Using an agent vs. selling yourself

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An agent will:

• Provide a realistic indication of the value of your property.
• Help you decide how to sell your property, whether by auction, asking price or tender.
• Organise, attend and record prospective buyers at open for inspection days.
• Manage enquiries about your property.
• Provide access to more potential buyers via their own prospect database.
• Handle sale negotiations on your behalf and strive to achieve the best possible result.
• Advise on and coordinate the marketing of your property, including preparation of flyers, floor plans and photography.
• Prepare a professional advertising schedule designed to generate the most exposure for your property to attract the most potential buyers.
• Prepare a Contract of Sale.
• Provide guidance on conveyancing, legal and financial services.
• Finalise the sale through a solicitor or conveyancing specialist.

Even if u have experience in the real estate industry, do consider... Is it worth the extra risk of not selling because u have limited yourself to a much reduced number of buyers? Is it worth going through the expensive and time-consuming process? Is it worth doing it without any legal protection which an agent provides?

Contact us today at 88776688.... or pop in today (65 Mahoneys Road, Forest Hill!!) Love to have a chat and help you achieve your property goals whatever they may be :)))))


Our services include:

• Sales Market Appraisals
• Property Valuations
• Premium Buyer Search
• Rental Market Appraisals
• Premium Tenant Search
• Property Management
• Body Corporate / Strata Management
• Strategic Planning & Risk Management
• Mortgage Broking & Finance

 

Is getting organised one of your 2013 resolutions?

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COME ON!! LET'S GET STARTED!!

CLEAR OUT AND BE CLUTTER FREE:

Why?
There's significant research that connects low creativity, reduced efficiency and poor mental health with visual and physical clutter in the home and the workplace. You know it too - you always feel better when you've only the things you truly want and need around you.

 

FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL:

For each area of your life:

- Map out what needs to be attended to, then map out the tasks that need doing and assign someone to be responsible for them.
- Don't forget to pop a timeframe on there too.
- Match the task to the age and/or interests of the person it's being allocated to (for kids it always helps to attach a reward).
- When you've completed a step on the plan, stop and reward yourself.

Let's remain focused and get back on track, fast!

MAKE THE MOST OF TECHNOLOGY:

I don't know about you but I used to have the piles of school newsletters and bills on the kitchen bench, the fridge that has reminders stuck all over it or the multiple calendars and diaries on the bench that are synchronised with each other to make sure everyone knows what is happening with each family member. Does it sound like you too???

Let's make use of the brilliant and advanced technology we have been given and use it to our advantage! Explore apps today and simplify life, get rid of unnecessary stress....

2013 - the start to a destressing life and actually living the life we want :))))) HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

New Year Resolutions for buyers

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Don't let your dreams get dangerously out of touch with realities.....

- Make sure you have a solid savings plan, and enough saved for a back up plan if things go wrong.
- Check your insurance status.
- Get financial advice from a professional before you start falling in love with properties. Remember that prices are often indicative and the market is competitive.

GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD:

Use Suburb Profiles to get a sense of the property market in that area. Look at median prices, demand and supply ratios, demographics, how long properties are on the market, and other useful data.

SHOP AROUND: 

Mortgage brokers are great for helping you compare notes, but remember they work on commissions. That doesn't mean they'll give you bad advice, but it does mean you need to ask hard questions about disclosing any commercial agreements that might influence their recommendations.

Comparison websites like ratecity.com.au, homeloanfinder.com.au and iselect.com.au are among the best tools to help you make an informed choice. They list more than 100 lenders and give a blow by blow comparison of loan product features. Use them to make a shortlist of deals right for you, and follow up with lots of pointy questions for those lenders.

WE ALL NEED A SUPERHERO TEAM:

Do your homework and select a great real estate agent, conveyancer, lawyer and accountant (if you don't already have them in your life).

Last piece of advice..... take emotions out of the decision making process!!! Give yourself the time and space to enjoy the search, the discovery, and the moment it becomes yours. Let yourself be proud of what you've achieved!

Nigella's Mince Pies

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http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/STAR-TOPPED-MINCE-PIES-5238


Christmas in exactly 3 days! ONLY TWO sleeps left!

Hope you've got your turkey/pork/ham organised, mince pies and other delish desserts to share with family and friends on this coming joyous day :)))) I came across this recipe and oh my... christmas just isn't quite complete without fruit mince pies. I love Nigella Lawson's replacement of clementine (just use an orange) juice and rind in her recipe. Brilliant. Check out her video too to boost that Christmas spirit.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday everybody. Don't stress over this festive season, it's not about the food or presents - it's about being with your loved ones! Embrace every moment of it peeps.

JM CHASE FIRST NATIONAL WISHES EVERYBODY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Protect yourself from rental scams

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http://discover.realestate.com.au/renting-sharing/how-to/how-to-protect-yourself-from-rental-scams
 
JM Chase First National Real Estate is here to catch you before you fall into traps!

Rental listings are a popular target for scammers. Prospective tenants are used to having personal details at the ready for applications, expect to be asked some questions, and ultimately, expect to hand over some money.

