rare that a political reporter makes what I regard a valid and pragmatic point about the property market. However an article in last Sunday’s Sun-Herald by Lisa Carty about Sydney’s suburban dwellers complaining about lack of public transport sure made sense. Following are some of the points that I felt most relevant to buyers:

“The people who buy in the north-west [of Sydney], and the south-west for that matter, are able to buy a family home for far less than those who choose to live closer to the city.

“People who choose to live on the fringe pay much, much less for their homes than those who choose a smaller place – even a unit, God forbid – with better services, closer to the city.”

“The choice for Sydneysiders is stark – you can hold on to your suburban dream and the money you’ll save on real estate you’ll spend on transport.

“Or you can spend a lot more money to buy closer to the city but pay comparatively little for transport, and save yourself hours on the bus or in the car.”

“But the fact is no one made them move to the frontier – it was a choice they made. Sadly, it seems many of them underestimated the real costs, in time as well as money.

“In a perfect world, everyone would have access to great public transport but in our imperfect world, only the filthy rich live without compromise.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Contact me at info@gooddeeds.com.au if you would like a copy of the whole article.

For more information on buying property in Sydney http://www.gooddeeds.com.au

Beware the friendly selling agent.

These guys are usually great at their job (these guys are usually, in fact, girls). They are great at lessening your pain threshold when it comes to parting with your money. After all, we buy from those we like.

These are the agents who return your calls, answer your questions with sensible answers, even follow you up after you have inspected a property. These are the agents who are very skilful at encouraging you to make offers, register and bid, even pay more than the asking price.

So here’s a thought, maybe you will save money by persisting with those agents that annoy you, irritate you and generally give agents a bad name. After all, there will be plenty of other buyers who will avoid dealing with them, so possibly you could avoid some competition.

For more information on buying property go to www.gooddeeds.com.au.

Home buyers - Do the opposite of what everybody else is doing.

Last year at this time the market was as flat as a pancake and we were recommending people BUY BUY BUY, but what did the vast majority of buyers do? Sit on their hands. Here are some quotes from our prospective clients at the time.

“It is such a transitional market right now, I think I’ll wait and see what happens”
“There is so much uncertainty in the market, I think I will leave it until early next year unless something changes dramatically.”
“I doubt the market will be rising quickly, and there will be more product next year than right now.”
“I've put my plans on hold for a bit because the market will probably drop even further.”

Do you think these people regret not taking advantage of a buyers’ market?

Now everybody seems to be buying and (maybe it is bad for business to say this but…) maybe we should now be sitting on our hands. Our goal at the moment is to purchase AT market value, not over it and we are advising clients to be very wary of paying over the odds at the moment.

For further information on buying property in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

Why would an agent say “no offers” during an auction marketing campaign?

Here is a little known fact about auction price quoting. Apart from rare situations where the vendor has instructed the selling agent not to entertain pre-auction offers, there is a very compelling reason for agents to discourage offers. If an offer is rejected, they have to increase their quoted price expectation!! And they do not want to do this for fear of not being able to build interest and create a competitive auction.

To give you an example, an agent is quoting a property at “over $900,000”. You make an offer of $950,000, which the vendor rejects. The agent now needs to increase their quoting to reflect the fact that the vendor will not accept anything up to and including $950,000. Perhaps that will turn other buyers off, so don’t be deterred if you want to make an offer prior to auction.

For more information on property buying in Sydney go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

How to pick the best apartment in a large complex.

Obviously, you can go straight to the top and buy the penthouse, but what if your budget is not so lofty?

We advise our clients to be very wary of large complexes. There is often more than one apartment for sale at any one time, which may offer you choice when you are buying, but can be a problem when you go to sell.

So, if the location, facilities and overall style of the complex appeals to you, how can you ensure you buy the best apartment? Here is a checklist:

· Natural light – the higher up in the building you are, generally the better natural light, however the aspect is crucial so look for a north, north-east or north-west aspect from the living areas.
· Privacy and outlook – preference should be given to apartments that look outside the complex (depending on the outlook of course – or unless there are fabulous landscaped gardens) rather than into other apartments.
· Proportion of rooms – sometimes the bedrooms are larger than the living area, or the ensuite bathroom is larger than the main bathroom, or there is wasted space in foyers and hallways. All these scenarios should be avoided.
· Outdoor space – this should be usable (is there space for a table, chairs, bbq?) and accessible from the living area.
· Noise – avoid apartments next to the entrance, opposite the lift, overlooking a noisy road, etc.

