Why out-of-towners need expert real estate help.

Here is a little story about buyers from Brisbane and buyers from Melbourne trying to secure property in Sydney’s heady real estate market.

Just before Christmas last year we had a client come to us after finding a property they liked in Rozelle. These buyers had recently moved to Sydney from Brisbane and, although renting in the area, had yet to come up to speed with the local dynamics of this market.

This particular property had ample internal accommodation, double parking and city views, so it was easy to see why it appealed to our clients. HOWEVER, it was on a busy corner, lacked privacy, had limited usable outdoor space and was neither contemporary nor period in style. In short, this was a property that would be difficult to sell in a “normal” property market, particularly as it was of a style that generally does not appeal to Balmain/Rozelle locals.

After evaluating the property, we advised our client that $1.7M was “top dollar”. It had, in fact, just passed in at auction with a vendor bid at that very figure (and two other offers had apparently been made under that figure), however the vendors were hoping to achieve $1.8M. The agent reported to me that the vendors would accept $1.785M and I expect there would have been further room for negotiation if our clients were prepared to pay over $1.7M, however my clients decided to let the property go.

Christmas came and went, then suddenly we hear that the property had sold for $1.8M! A little investigation revealed that the purchasers had a very similar profile to my clients: they were of a similar age, recently moved from Melbourne and also renting in the area. The difference? Our clients had expert advice and avoided paying too much for a property that does not appeal to local buyers. If the Melbourne people had engaged us, they would have saved a minimum $15K – and probably more.

Postscript – our Brisbane people have since purchased a lovely double-fronted weatherboard in Rozelle at a much fairer price! Precisely the sort of property that will be easy for them to sell to a Balmain/Rozelle local when it comes their turn to put it on the market.

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