Inside Real Estate

<p>About the author xi</p>
<p>Acknowledgements xiii</p>
<p>Introduction xv</p>
<p>Part I: Mastering property 1</p>
<p>The real estate game 3</p>
<p>1 Who can you trust? 5</p>
<p>2 The modern real estate firm 7</p>
<p>3 Will real estate agents have their Uber moment? 10</p>
<p>4 Insider trading 14</p>
<p>5 Asking the tough questions 18</p>
<p>6 Emotion versus logic understanding fear and loss 19</p>
<p>7 The winners and losers in all markets 23</p>
<p>8 Averages, statistics and transaction costs 27</p>
<p>9 Buying and selling structuring the move 31</p>
<p>10 Trading beyond the evidence 35</p>
<p>11 Valuing real estate agents 37</p>
<p>Part II: Selling 43</p>
<p>Prepare to sell 45</p>
<p>12 Avoiding seller s remorse 47</p>
<p>13 How to run a silent auction 49</p>
<p>14 Believe me when I say 56</p>
<p>15 Do you have a buyer? 57</p>
<p>16 The leopard s new spots 59</p>
<p>17 Mystery shop the agent 63</p>
<p>18 Expensive web advertising drives off–market transactions 66</p>
<p>19 Are you choosing a valuer or a negotiator? 69</p>
<p>20 Seven questions to ask when selling 71</p>
<p>21 Are valuers conservative? 74</p>
<p>22 Overquoting 75</p>
<p>23 Horses for courses 79</p>
<p>24 Tenants out, furniture in 83</p>
<p>Manage the sale 85</p>
<p>25 Coming, ready or not! 87</p>
<p>26 The win/lose transaction overprice and undersell 89</p>
<p>27 Underquoting 91</p>
<p>28 Divorce, death and distress 93</p>
<p>29 Automated valuations 96</p>
<p>30 Confidentiality 98</p>
<p>31 Bait price damage 101</p>
<p>32 Loss of control 102</p>
<p>33 Tricks to increase vendor motivation 106</p>
<p>34 Selling off–market is it advisable? 108</p>
<p>35 Protecting yourself from conditioning 113</p>
<p>36 Reading the play to manage the sale 116</p>
<p>Close the sale 121</p>
<p>37 Overachieved and undersold 123</p>
<p>38 The offer 126</p>
<p>39 A good real estate lawyer 129</p>
<p>40 The pest and building inspection 132</p>
<p>41 The non–binding offer 134</p>
<p>Part III: Buying 139</p>
<p>Preparing to buy 141</p>
<p>42 Five questions to ask before buying 143</p>
<p>43 Auction bunny 147</p>
<p>44 Trial move 149</p>
<p>45 Finding value 151</p>
<p>46 Buying and selling off the plan 156</p>
<p>47 Photoshopping what s fair play? 161</p>
<p>The search 163</p>
<p>48 Boomers move to apartments 165</p>
<p>49 Inspecting the strata books 167</p>
<p>50 Strata fees weigh on boomers 173</p>
<p>51 Profitable renovations 175</p>
<p>52 Investing in the investment 179</p>
<p>53 Study no more? 182</p>
<p>54 Maintaining composure 183</p>
<p>55 Guidelines and laws to protect home buyers 187</p>
<p>56 How to bid, buy and win at auction 190</p>
<p>57 Why invest in property? 198</p>
<p>58 Debt and equity 201</p>
<p>59 Vacancy 204</p>
<p>60 Five questions for investors 208</p>
<p>The transaction 213</p>
<p>61 Beating remorse 215</p>
<p>62 What should we offer? 217</p>
<p>63 Why the price guide is no guide at all 220</p>
<p>64 Bracket creep 222</p>
<p>65 Trading space for location 224</p>
<p>66 Low stock drives prices 226</p>
<p>67 Buyer s agents 227</p>
<p>Afterword 231</p>
<p>Index 235</p>