So what specific items would you disclose if you were currently selling one of your properties Evan? Would it reflect the reality? Or would you gloss up the positives and hide the negatives like most do?
I'm not talking about the rotting boards under the carpet in the study, or the holes in the guttering etc. The Vendor isn't going to tell the agent about that stuff anyway, and I don't expect the agent to volunteer the bad news either. If it was something really horrific, and public knowledge - like a murder in the house, then the agent would be foolish to not provide that info.
Those sorts of things will (hopefully) be revealed by a pest and building inspection. No-one expects the Vendor to reveal the faults, and every salesman in every industry is always going to spruik up the positives and omit the negatives. Standard practice and I'm aware of it so never bother to ask. I'll find them out myself and offer accordingly.
I'm talking about the pertinent factors that both owner/occupiers and investors want to know about.
Owner occupiers want to know things like where all the schools are, the shops, the parks, the cinemas, the neighborhood, the time it takes to get to the freeway, what size are the bedrooms and living areas and so on. The things that make their decision about their HOME.
With investors, we want to know all the nuts and bolts about the property - the rates, the block size etc as I mentioned before which are important for the INVESTMENT.
A really professionally informed agent will have all those answers ready for both types of buyers, or at least; as many of them that they can think of.
An agent who can meet with a prospective buyer and fill in all the blanks is going to exude a ton more confidence and perceived interest in the property than an agent who is asked; "how many squares is the house and when was it built?" and has to respond with "I'm not sure, but I'll check and get back to you."
This has happened to me more than once, and it always comes across as the agent has little interest in the property, and/or is too busy to get his/her $h!t together for me in a timely manner, or is incompetent.