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Wow. I remember joining this forum as a teenager and excitedly telling Dad all about it... only to find that he was a founding member a good year or so before I knew it existed. Haha. But I'm very grateful to have stayed and become part of this community, even if the old man was here first. This...

'Evening all, It's been quite awhile since I last posted here. I still check in daily though (it's a long-standing addiction now) and just wanted to make sure that the correct facts were being discussed on this one, if I may. D.T is correct in that I am not involved in the accounting firm...

Not at all. There is some great buying down that end of the woods that suits a certain type of strategy. It has been quiet over the last few years from a statistical growth point of view but as "grand dad" likes to point out, there has been plenty of money made by those being a little creative.

Most agents around that end of the woods tend to go for about 2 - 2.5% so the quote is not too far off the mark. I assume you've already determined that they are the right agent for reasons other than price, though? Also - Worth noting that 2.35% plus GST is more than 2.5% including GST.

Most of us don't take on more than one client who is looking for the same thing, so there is no pecking order or conflict of interest in deciding which client is presented with each potential property. Keeps things simple and transparent that way.

It can be a little hard to gauge things two weeks before Christmas but generally speaking the Melbourne market has been performing quite well over the last few months from what I've seen on the ground. I would expect things to continue ticking along nicely in the new year, all else being...

You mentioned that there is an auction coming up soon - when is that scheduled? Most agents will have a pre-auction talk with the vendor with the purpose (amongst other things) to ensure that you have the right expectations on auction day. The conditioning is usually not so much to pressure you...

I'm generally not a fan of apartments anywhere much further east than Box Hill. If you are going down that path, try to find something with at least 50sqm. You'd need to spend a little more to buy a house in Ringwood, compared to the asking price of that apartment. I do like the area from an...

I'm a fan of Renton's work. His book is also worth buying for those wanting to learn more. Nice one.

Common practice around here as well, particularly in the outer east, although we tend to find most inner suburban agents are happy to run to auction in the current market. Vendors tend to love the system as it creates competition and invariably one of the buyers will be emotionally attached...

Most BA's will offer a negotiation-only service if you have already found the property that you would like to buy. Usually you'd expect to pay some upfront to engage the process and then part upon success. I don't think that the BA necessarily needs to live in the same town, but they should be...

I'd suggest finding a solicitor rather than a conveyancer. Will cost a little more but will be well worth it if there is something a little outside the box.

I don't think that ten properties in three years is impossible. The strategy might need refining just a little but if that is your goal then by all means find a way and go for it. That said, if that short-term goal is just part of the bigger picture of having five properties paid off in twenty...

Sometimes a ploy and sometimes legit. In any case, you should have a good idea in your own mind on what the property is worth to you and any prior offers are fairly irrelevant.

REA works so well because that's where everyone goes to find property. If it's on there, reasonably priced and with decent photos then it should catch an audience. There is a "Caveat Emptor" section of this forum in which you can post details of your property for sale without being accused of...

Agreed, Jake Milne is the guy to speak with. Knows his stats better than anyone and a very shrewd negotiator.

I might be able to help. Shoot me a PM and will take a look for you.

This thread reminds me of Simon's dreadlocks poll from a few weeks ago. Those little old ladies with tattoos that someone linked to earlier; they look much more interesting than most little old ladies. Bet they'd have some great stories to tell.

I was approached by a publisher a couple of years ago about writing a book. From the notes I scribbled from the subsequent meetings; If you are going through a publisher, the return to the author is about $2.50 per book sold; give or take a little. Roughly 10% of RRP. My maths isn't great but...

Quoted for posterity.