For more information on buying property go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

What to do with competitive offers.

At the moment it seems like every property under $1,500,000 has numerous buyers fighting over it. So what are your options if somebody else is making offers on the property of your dreams? Here are some to consider:

Option 1 – match the other offer and race to exchange contracts unconditionally
Required steps:
1. Let the selling agent know that you are about to make an offer and want a copy of the contract
2. Have the contract reviewed by a solicitor/conveyancer
3. Order a strata search or building/pest inspection as appropriate (or take the risk of not getting one, though we would never recommend this)
4. Book the bank valuation if you need one (unfortunately this can put you at a disadvantage)
5. Organize to sign the contract and get the 66W certificate signed by your conveyance or solicitor (this waives the 5 day cooling off period)
6. Get the signed contract, 66W and deposit cheque to the vendor’s agent or solicitor and make sure they exchange contracts immediately
The risks are that another buyer might beat you in the race to exchange (especially if they have had a head start) or that you will still need to increase the offer in order to be the successful buyer.

Option 2 – offer the asking price (or even a bit more)
You will then still need to race to exchange as another buyer could still match or better the offer. Depending on whether the selling agent discloses offers or not, this could be a good strategy as the vendor may treat you more favourably – though there are no guarantees.

Option 3 – try to exchange with a cooling off period
Required steps:
1. Let the selling agent know that you are about to make an offer and want a copy of the contract
2. Organize to sign the contract
3. Take the contract and your deposit cheque to the vendor’s agent for exchange
You will then have 5 business days within which to:
4. Have the contract reviewed by a solicitor/conveyancer
5. Order a strata search or building/pest inspection
6. Book the bank valuation
7. Change your mind
However, with other serious buyers it would be unlikely that the agents/vendors would agree to a conditional exchange of contracts. And if you do change your mind, there is a penalty of 0.25% of the agreed purchase price.

For more information go to www.gooddeeds.com.au

What to expect in real estate this spring.

Traditionally September heralds the start of the spring selling season where the warm weather and blooming gardens inspire people to sell their houses. After the winter listings drought, real estate agents gear up for the year’s busiest period and hope to power on uninterrupted until collapsing in an exhausted heap on Christmas Eve.

Will 2009 be any different? Not according to the selling agents we have been speaking to. Buyers will be able to expect more choice and, hopefully, less of the competition which has seen weekly auction clearance rates exceed 90% in some parts of Sydney.

Many experts are saying that the first home buyer segment of the market will die down and be replaced by investors entering the market. Our enquiry levels certainly support this forecast.

A recent Residex report said that “housing finance results released by the Bureau of Statistics, [showed] that most of the growth in lending is coming from existing home owners on the move. While investor activity is still weak overall, we expect it to increase later this year and increasingly take over the running from first home buyers.”

The report went on further to say that “investors are returning to a housing market which has withstood the traumas of the last two years far better than commodities, property trusts, shares or term deposits. Despite the doom and gloom merchants, the housing market did not crash or even lose any real value.”

In the meantime, the roll-on effect from the first home buyer boom means that the most competitive segments of the market now seem to be 2nd and 3rd home buyers with budgets from $750,000 up to around $1.3 million. Let’s see if the expected high number of spring listings will materialize and dampen the general enthusiasm this year.

For more information go to our website: www.gooddeeds.com.au

How to handle auctions.

With such high clearance rates at the moment (reported to have been over 70% for three months running), more vendors will be choosing to auction their homes rather than offer them for sale at a price. And competition can be fierce when there is little quality stock out there as well as first home buyers in a rush to buy before the end of September.

We speak to so many buyers about auctions – most hate them – and there are a myriad of opinions on how to best handle them. When bidding for our clients we take into account many variables including who the auctioneer is, who the selling agent is and how clever they are at auction negotiations, how busy the inspections were and what the vibe was, information gleaned from the selling agent about vendor motivations, likely competition levels and, of course, what the property is worth. Here are just a few of our ideas – remember that every auction is different and one technique will not be useful in all scenarios.

