Buyers Agents

thanks fellow Sim, that's what I was working back from, $10000 and how many hours that would buy you. If you look at a cheapo BA of $100/ph that can get you someone for almost two weeks full time. It does on paper seem to be a heck of a lot of hours you could be paying for.

If I was paying someone a T&M hourly rate I'd also expect some kind of itemisation of time spent on specific tasks too. Of course, using the expertise of a BA should make their time more efficient, where you or I may spend a lot of time driving around I'd expect a BA to be able to short list much fewer properties remotely and only have to visit a few.

Anyway, just interesting to see what it gets when broken down.

I'm not really interested at using one for $10k, but if there are other options maybe down the track.

The only experience I've had contacting a BA resulted in them hassling me with follow up calls months after (all as a result of signing up for a free info session, sound familiar?) , so I would prefer to stay away for the time being.
 
I'm not really interested at using one for $10k, but if there are other options maybe down the track.

Shop around - have a look at all the BA websites and see what they offer ... you should be able to find someone charging a lot less than $10K - especially if you aren't necessarily looking for a "full service" offering.

You should know that "signing up for a free info session" is just a euphemism for "adding you to their marketing list"!? Look at all the free seminars run by other segments of the real estate industry - for the most part, these are just marketing exercises in my experience! :rolleyes:
 
Sim....it seems this is circular argument!

No point talking...where is the vilification of moderators. As for the final warning...forget it.

Not worth talking about...I will my talking when I meet one on one! ;)

Also ...I do not like threats like this. It is infantile.

Off I go...I have better things to talk about...for that matter to do.

Why do they have to be independent?

The moderators volunteer their time to help build and maintain this community.

Casting aspersions on them by questioning their integrity, even if only in general terms, is not something I will tolerate.

The moderators were chosen for their willingness to help, their contribution to the community and their posting style.

Ian and I support our moderators 100% and if you have a problem with the moderation, you need to bring it directly to us.

There is no basis for asking about the independence of moderators - all moderator actions are transparent and can be undone if we decide that the action was not necessary or inappropriate.

This is a community for the discussion of real estate investment. We do not give financial advice, we do not make any promises or assertions as to the quality of the posts you'll find here by forum members - there is no need for "independence" from commercial interests, since there is no selling allowed on the forum.

If you have a problem with the action of any moderators, bring your complaints to Ian or myself, otherwise I'll ask you to cease your vilification of the moderators without any evidence.



I've already explained plenty of times why they aren't responding - I defend them because this is a topic I know something about and because I dislike the unreasonable tone taken by several member in this thread.



There is no club. There is a team of moderators who have volunteered their time for years. They were chosen by Ian and myself and by the other moderators at the time they were appointed.

I will defend anyone from unreasonable attacks from people who seem to have an unreasonable expectation about what to expect on the forum.

Now, if you have specific accusations to make, please make them specifically - I will not tolerate any further veiled suggestion of impropriety from you sash. This is your last warning.
 
Sash, if you persist they will ban you.

Your mailbox is full BTW.

Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

There's plenty I want to say about conflicts of interest and transparency but I fear being banned so I will desist.
 
There's plenty I want to say about conflicts of interest etc but I fear being banned so I will desist.

As I've said, if you have evidence or concerns about wrong doing by anyone, then please let Ian or myself know.

Otherwise, there is no conflict of interest - this is a discussion forum, not a financial institution.
 
Sim....it seems this is circular argument!

I keep explaining, but it seems you just don't get it.

where is the vilification of moderators.

You expressed concern about a conflict of interest on the part of the moderators.

Which moderator are you concerned about and what is their conflict of interest? What actions have they taken which cause you to believe there may be a conflict of interest?

I'm asking for specifics. If you don't have specific complaints of concerns, then there is no problem, is there?
 
Yes mate...just cleared my mailbox...

Too many PMs.....;)

I am tired ...yaaawwwnnnnn....stretch.......so will let it go. It will be certainly interesting at the next SS meet.....

Hey Sim when is the next meeting? :D



Sash, if you persist they will ban you.

Your mailbox is full BTW.

Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

There's plenty I want to say about conflicts of interest and transparency but I fear being banned so I will desist.
 
As I've said, if you have evidence or concerns about wrong doing by anyone, then please let Ian or myself know.

Otherwise, there is no conflict of interest - this is a discussion forum, not a financial institution.