Don't be put off by scammers, there are plenty offline too, all you need to know is how to guard against them!! Here's how........

BE ALERT, BE VARY, BE THOROUGH

- If it's too good to be true, it most probably is

- Landlord is overseas

- You're asked to handover money before anything else happens

- You're given too many excuses as to why you may not view the property

- If the photos look abit "off" (eg: blurry), it most likely was stolen from other websites

- The ad was clumsily composed

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF???

- Inspect the property

- Keep copy of emails or other correspondence exchanged with the landlord

- Do thorough research about the property 

(NOTE: Even fancy and professional looking websites can be  fake)

- Lay your own groundwork with money and finances. Do not consent to a money transfer - too high a risk, too high a cost to pay.

- Listen to your gut instincts, they are often right!

- Do your own independent research and checking references! Do not only rely on the contacts given by your landlord

YOU'VE BEEN TARGETED...... WHAT TO DO????

Right away! Contact ACCC's Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or SCAMwatch (via their report a scam page).

Pass on everything you can recall about the incident. Take a screen grab of the ad if you can (if it's still live and online) and advise the authorities of anything you've told the scammer.

You should also report it to the website you found it on. There may be a Report button on the listing, otherwise send them an email or call. They will usually have a plan for dealing with these types of listings which includes taking it offline and investigating further. Don't let other users of that website fall victim too.

If you sent money through a wire service, contact the service immediately and ask them to stop the transfer.

If you have given anyone your personal or financial details, advise the authorities immediately, and contact your financial institutions to alert them your accounts have been compromised.

For comprehensive information about scams and the law in Australia, visit SCAMwatch.

Moving out of a rental property - KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

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http://discover.realestate.com.au/renting-sharing/how-to/moving-out-of-a-rental-property

Depending on the circumstances, you may have to give up to 28 days notice that you will be leaving. Of course, if the property becomes uninhabitable you can leave and stop paying rent, as soon as you serve a Notice to Landlord explaining why you are leaving.

During a fixed term agreement, you can only end the lease if your landlord agrees. 
If the lease is causing you severe hardship, you can also apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to end a fixed-term tenancy early.

Remember to give notice correctly!!! No one wants to be paying rent even after having moved out!

Tenant giving notice of intention to vacate:  

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing-and-accommodation/renting/ending-a-lease-or-residency/tenant-or-resident-ending-lease-or-residency/tenant-giving-notice-of-intention-to-vacate

Share houses mean shared responsibility

If another tenant takes your place when you leave, you'll need to send a completed tenant transfer form to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). - call on 1300 137 164 or email rtba@justice.vic.gov.au

- Get the new tenant must also sign it. - Make sure your name is taken off the lease, or you could be held jointly responsible for any damage or repairs, even if it happens after you move out.
- When one co-tenant leaves, sorting out the return of bond money is a private matter between you and the other tenants.

When you're not the main tenant

When you leave, you must give them the proper notice, which depends on the reason for leaving.
If you paid a bond, the head tenant was obliged to lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). The head-tenant is, in effect, your landlord for the RTBA's purposes.

Show me the bond money

If process was correctly followed, signatures on bond claim form matches RTBA's records and RTBA has bank account details, you should receive bond money within 2-3 days.

If you met all the conditions of your lease, you should get the full amount back.

If you can’t reach agreement, you can apply to your state tribunal for a hearing to resolve the matter.

** Never sign a Bond Claim form that doesn't show the amount you're to receive as a bond repayment **

HOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS:

• check the property against the condition report from when you moved in
• compare the property now to any photos taken at the start of the tenancy
• take photos when you leave

Check out link above for step-by-step process of claiming a bond

Your things must vacate the property too

If you leave anything behind when you leave a rented home, you will have to arrange with the landlord to collect them as soon as possible - They cannot refuse to return them, even if you owe rent.

 

 

Suburb Property Data and Trends

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Simply choose your choice of State and suburb and wallah! All the information you are looking for is infront of you. As easy as that! If you need help interpreting data or need more information, call us today at 88776688 to speak to our friendly, professional and knowledgeable property agents.

For example: GLEN WAVERLEY, Victoria

The most recent median house price for Glen Waverley is $909,000 and the median unit price is $430,000. 

Median sale prices in Glen Waverley for the past 12 months

Date	Median House Price	Median Unit Price
Dec-11	$661,500	$548,500
Jan-12	$736,500	$513,000
Feb-12	$682,500	$452,000
Mar-12	$725,000	$520,000
Apr-12	$735,000	$582,000
May-12	$730,000	$478,000
Jun-12	$812,944	$465,000
Jul-12	$755,000	$590,000
Aug-12	$729,000	$483,000
Sep-12	$641,000	$582,500
Oct-12	$721,000	$630,000
Nov-12	$909,000	$430,000

For more statistics and visual/graphic information on 
- Demand ratio - Interest rate Trends - Supply and Demand - Monthly property prices - Annual Property Prices - Local Sales 

Check out : http://www.rs.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=sp&s=vic&u=glen+waverley