Have a clear idea what your budget is and what the property is worth to you. This is the golden rule. Do not deviate from this and you should not get drawn into a bidding war that will result in you overpaying.

Try being the first bidder. This goes against conventional wisdom, which is not to bid until the property is called “on the market”. You have a better chance of controlling the auction if you start it with a strategic bid. But that is the key – this opportunity must not be wasted.

Don’t wait until the property is called “’on the market” to bid. How is it ever going to reach reserve unless people bid?? Seriously, we have seen plenty of properties sell under the reserve at auction after a bit of frantic negotiation between agent and vendor. And not all auctioneers will call the property “’on the market”, so you need to be careful here.

Stare down your opposition. A confident stance can do wonders in out-psyching other bidders and making them think you have bottomless pockets. We see many would-be buyers stop bidding prematurely because they believe the other bidders will stop at nothing.

The highest bidders right to exclusive post-auction negotiation is only a courtesy. The agents and vendors are able to negotiate with any interested party once the property has passed in. They will usually offer the highest bidder the first right of refusal, however there may be other parties suddenly making offers. By leaving the negotiations until after the property has passed in often vendors harden their stance and a good buying opportunity could have passed you by.

For more information check out our website: www.gooddeeds.com.au

Can a buyers’ agent save you money?

We are often asked this question. The best answer, we believe, is an actual example. Here are some of the ways in which our clients have benefited (or could have saved) from engaging our services:

Apartment 1 – the agent gave us information about the vendor’s circumstances and had we acted on it we could have got the property for $500K. It subsequently sold a week later for $515K. $15,000 potential saving.

Apartment 2 – we were advised by the agent prior to auction that reserve was going to be $510K, and that we possibly could pick it up for $505K. Passed in and sold 3 days later for $521K. Minimum $11,000 potential saving.

House 1 – passed in at auction in December for $1.355M. The agent had been quoting @$1.3M and we felt that it would probably achieve that. The under-bidder was at $1.35M, so this had been a competitive auction and the vendors regretted not accepting the highest bid. In the three months after the auction, Xmas had come and gone, the market had destabilized at this price level, and the property was tainted from having been on the market so long. Through protracted negotiations with the agent we held firm and secured the property at $1.255M. A saving of $100,000.

House 2 – our client came to us after her offer of $727K on a property that was being quoted as “early $700,000s” was rejected. She did not know whether to believe what the agent was saying and was prepared to pay $780K for the property prior to auction. This property uniquely suited her needs and she was prepared to pay a premium for it. After many discussions with the selling agent and assessing the competitive situation, our advice was to wait till auction. Our client was so keen on this house she instructed us to bid up to $827K!! We secured it for $745K, a saving of $35,000 over what she would have paid if left to her own devices and $82,000 less than what she was prepared to pay.

House 3 – similar circumstances to the property above. Our clients were about to make an pre-auction offer and were considering the figure of $807K. Once they engaged our services, we advised them to wait for the auction. Their instructions were to go to $813K if necessary. We secured it for $780K, a saving of $27,000 over what they would have paid without our advice and $33,000 less than they were prepared to pay.

Apartment 3 – Our clients had found a property that they were desperate to buy, and it was in a price bracket that was definitely a buyers’ market. However they agent had suddenly procured another buyer and this was putting pressure on them to pay more than they needed to. Our advice on offer strategy was carefully planned and we secured the property for $2,500,000, which was $50,000 less than the premium they had been prepared to pay. Our clients admitted that without our guidance, they would have succumbed to pressure and fear of losing the property and increased their offer, possibly even over the amount that they had felt comfortable paying.

For more examples, contact us via http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/

Which Sydney suburbs are the best places to live?

Recently there was an article in Domain titled “Why we live where we live”. The article didn’t specify which suburbs are “best” but the first person to post a comment named Mosman, in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, as their number one suburb. This prompted an avalanche of comments in which Mosman was given a caning!

