After endless hours of inspections, countless Saturdays spent viewing open homes, you have finally found your dream home to buy. Congratulations.
If you are wondering what happens when you find a home to buy and want to secure the property, this video will outline the next steps that are involved to allow you to move closer to owning your new property.
If you are looking for a property to buy, request to be added to our open home alert
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Make an offer on a property
It’s really important to talk to the agent to make sure that you let them know that you are interested in the home. There is no reason why you should not be able to offer on the house, even if it’s an auction property. A simple statement of “Would the owners be open to an offer beforehand?” will be accepted by most agents. Feel comfortable and confident about the fact that you are able to put an offer in.
Contact your solicitor
Once you have agreed on a price, the next phase is arranging for the contract to be reviewed. Ask the agent to provide you with the contract, and have it reviewed by your solicitor or conveyancer. If you do not have a solicitor or conveyancer, ask a family member for a referral, or even the agent should be able to recommend someone.
Advise your finance provider
You should let your mortgage broker or bank know that you have found your dream home, and that you want to proceed. They will arrange for a valuer to inspect the property, depending on your equity. If you have a high level of equity, then the valuer may not need to go and look at it. If you are sort of quite high with your lending ratio, then they would normally go and inspect the property.
Pest and Building Report
If one hasn’t been done already, then you would want to make sure that you arrange for a Pest and Building Report to be completed. This report will make sure the house is structurally sound, and that there are not any active termites.
Sign and exchange your contract
Once you have completed all this, you are ready to sign your contract and exchange. Settlement will usually occur 42 days after exchange, which is when you will be able to collect the keys to your new dream home. Congratulations!
If you are looking for a property to buy, request to be added to our open home alert
YES, ADD ME TO YOUR OPEN HOME ALERT
So that's what happens when you find a home to buy. I hope that has helped you today, but if you have any questions whatsoever I’d love to talk to you. My number is 0426 264 771 and I look forward to talking to you soon.
If you have any family or friends that might benefit from real estate guidance, please feel free to pass on my details or share this link. I’d love to be able to help.
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Apr 14, 2023
Real estate agents revamping ethics index and standards
The Governance Institute of Australia produces a comprehensive study and nationwide survey to reveal the most and least ethical occupations, organisations and sectors. It also checks the nation’s temperature on current ethical dilemmas and difficult questions. The 2022 Ethics Index report has seen the ethic index score drop overall, with real estate agent’s bad reputations ranking low again. Regrettably, a lot of people dislike real estate agents. They have either had bad experiences, know someone who has, or have seen negative media reports. While real estate agents tend to have a bad rap and constantly attract negative headlines, quite often the hardworking, honest, and caring agents who strive to do the right thing by not only their clients, but communities as well, are overlooked. Many real estate agents are working to rewrite the ethics index and overturn the negativity that the industry seems to attract. Watch the video, with Joanne Danckwardt of One Agency JD Property Agents, to remind yourself about some of the amazing work that a great percentage of real estate agents do, going above and beyond. [siteloft_youtube video_id="utKAHWpDbAo" autoplay="1" suggestions="1"] If you're ready to discover the secrets to being ready to sell your home, download our free insider secrets to being ready to sell checklist. YES, DOWNLOAD MY CHECKLIST With specialized knowledge and access to information and a connection to various services, good real estate agents have the potential to impact their communities in a very positive way. Being a respectful real estate agent means they have their finger on the pulse of the neighbourhoods where they sell. Some exception community service stories by real estate agents include: Saving a tenant’s life In Lismore, PRD Northern Rivers Principal Rob Horder, had his own battles to fight as flood waters gushed through his office, let along saving a tenant’s life. Taking a phone call from a community nurse, he learnt one of his tenants was unable to make his dialysis appointment due to floods. Rob put his own agenda aside, went around to pick the tenant up. He was put into a helicopter and taken to hospital for the lifesaving appointment all within half an hour of the tenant losing his life. What an awesome agent! Pink tractor fundraising In 2015, Mudgee real estate agent and auctioneer, Hugh Bateman, embarked on a pink tractor trek to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation Breast Cancer Care. Starting on October 9th for a little over three weeks, Hugh navigated his way around NSW, visiting other agencies and holding auctions and fundraising events. His goal was to raise $250,000 for the McGrath Foundation to assist with funding specialist Breast Care Nurses, but Hugh managed to surpass that goal, raising $382,000. A fantastic result for a worthy cause. Act of kindness With rental affordability being at the forefront of current economic times, Gold Coast Property Manager, Jamie Wernert, wondered how she