House2Home Publication ~ Issue Two SOLD–in oneweek! Why did this Ormeau home sell so quickly and at a price well above the median? Forfulldetailsseestoryonpage3>> In this issue of Property News: • Finding the best person to sell your asset • Sold in one week! • How to find the best tenants for you 0755409600 www.h2hrealestate.com.au Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, Over the last few months, we have experienced some very exciting sales and in this edition we decided to share one of our success stories. Choosing the right agent We hope that you will learn something you didn’t know about buying and selling from this wonderful example. Throughout this edition of Property News, we will continue to provide you with tips, industry insights and helpful facts to assist you with your next real estate transaction. No matter whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing, we can help you. Please feel free to contact us with your queries, as we have years of knowledge and experience in the industry and we will be only too happy to help. How do you find the best person to sell your valuable asset? Yours faithfully, Naideen Brown Director When you’re selling your property, you want the experience to be as pleasant and profitable as possible. Choosing the right agent to help you is a big step along the way to achieving these two aims. An agent can offer expert help in various areas, from giving you tips as to how to present your property for the market to advising you about the price that is most likely to achieve a successful sale. But how do you know who is the right agent for you? 10/29 Peachey Road Ormeau QLD 4208 phone: (07) 5540 9600 fax: (07) 5549 3566 email: [email protected] web: www.h2hrealestate.com.au Disclaimer: Neither Naideen Brown, House2Home, nor Newsletter House Pty Ltd, nor the publishers and editors of articles in this issue, accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious or otherwise, for the contents of this newsletter or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. All the information contained in this publication has been provided to us by various parties. We do not accept any responsibility to any person for its accuracy and do no more than pass it on. All interested parties should make and rely upon their own enquires in order to determine whether or not this information is in fact accurate. ©Newsletter House Pty Ltd 2011 Ph: 02 4954 2100 www.newsletterhouse.com Ask around If you haven’t dealt with a real estate agent before, a good starting point is to talk to anyone you know who has sold a property and ask the name of the agent who helped them. You can also check recent local sales of properties similar to yours, and contact the agents who sold those properties. As well as providing you with information about the local market, talking to these agents will help you to decide on the one with whom you feel you have the right rapport and trust. Be businesslike You need to feel comfortable with your agent but you also need to remember it is a business relationship, with both parties hoping to benefit from a successful result. Don’t be afraid to check the agent’s experience and to ask how much commission will be charged. Be realistic As well as being guided by your agent’s knowledge of the market, you should also do some homework yourself to make sure you have some idea of the top and bottom prices you could expect for your property. An agent who suggests a price that seems unrealistically high may not be the best person to sell your home. Ask questions The right agent should be able to communicate well and to explain the selling process to you. Ask about costs such as advertising, check the proposed marketing program, enquire about whether open houses would be beneficial and get your agent’s opinion about the presentation of your home. The answers should help you to know whether you will be happy to entrust your valuable asset to this agent. This home ticks ALL the boxes From page 1 >> On the market one week, SOLD the next! It’s the dream of anyone who puts a home on the market, and the dream came true for the owners of this Ormeau home. Just a week after it went on the market, the four-bedroom home sold for $527,000, which is $57,000 above the $470,000 median price for the area. “The home was a full package and offered everything to the buyer,” said selling agent Anna Cowling of House 2 Home Real Estate. Listing agent Naideen Brown added that the well-designed home offered good sized, open plan living and was beautifully presented. Located at 7 Mistletoe Court, in the Norfolk Village Estate, it has the advantage of a quiet cul-de-sac position while also being close to school, shops and the M1. Other features include separate living areas, a fifth bedroom or study, huge kitchen, landscaped, low maintenance gardens and an in-ground swimming pool. While the home definitely ticks all the boxes, a major factor in the quick sale was the skilled and professional marketing with which House 2 Home brought its many features to the attention of prospective buyers. This skill and professionalism also made a world of difference to the selling experience of the vendors. “We couldn’t believe it when we were able to achieve a sale close to the asking price in just one week!” said Anna Morgan, former owner of the property. “The staff of House 2 Home have an amazing knowledge of what is happening in the Ormeau area because they have lived and worked in the area for many years. The service was truly outstanding, and they have made what we thought would be a stressful time in our lives so much easier.” For a quick and stress-free sale, contact the team at House 2 Home Real Estate on 07 5540 9600. Ormeau house sells for $527,000 in just a week How to find the tenants who are best for you. When you’ve bought an investment property, it’s vital to select the right people as tenants. Taking time and care in the selection process, or having a property manager who will do this for you, helps to ensure your tenants will pay their rent regularly and will look after your investment property. When selecting tenants, you should: • Make sure they have filled out all the required information on the application. If they provide information that is vague or incomplete, there could be something about their past rental history that they want to hide. • Follow up on references rather than just glancing over them. You need to be sure this applicant is genuine. If you have a property manager, it is easy to have the tenancy database checked to ascertain the credentials of the prospective tenant. Get It Right! • Meet the prospective tenants personally or arrange for your property manager to interview them. This helps you to get to know them, and to ascertain whether they are the type of people to whom you are prepared to entrust your property. If a number of people apply for the tenancy, it’s worth taking the time to meet and assess them all. It may be time-consuming for you or your manager but it will save problems and money in the long run. • Ensure that you or the person who will be managing the property for you runs a credit check on prospective tenants. If they don’t have a good credit record, you could find yourself having problems obtaining the rent. • As with the credit check, find out the applicant’s employment history. Someone who is capable of holding down a steady job will also be more capable of paying the rent regularly. A phone call to the person’s employer will also help to verify employment. Collect a rental bond that will be lodged with the Residential Tenancies Authority and also make sure you receive at least two weeks rent in advance of the commencement of the lease. Complete an inventory of the property and a report of its condition before the tenant moves in. Why not let our team of professionals help you sell your property? Call us on 07 5540 9600 and rest easy. Naideen Brown Principal Anna Cowling Sales Consultant Donna Scheel Sales Consultant Gill Beattie Property Manager Denise Smith Property Manager