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167 | When you SHOULDN’T use a Buyers Agent?

Alright, folks! Let’s bring on Episode 167!!

Today is all about Buyers Agents… and when you SHOULDN’T use one!

Yep — it might seem a bit strange considering Bryce is one… but we’re going there! And why? Well, we’ve received a couple of questions recently about the cost of a Buyers Agent, and whether or not this represents value for money

So, how much (in $$) is a reasonable Buyers Agent fee? — and WHY exactly do they charge what they do?

More importantly, how can you tell if you’re dealing with a Spruiker?

 

… just a heads up before we jot down the 2 questions we’ll be answering Folks, the 2nd question is particularly long, so if you can’t catch everything Bryce says on the podcast, we’ve got you covered below 🙂

So, the questions that came in are:

 

1st Question:
“Good afternoon Team. I have organised an interview with a Buyers Agent and they told me what I should do, which has been in line with the fundamentals of The Property Couch. But the bottom line is it’s $15,000 for them to find my first investment house! I wanted to think about the best way forward, and ever since they keep ringing, and picking on my FOMO, which has since turned me off using them. What I want to know is, what risk do Buyers Agents hold and are accountable for? Because as far as I can see, they don’t hold any risk in regard to a return on the investment I am left with. Should people place an act against its members to ensure a warranty or guarantee in place to hold these business accountable?”

 

2nd Question:
“Hi Ben. I have a question on using Buyers Agents. I am genuinely considering using a Buyers Agent; but the cost is much higher than other property professionals. I think that if the price was affordable, very few people would fall prey of the spruikers. Here’s what I mean: solicitors are equally important partners in buying a property and they are appropriately trained and their role is important — it’s actually mandatory to use a solicitor or a conveyancer and yet they don’t take advantage of the fact that you can’t buy property without them. Most charge around $2000 — and one can pay even less with conveyancers — I’ve used conveyancers twice in Victoria and paid $770. They arranged settlement, made sure your bank doesn’t delay to settle, they advise me on the contract, their fee is NO WHERE NEAR that of a Buyers Agent. BA charge around 10K when buying a $450,000 house, this is more than 3% — that’s a very high price to pay for financial advice. The other important person for a property investor is a building and pest inspector — and yet they are nowhere near what a BA charges… $100 will get you a building and pest inspection. Another important person — around $600 will get you tax information from an accountant so one can have a clearer picture on how one’s decision will affect one’s position, one can see whether they can afford the investment, they can also do the tax … and yet they charge nowhere near the BAs. Financial Advisors are equally important. They charge about $700 – $2000 their fees are around 1% of investment, the rate charge for investments in SMSF is also around 1%. This includes financial advice, assistance with selecting, usually investing in shares, which can be more risky than property. This is why I think BAs are overpriced and are very good at instilling fear in property investors when they fall into the hands of Spruikers.

The irony of this that the equity they normally use to buy an IP is usually from their home, which they bought themselves. I think that if a BA charged around $2,000 more people would use them and spruikers would be out of business. I’m also aware that some BA provide financial and strategy advice and, therefore, feel as if they should charge more. I don’t think most of them are qualified financial advisors, but they charge more than financial advisors. To be fair to them, they don’t call themselves as financial advisors but, rather strategists, which is the additional serving to source a property. I don’t think mum and dad need a strategy plan every time they buy a property, and yet they pay for this every time they buy a property through a BA. And the ones I have spoken to say they charge so much because they don’t only do sourcing. Financial Advice can be done once, and one can pay, say, $1000 – $2,000 session for the planning, formulation of the strategy and the sourcing … be not more than $2,000, which is less than a lot of property investment professionals. I think the high cost of BAs and the fear in which they instill in investors make those who can’t afford their exuberant price fall into the advice of spruikers.

I’ve identified a region I want to buy in Adelaide and want someone who can view properties for me and buy for me. I’ve already seen a Financial Planner and strategist and what is remaining is the property. I’ve done my adequate research, I’ve contacted a BA and the average price is $10 – $15K and I fail to find justification in this fee. I know that a provider of this service can charge whatever they want as someone on the other side of the transaction is willing to pay that much.

My question is: I wanted to ask you as a Financial Advisor whether you find Buyers Agents fees reasonable?

166 | How to Avoid the 7 Common and Costly Settlement Mistakes when Buying a Property – Chat with Nicole Faid

Back by popular demand! We heard from today’s guest back on Episode 107, and joining us again is none other than Nicole Faid, Principal and Founder of Accord Conveyancing, who has handed out accurate legal advice for over 25 years of industry experience! Just a heads up — we covered her awesome back story in that episode, so if you want to hear it (and it’s well worth the listen), go back and check it out!

So — Conveyancing — let’s take the mystery out of it, folks! Because a lot of people out there don’t know what happens once the documents have been handed over to a Conveyancer, especially one like Nicole!

And we jump straight into it, folks! So get pumped for the 7 common & COSTLY mistakes you really DON’T want to make…

(If this episode doesn’t cement the fact that it’s crucial to get a contract review BEFORE you sign, very little will!)

 

So, let’s hear it. What exactly are you in for?

