SO LONG FAREWELLL AUF WIEDERSEHN GOODBYE

Angelas real chat is on the move - I am closing this blog down as of tomorrow night at midnight.

Come and have a look at the new website for all the latest properties for sale, property videos, real estate blogging and community information.

www.angelasrealchat.com

I am aiming for this to be a one stop shop and am trying to find a way of haivng a friends only sign in page for a spearate blog...you all know how busy i am these days and to be able to go to one site and do everything will be so much easier.

i am not very good at the facebook thing but promise now that the site is up and running I willtry harder to keep in contact with you all.

angela

Happy Easter

Wanted to wish one and all a Happy Easter and more importantly a great four day break!!

Most of the agents in our office are working on Easter Saturday opening homes for viewing. It is always a fun day people coming through open homes are relaxed and the holiday atmosphere pervades plus it is a great time to check out what the street is like during the holiday period. Maybe catch a glimpse of your future neighbours.

So if you find yourself at a loose end on Saturday - go and do some "window shopping" in the areas you love.

Have a great weekend !

Angela

You can now find me on www.sellingbrisbane.com

Changing Times

This little guy came to visit me at one of my Open to View Times last Saturday

I came across some interesting statistics the other day the average "days on market" in Brisbane has come down quite a lot since the last time I checked the figures in late January.



Some areas have seen a decrease of up to 40 days - what does this mean?



Simply that there are a lot of prospective buyers out there and not a lot of houses for sale. The houses that are on the market now are selling faster.



So if you are considering selling this is one of the questions your area Real Estate Specialist should know - they also need to be able to tell what their office average days on market figures are like. That will tell you how effective they are at doing thier job.



If you have any questions post them here in the comment section and I will reply to them as soon as I can.



Until next time



Angela



You can now find me on sellingbrisbane.com

Frogs and Figures

Yesterday I spent hours doing up my "market data" reports for homeowners who may be selling at some stage in the future.

There is a dearth of information out there and sometimes it is difficult to ascertain what is beneficial to include in these reports or just plain confusing and information overload.

I did come across two interesting statistics though.

The number of days on market in most areas seems to have dropped and yet the Brisbane average remains virtually unchanged. At present it is at 77 days.

Samford Valley has come down from 129 days to 97 and areas like Gaythorne have dropped to 54 from 61. Why? Well from what we have seen at out Open for Inspections there are a lot of buyers out there and not so many homes coming on to the market - so what is on the market is being looked at very carefully by a lot of prospective buyers.

The other interesting one was the number of people actively looking for homes as opposed to the number of homes being advertised. In some areas the number of people looking has tripled as correspondingly the number of homes being advertised for sale has dropped.

The reality is though the best time to sell your home is when you are ready. No matter what the interst rates are, what the demand is (except in a boom mining town for example) you will be selling and buying in the same market.

Until next time

Angela

Sustainable Home in beautiful Samford Valley

here is another video production of a home I have for sale in Samford.

It has a rainwater tank plumbed into the kitchen as well as town water, 2 Kw solar cells and a converter to save on your power bills (and the planet), plenty of room for an orchard or vegetable garden and a dam to water them from!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fnyweBHEgc

Let me know what you think of these presentations by using the comments section.

Until Next time

Angela

13 Chevalier Street McDowall

This one is new to the market - first open to View time Wednesday 24th February at 5:30 pm - 6:15pm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRp-QtU7Y2M

Until next time

Angela

Sustainability Update

John posted a comment here last night about the new version of the Sustainability Declaration and the link for you to have a look at - thank you John. (Just have a look at the comment on the previous post for the link)

The new version of the form is much more streamlined than the first version and probably takes a few minutes less to fill in.

I have had several home owners fill in the form and they all managed to complete it themselves without the need for "an expert". But the new form will make it even easier.

Mind you I have yet to be asked by anyone attending any of my Open to View times or Private inspections to have a look at the Declaration - but it is early days.

Until Next Time

Angela

Auction Terms

Auction Terms:

Reserve: This is the lowest price the sellers will accept once the bidding goes over this price the property is declared "on the Market"

"On the Market" - The Auctioneer may confer with the sellers then come and say that the property is "on the market" this means that the highest bidder after this point when the auctioneer has called the bid three times ("going once, going twice - are we all done - final call - SOLD") will have bought the property

Penciller: this is a person usually an employee of the agency or aucitoneers firm who records all the bids in the order they are taken and the paddle number

Paddle Number: these are plastic or paper numbers that help the auctioneer and agency staff identify bidders - it helps keep the process moving. At most Auctions you can choose your favourite or lucky number.

The Auction Board - this is a board that we are required to display at all Open to View times with the title of the property, the contract, the Auctioneers details and registered number and any other relevant information - in Queensland this may include the new Sustainability Declaration.

Auciotneers bid or Vendors bid - the auctioneer is allowed by law to place bids on behalf of the seller, to keep the auction moving, he must announce that the bid is either an auciotneers bid or a vendor bid and the penciller will record this.