Nobody would go as far as to say there has been any wrongdoing by the mods. That would be committing lese majeste and would invite a permanent IP-address banning.

{removed personal comment}

All that said, a bit more transparency would not be out of place on SS. A bit of sunlight would give this site more credibility among those who are not here to sell their services.

Surely asking for transparency should not be a banning offence O Omnific One? We beseech you......:D
 
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I'd like to say that moderation is not done in isolation. It doesn't happen that one mod just does something, and that's the end of the matter.

Unless it's clearly spam, a matter will get discussed before action is taken. We frequently raise a question about a post, and discuss it. Action may or may not get taken, and not necessarily by the person who raised the issue.

Even when an action is taken, it is reversible in most cases. If I delete a post and the consensus is that I did the wrong thing, the post will get reinstated.

If I believe that I have a conflict of interest for any reason, I will raise the issue and ask somebody else to take action if it is deemed necessary. Other mods will do, and quite often have done, the same.

Our decisions do get reviewed. We do from time to time get told that we could have done something in a better way.

It may appear that there is no transparency from your side of the fence, but on our side, there is plenty. I am very conscious that I am a person with my own opinions, sometimes held strongly, and I try hard to perform mod actions with those opinions put to one side. In case I fail, there's accountability, to the other mods and to the forum owners, to ensure that I act appropriately.
 
I get the impression some people think this place is run as a community service for them, and them alone.

It's about sharing ideas. Meeting. Discussing. Not for individuals to insist that people answer their accusatory questions, and then get the huff when they choose not too.

Moderating is something people donate their time to. And yes, some of them will have businesses. So what? You think this is a government community information program and mods are independent arbitrators employed to do make sure everyone behaves?

In this area of course a lot of posters will have businesses. But a lot of us, and I mean a lot of us, go out of our way to provide information and answer questions to people who request it. I have countless PMs and emails, and phone calls, from people on here who have had questions and wanted to have a discussion. I don't charge for this. If I get some work out of it, yay. But I genuinely enjoy this area, as the majority of others on here do. So we go out of our way to help those on here.
 
JAKE - thankyou for the ref to the article. I will drop into the newsagent this eveing and have a read.

Cool. Enjoy the read...


Hey, here's a quick example from a deal just finalised about 30 minutes ago.

Can't give the address today because we haven't formally exchanged but I'll edit this post with a link and address tomorrow.

Regional property listed for $240,000 - $250,000
The vendor naturally wanted $250,000
Comparable sales suggested $246,000
Residex valuation suggested: $248,000


Purchased today for $219,000.
Saving of up to 12% or $31,000 from the vendors expectations.
Savings of up to $27,000 against our DD.

At this low budget, my client and I are very satisfied with the result.

Additionally the property will rent out for $240-260/week and will be CF+ from the get go.
 
Cool. Enjoy the read...


Hey, quick deal update for those that wanted an example:

Just finalised a deal about 30 minutes ago that I want to share with you. Can't give the address today because we haven't formally exchanged but I'll edit this post with a link and address tomorrow.

Regional property listed for $240,000 - $250,000
The vendor naturally wanted $250,000
Comparable sales suggested $246,000
Residex valuation suggested: $248,000

Purchased today for $219,000.
Saving of up to 12% from the vendors expectations.
At this low level, my client and I are very satisfied with the result.

Additionally the property will rent out for $240-260/week and will be CF+ from the get go.

Can you hit us with examples in major cities rather than one-horse towns?

Without even trying, I could find you a house in woop woop for $40,000. You'd get close to $200 a week in rent. Pretty healthy return eh? But when the mine closes, it will be worthless and you will still have the bank on your back.
 
Nobody would go as far as to say there has been any wrongdoing by the mods. That would be committing lese majeste and would invite a permanent IP-address banning.

Why? If you have a complaint about the mods - make it. I can't fix something I don't know about.

If you have a complaint about me - make it to Ian. He rarely posts on the forum and has nothing to sell - there is no conflict there.

Personally, I get a bit sick of people making noise about how bad things are, without actually being specific about anythjing. That's just having a whinge and lowers the tone of the forum. That is what will eventually get you banned - not making specific complaints about wrongdoing. Specific complaints made in a reasonable manner will always be addressed. I've lost count of the number of times I've written 1000+ word emails to people explaining the actions of the moderators.

You are making this out to be some kind of oppressive regime - we are not tyrants, we are human beings. We do our best to navigate the murky waters and keep the community running smoothly. We don't always get it right, but we do our best.