  • In a nutshell, what does a conveyancer do?
  • What is the most important document that underpins a contract?
  • How many people don’t get the amount of land they thought they would when purchasing a property?
  • What happens if the discrepancy of this land is less than 5%?
  • What REAL LIFE EXAMPLE happened in Brunswick? (And how much did this mistake cost the buyer?!)
  • Why shouldn’t you rely on your own interpretation of “wear and tear”?
  • Are “back to back settlements” a bad idea?
  • What happens with the conveyancing rules if you’re a borderless investor?
  • What is a “caveat”?
  • If you’re purchasing through a SMSF, what title requirements do you need to be aware of?
  • What can happen in the settlement period that will seriously shock you?
  • Why is it important to distinguish between major and minor issues with the settlement process?
  • When should you conduct a Building and Pest Inspection?
  • How does the art of negotiation fit into all this?
  • What is the best risk management?
  • What do you need to keep in mind with the final inspection?
  • What is the legal requirement about having a granny flat?!

… Yep, it’s a hairy and very serious episode folks, because the mistakes we talk about in this episode can be VERY EXPENSIVE!!

 

TODAY’S TEASER:

P.S Missed yesterday’s Facebook Live?

We answered a couple of questions on your lunchbreak (in 15 minutes)!

WATCH it here.

 

161 | How to Buy Property Like a Pro – Chat with Veronica Morgan

Want to know how to bag an A grade asset? How about scoring the inside tips Buyers Agents use? If you’re keen to buy property like a pro, today is the show for you!

That’s right, folks! We’re getting down to the nitty gritties of buying… how to nail an auction sale, how not to overspend (very important) and how to think like you’ve been in the game for decades.

Plus, we’re diving into the Sydney property market, picking up some sunken treasures so you can discover the latest, the greatest and the mistakes to avoid!

Joining us is Veronica Morgan — you might recognise her from Foxtel’s Lifestyle Channel, Location Location Location Australia in the days of co-hosting with Bryce — who is the Founder and Principal of Good Deeds Property Buyers, a property buying services specialising the Sydney market. To boot, Veronica is also a QPIA, a clever property investor and key note speaker, industry writer and a repeat guest on the Couch!

 

So, let’s get take a microscopic view of what a reputed Buyers Agent sees (and does) every single day:

 

Want to hear more from Veronica? Check out Episode 76 | Building a property portfolio after the boom!

Also, make sure you check out our Facebook Live sessions! They’re Q&A Style & only 15 minutes Folks!!

 

 

137 | Spring Buying Tips | How to Negotiate A Deal During This Selling Season

Spring has sprung! And it’s the selling season, indeed. Properties look more beautiful — the lawn is luscious, the sun’s out, there are flowers all around … these all tickle your emotions, charming a lot of buyers to come out and bid. And pay an emotional price too — a lot more than the property is worth!

So how do you make sure you knock out all the competition AND still buy the property at a price you can afford?

In this episode, the boys explain the 7 tips to Buying in Spring to make sure you, as a property investor, succeed!

 

Bryce and Ben discuss:

  • Why is Spring the selling season?
  • The importance of a vendor’s motivations and which ones could get you a cheaper price (you can listen to The Four D Words here)
  • What to look out for before you make an offer
  • How AND when to make a knockout offer
  • How to outsmart a real estate agent by not being smart
  • What do you need to say to a real estate agent?
  • What type of buyer do you need to be in Spring?
  • When does the negation actually start and how do you negotiate to win?
  • What to do (and what to not do) at Open For Inspections
  • How do you find out what a property is really worth?
  • The power of having a Plan B and why you need it in a negotiation?
  • First Home Buyer Tips and how real estate agents use your words against you.

 

Don’t forget to check out this month’s Money Magazine on Where to Invest $10k! There are tips and advice from 8 Property Experts and TPC Listeners will find one particularly familiar face too. 😉

And if you are interested in the research tool Bryce and Ben mentioned in the podcast, here’s the link to it: Find out more about LocationScore here.

 

 

093 | How to Negotiate to Win?

In today’s podcast, a much-anticipated topic features. But first, Bryce and Ben discuss the recently released GDP numbers for the September quarter. With a fall of 0.5%, what does this mean to us Australians? How will business confidence and the Australian Property Market be affected? And more importantly, is this a really bad thing?

After discussions on the GDP as well as further mentions of our 100th episode (that’s coming up very soon!), today’s main topic – as stated in the title, is: “How to Negotiate to Win”. Not all of us are used to or are comfortable in negotiating as it can be quite confrontational. But Bryce and Ben do it on a daily basis so today, they’ve decided to dish out some of their most useful pointers and success stories to help you on your next purchase! Not only do they let us in on some of the most helpful tips, they also tell us what to look out for and common mistakes not to make. With one of Australia’s leading Buyers Agents opening up about the secrets of negotiating, this is definitely an episode to tune into.

A couple of tips to listen out for include:

 

If you like this podcast: “How to Negotiate to Win”, don’t forget to rate us on our iTunes channel (The Property Couch Podcast) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop us your thoughts here: http://tpcaustralia.wpengine.com/topics/

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