The following list is by no means the result of a reliable survey but, for what it’s worth, these suburbs were also mentioned as great places to live by other respondents to the article:

Eastern Suburbs – Kings Cross, Darling Point, Elizabeth Bay, Botany, Alexandria, Bronte, Vaucluse (2 mentions!!), Watsons Bay and the postcode 2030, which covers Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay North and Dover Heights

Northern Beaches – Dee Why, Harbord, Narrabeen, Manly

Inner West – Annandale, Summer Hill, Balmain

North Shore – Roseville, Balmoral, Chatswood

St George – Beverley Park (2 mentions!!), Oatley

Northern Districts - Carlingford

Looks like the Eastern Suburbs tops this survey. The one thing everybody seemed to agree on is that the best place to live really depends on what life stage you are in. Common sense really…

Click on this link to read the article and the comments it provoked for yourself: http://blogs.domain.com.au/2009/07/why_we_live_where_we_live_pick.html

For more information on Good Deeds Property Buyers: http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/

Does the Office of Fair Trading protect real estate consumers?

I have long been of the opinion that the Office of Fair Trading (NSW) is a toothless tiger. Many professional and ethical real estate agents spend a great deal of time and money ensuring their compliance with the various Acts under which they operate, while some pretty shoddy ones keep flying underneath the radar.

It is my belief that consumers have some degree of protection from under-quoting of auction price expectations and also dummy bidding but in my opinion this is due to the attention given the topic by the media combined with the fact that large auction-oriented franchises and agents do not want to be made examples of.

I believe that the vast majority of real estate agents wish to do a good job and operate ethically. However, there remain others who do not do their profession proud. If they are doing anything wrong that does not come under the auction umbrella, it seems unlikely to me that they will taken to task by the Office of Fair Trading. Maybe they just don’t have the resources…

The best chance a consumer has is to level the playing field and engage their own professional to act on their behalf – a buyers’ agent of course!!

For more information on how a buyers' agent can help you: www.gooddeeds.com.au

Location, Location, Location - how to choose a suburb to buy in

If you are buying a property to live in, the factors affecting suburb choice are markedly different from those involved in deciding on an investment location.

Some of the key factors in choosing a location for your home include:
· Your local knowledge – are you already familiar with the area? Do you know people who already live there?
· Availability of transport to work – good roads or train/bus links.
· Proximity to good schools – particularly if you are relying on the public education system.
· Lifestyle – what is close by for you to enjoy during your leisure time?
· Affordability – the bottom line…

When advising investors, we encourage them to consider the following:
· Buy as close to the CBD as you can afford – you can usually rely on consistent demand from tenants.
· Good transport links – especially train.
· Walking distance from cafes and shops – tenants need reasons to live there other than just being close to work.

For more information on property buying, see our website: www.gooddeeds.com.au

Strata levies - low levies can be a false economy

Sometimes when pensioners or investors dominate the ownership of a building or complex we see historical pressure to keep strata levies low. The discretionary portion of the levy is the sinking fund contribution, so when building issues arise, or upgrades are required, there is no money in the pot. So, what happens next? Either the issues are ignored, the building begins to look shabby, or a special levy is struck. And, if you are interested in capital growth, all these outcomes can negatively impact the value of a unit or townhouse.

It is now mandatory for owners’ corporations to undertake a 10 year maintenance plan and levy forecast. Those buildings with low levies will face sharp rises if the recommendations in their report are adopted. Those buildings that have been responsible in their financial management and avoided the temptation to keep levies too low will see much more modest increases.

For more information on buying property: http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/

Strata reports - often a long list of repairs is a good sign

When you read a strata report that documents a litany of building issues it can be easy to be scared off a property. And sometimes it is a warning of impending inconvenience and cost. However, it can also indicate a pro-active strata manager and an owner’s corporation that cares about maintaining their investment. In addition to the list of problems, look for a concerted and continued effort to address the issues. And keep an eye out for potential special levies. This is a sign that there has not been sufficient sinking fund levies in the past to cover these expected repairs.

For more information on how to avoid pitfalls when buying property: www.gooddeeds.com.au

A shameless plug… why use a buyer’s agent?

Here are just a few reasons:

You don’t sacrifice your weekends and family time.
Searching for a home can become all-encompassing and takes over your life!