Passed in - this is what it is called when the property fails to reach the reserve price and the seller does not wish throughout the course of the Auction to decrease the reserve. The Property will be passed in to the highest bidder and they will have first right to negotiate a price outside of the auction arena. This may take hours or days.

Sold Under the Hammer - this means the bidding reaches the reserve price level and the highest bidder is sold the property.

Deposit - there is usually a deposit required to be paid by the successful bidder at the conclusion of the auction - it is usually 10% although a Variation to Terms can be signed changing the deposit amount. The deposit can be paid by bank cheque, cash or EFT - again in the case of EFT the variation to terms will include a transfer date.

Heard any other phrases that you might need explained ? Just add your question to the comments box below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Until next time

Angela

Three stages of an Auction

Most people aren't aware that an Auciton has three distinct stages:

The first stage is the marketing, getting the news about your property out to everyone who may interested, conducting Open To View sessions and collecting information and responses from the prospective buyers.

The Second Stage is the day of the Auction - Show time - the auctioneer, the agency staff prospective buyers come together and take part in the auction process.

Stage three - After the Auction - this is a critical time for following up all those buyers who were interested but unable to buy under Auction conditions (ie: finance approved, all conditions met)
Even if a property doesn't sell on Auction day it usually does in the post auction phase.

Next time - understanding all those auction terms.

Until next time

Angela

Are Auctions more Expensive??

The short answer is yes because you have to pay for the services of a professional Auctioneer usually about $400.

Other than that there are only the normal costs associated with selling a property:

Advertising and the commission due to the agent.

Advertising: A well structured advertising campaign can cost as little as $1700 and as much as you like, but whether you are selling by Private Treaty or Auction advertising is the way your agent gets the interest in your property out there.

There is a misconception that internet advertising has somehow overtaken print media as the first place buyers look for a property - but the statistics and the feedback we get from the visitors to our open inspections tells a very different story.

Most people (about 70%) see a property in the local or daily paper then go to the internet to check out more photos or whatever before they call you (or send you an email via the internet site). So a good press component is vital otherwise you are missing a large chunk of the market.

Any queries leave a comment and I will answer as soon as I can.

Until next time

Angela

Going once, going twice..........

SOLD !!

Ever wondered why when you see the property programs on television they are dominated by Auctions???

For some states in Australia there is a real Auction culture for example Victoria almost every property sold is sold by Auction. Things are a little different in Queensland with the vast majority of sales being by "Private Treaty".

So why Auctions??? What does the jargon mean?? Do they work??

So many questions too many to answer in one post so over the next few weeks I will be talking about the various advantages and disadvantages of Auctions, the language, the process, what you need to know as a buyer and a seller.

If you have any questions, thoughts or comments just add them to the comment section at the bottom of the post and I will do my best to answer them for you.

So lets get the language right:

Private Treaty - is the method of selling that involves advertising it for a price, conducting Open Viewings and eventually presenting a contract that may go back and forth for a few days changing terms or adjusting price until everyone agrees and the contract is signed. Then over the next week or two weeks the buyers conduct thier building and pest inspections and get their finance organised, this may involve further negotiation and price adjustment as well as changes in settlement dates. The contract then goes unconditional and on a designated date it settles.

Auctions: - is the method of selling that involves advertising the property to prospective buyers, conducitng Open Viewings , allowing the buyers to organise their finance, complete searches and inspections for building faults and for pest damage and then on a designated day bringing all the intersted buyers together in a spirit of competition to bid in an open forum for the property. The contract is signed - is immediatley unconditional - and settles according to the terms of the Auction.

Next time : Do Auctions cost more ??????

Until then

Angela

A blank canvas

I have just realised I have a vision problem - not my eyesight - but what I can see in my head that I need to impart to prospective buyers.

I am very fortunate to have been asked to sell a gorgeous Estate near where I live 1.5 to 3.5 acre blocks, gently sloping, some with permanent water, most with fabuous mountain views.

My challenge is to explain to prospective buyers what the house they build on the block could look like and what views it can get, I am not sure that I do this well enough sometimes and the vision I see comes from years of experience in seeing a vacant block turned into a family home.

So tomorrow in an effort to get better at this I am meeting a designer/draftsperson out on the blocks to help me get my angles right !!!!

Real Estate is a constant learning curve - I guess that is why I love it so much!!!!

Until next time

Angela

Hitting the ground running....

That is what it feels like these days - we got back from our annual two week holiday at the beach to a computer full of emails, enquiries and a message bank full of people to talk to.

It seems there are a stack of buyers out there looking for properties and a few wanting to put their homes on the market.

Someone told me the other day that the prospect of putting their home up for sale was a daunting one...they had been in the house for over 20 years. This really gave me pause for thought my family has been a bit nomadic but we have been in our current home for 7 years this year and as I looked around this morning I thought - I understand that sentiment completely!!

So my household is embarking on a Clear the Clutter Campaign for the next few months - which was exactly what I suggested to my client - take it slowly - and remember the sight of a few boxes already packed in the garage sends a powerful message to prospective buyers that you are serious about selling!

Until next time

Angela