So, if you have a complaint, please make it.

All that said, a bit more transparency would not be out of place on SS. A bit of sunlight would give this site more credibility among those who are not here to sell their services.

What transparency are you looking for? What is not transparent? Again, please be specific in your concerns - I can't fix vague wishes, I can fix specific issues.
 
I get the impression some people think this place is run as a community service for them, and them alone. It's about sharing ideas. Meeting. Discussing. .

Totally agree about the sharing of ideas bit.

Unfortunately, the flavour of this forum has changed since hoards of fee-for-service people have started to made this place their home. Some have a contribution to make, and they are generous with their time. Others less so. Common sense would suggest that anyone using this place for free advertising has vested interests.

Caveat emptor.

I won't say I dislike all BAs. I found Propertunity, for example, to be convincing.

What transparency are you looking for? What is not transparent? Again, please be specific in your concerns - I can't fix vague wishes, I can fix specific issues.

Relax. Excessive excitement only leads to hypertension. Will anything be served if our beloved Sim has a sudden heart attack? Of course not.

Mate, you be as transparent as you want to be. Do what your heart tells you to do. And, if you have time, spare a thought of some of victims of the industry you so vociferously defend.

Of course, there people who get banned every week for not abiding by the rules in regards to self-promotion and advertising. .

Mate, every second person here seems to have a moniker or website under their name. If SS wants to provide them with what is effectively free advertising, that's just fine - its hardly illegal. But it does detracts from the credibility of this forum being an independent place - something we all need to think about.
 
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Example:

8/30 Coorigil Road, Carnegie - Purchased for $441,000


Comparable sale:

7/6 Woornack Road, Carnegie - Sold for $527,000


Quick info: Woornack road was virtually identical to the other unit. It was only two streets away and sold 3 days after the purchase of Coorigil.

Client was wrapped not only did she save $86,000 (20%) as a comparable as she had tried to buy in Carnegie for 9 months but couldn't afford any properties that she liked.

There is a testimonial from her to that effect on infolio's Google+ page.

PS - Please delete this if it is promoting... Only providing the example to quench One World's thirst for arbitrary information.
 
Common sense would suggest that anyone using this place for free advertising has vested interests.

Of course, there people who get banned every week for not abiding by the rules in regards to self-promotion and advertising.

Once again, if you have specific concerns about posts being made on the forum which are inappropriate, please report them. We do not tolerate advertising on the forum (we permit a link in a signature block - that is all), so anything else should be reported and we will deal with it.

Even if there are no specific posts, but you feel that a certain member is only posting for their own benefit and not for the community as a whole, please feel free to contact me about it - I will look into it. We really do take this stuff seriously.
 
Only providing the example to quench One World's thirst for arbitrary information.

Good work. Credit where credit is due, your second example was a good one.

I have a question? What % of your clients end up buying in rural one-horse towns? These sorts of places scare me. When the mine closes, the whole town becomes toast.

Even if there are no specific posts, but you feel that a certain member is only posting for their own benefit and not for the community as a whole, please feel free to contact me .

You'd have to ban close to half this forum if that were the case Sim.

In any case, I have sent you a PM.

Hope you have a good weekend. :)
 
Wow - this thread is heavy reading!

I'd just like to make a few points, as a completely disinterested property investor:
- I've been here for awhile now (too long!) and I have found the moderation to be first class. Excellent judgement is displayed by the mods regarding who is here to contribute and who is here to just advertise or take down everyone else with them. If I report a post, as I have felt I had to do on the odd occasion, it gets acted on very quickly. The mods only get kudos from me.
- I fear Jake is falling into a trap here that the other BAs can spot a mile away. A ********* contest with the investing heroes of the forum for whom no matter what deal is put up, they could always have done better themselves. Why they need external validation of this fact is beyond me as their level of self belief is obviously unassailable. And this is despite the fact they clearly believe they are better investors than others on this forum whose net worth is clearly tens of millions of dollars ahead of their own. We have had this problem before and it seems nothing has been learnt. I can only advise the BAs not to get themselves caught up in this game, although I can see that those who have been around here for awhile clearly don't need the advice.

Lets just get back to discussing investing shall we? This whole "mine's bigger than your's" attitude does not encourage other people to share their real world numbers, only to have them ridiculed, which is exactly the most valuable activity this forum has to offer.
 
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