We have access to unadvertised listings.
Though, to be honest, motivated vendors are those who pay for advertising. Unmotivated vendors want more than their property is worth – however your perfect property might just be owned by such a vendor and this could be the only way you are going to find it…

Selling agents often give us information that they won’t share with the average buyer.
Our lack of emotional involvement means we won’t have a “knee-jerk” reaction. Also, selling agents know that a buyer’s agent understands the sales process and therefore comfortably share information that can give our clients a distinct advantage over buyers who represent themselves.

If you'd like to know more, go to www.gooddeeds.com.au.

Don’t panic!

This is the time of year when new listings all but dry up. Many vendors, particularly those with properties lacking natural light, think that spring is the best season to put their property on the market. So as the weather cools, selling agents and buyers alike start to despair…

This is not to say that your dream home won’t come on the market in winter (smart vendors will be listing their properties now!). But the biggest mistake to make is to panic and pay far too much for a property or, worse still, buy something that really isn’t ideal. Take heart, take a breath and wait it out until spring – but don’t completely give up the hunt in case the perfect property does happen to turn up!

The magic question – what will happen to the market after September?

Ahhhh, if only I had a crystal ball…

For those who haven’t heard, the Federal Government has announced that it will phase out the First Home Buyer Boost, starting with a 50% reduction to $3500 after September 30th 2009 and ending completely on December 31st 2009.

From my observations of recent buyer behaviour, I believe the bonus has motivated many people who were simply thinking of buying to actually get out and buy. However, a lot of first home buyers I speak to are happy to wait till after the bonus starts to shrink before they buy. So I am not sure we will see a sudden decline of buyers out there after September.

On the bright side for buyers, there is usually a lot more property available as vendors often decide to list their properties in spring. Increased stock levels usually have a dampening effect on price growth.

Even if the first home buyer segment of the market grinds to a halt, the flow-on effect will continue for some time as many of those sellers are now buyers upgrading to their second home, and so on.

Overall, it is hard to speculate as there are so many other factors in play at the moment, for instance, low interest rates, talk of recession and job insecurity… Just try to get two economists to agree on the property market outlook!

Some helpful statistics.

We are always being asked what are the best suburbs to buy in. If you are buying for investment you usually need a combination of yield and capital growth (not taking into account depreciation and other aspects). Recently we compiled this list of top investment suburbs from the Australian Property Monitors database.

Units - we reviewed all Sydney suburbs within a rough 15km radius of the CBD and selected all those with a rental yield of 5% or more and a 3 year average positive capital growth rate of 5% and above. 17 suburbs fulfilled this criteria and a further 12 had yields over 5% and a 3 year average positive capital growth rate of under 5%.

Here are the top 5: Chippendale, Alexandria, Kogarah, Arncliffe, Waterloo

Houses – we reviewed all Sydney suburbs within a rough 10km radius of the CBD and selected all those with a rental yield of 4% or more and a 3 year average positive capital growth rate of over 5%. Note – there are no suburbs within 10-15km radius of the CBD that have this combination of yield and cap growth. 16 suburbs fulfilled this criteria.

Here are the top 5: Chippendale, Alexandria, Lane Cove North, Darlington, Camperdown

If you'd like to see the yields and growth stats for these suburbs, contact me through http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/

Agents have a saying – buyers are liars…

When I tell this to my clients they are all invariably shocked. But aren’t real estate agents the ones you can’t trust? When was the last time you told an agent how much you had to spend, or how much you were prepared to bid to on an auction property. Buying and selling real estate is often a game of bluff – with buyers and vendors agents facing off and second-guessing each other. Just for something different – try being honest with the next real estate agent you deal with and see if that improves the quality of information you get from them.

The agent isn’t always lying!

You found a place you want to buy and the agent is telling you there is another offer on the table. You don’t know whether to believe them or not. You don’t want to be so gullible that you just believe them and pay the asking price. But you don’t want somebody else to buy it. More times than not the agent is telling the truth. The real question you need to ask yourself is whether you would be prepared to lose the property for the amount extra the agent is saying you have to pay. If you are, then move on…

More info: www.gooddeeds.com.au