could personally help one of her elderly tenants. When the landlord indicated they could no longer sustain the below market rent and Denis would have to move, Ms Wernert wanted to do something to help Denis, who lived on a tight pension. Establishing a GoFundMe page, she was able to raise over $47,000 for her pensioner tenant to find a new home along with reach out to other property managers to help find Denis a new home. The funds helped Denis to find a new rental and pay for his moving costs. A beautiful property manger who really does care for her tenants! The list of these amazing deeds of real estate agents goes on and on… But in their day-to-day workings for selling real estate and managing investment properties, real estate agents do a long list of regular everyday activities to ensure they provide exception service and get the best results. Some of the acts include: Tidy, clean and freshen before an open home or newly leased property – both inside and out, including cleaning of the pool. Accept calls at every hour of the day and night, 7 days a week, to get deals done. Work 14-hour + days to ensure their sellers find that perfect one-in-a-million buyer. Play with children and keep them entertained while parents look around a house. Manage the emotional stress when helping sellers and buyers in their home selling and buying journey. Support local sporting teams, schools, communities, and businesses. If you're ready to discover the secrets to being ready to sell your home, download our free insider secrets to being ready to sell checklist. YES, DOWNLOAD MY CHECKLIST We hope this article provides some balance for the next time you hear bad press about real estate and real estate agents. There are many good agents out there that help to counteract the negative reputation that the industry holds. If you feel you could benefit from our experience with buying and selling, or our property management services, we’d love to hear from you. Simply reach out. We hope that has helped you today. If you have any questions, or you know of anyone who may benefit from our real estate services, we’d love to chat. Our number is 0426 264 771. We look forward to talking to you soon.
Dec 9, 2022
Benefits of downsizing your home
Does your family home seem a lot larger? Have all your children flown the coop? Are you looking to downsize for retirement? Downsizing your home can sound stressful! Don’t let the thought intimidate you, as it can be a beneficial process. Taking the opportunity to downsize is often the beginning of a new chapter. While it is a fresh start, downsizing has many benefits, and can be a very positive experience. Deciding to make the move can be hard. However, when you take the leap, you can see how beneficial it is to pack up. Watch the video as Joanne Danckwardt of One Agency JD Property Agents talks more about what downsizing is and the benefits of it. [siteloft_youtube video_id="Us2FEBjDUy4" autoplay="1" suggestions="1"] If you're ready to discover the secrets to being ready to sell your home, download our free insider secrets to being ready to sell checklist. YES, DOWNLOAD MY CHECKLIST What is downsizing? Downsizing (or rightsizing your home) occurs when you move into a smaller home than what you currently live in. It is often a decision made by people whose children have left home, or people considering downsizing for retirement, or seniors needing to downsize who are struggling to deal with the upkeep and costs of their home. It can also simply be that some people are keen for a change, are looking to streamline their lift, want to move closer to friends or family, or just want to fresh start in life. Whilst many spend time trying to upsize throughout their home-buying journey, downsizing can offer so many benefits. Increase in cash flow It is likely that your current home will have increased in value. Buying a smaller and cheaper property will provide you with cash equity, giving you added money in the bank. Smaller properties are generally less expense in their upkeep in areas such as electricity and insurance, a saving on bills for your cash flow. Instead of putting all your hard-earned dollars to a mortgage and utilities bills, you can start to enjoy your money. Eliminate clutter Downsizing forces you to declutter. Moving to a smaller home will mean you will not able to accommodate everything you have in your bigger home. Possessions can be become baggage. Without a valid reason to declutter, your space can be quickly overtaken. Downsizing means you have to prioritise your possessions, allowing you to remove things from your life that no longer serve a purpose. More time Having a smaller home means you will spend less time on cleaning and mowing and maintaining gardens, meaning you have more time for you to spend on the things you enjoy. This gives you a new type of freedom to explore new hobbies such as golf, tennis, travel or read. Or it can allow you more free time to spend with family and friends, providing plenty of enjoyment. You can enjoy your home without being a slave to it! Lifestyle changes Downsizing will often trigger a lifestyle change. For example, instead of having to worry about gardens, if you have downsized to an apartment, leaving to travel becomes less of a hassle as the gardens are generally taken care of by strata. Downsizing to a retirement village opens up the possibilities of new friendships, activities and amenities. Downsizing your home can lead to a less stressful lifestyle. How we can help with your downsizing journey To enjoy the benefits of downsizing, you should consider whether a smaller home will serve you and complement your lifestyle. There is no benefit to downsizing to something smaller to save time and money if you are unhappy about losing a bedroom or living space. Once you have decided that a smaller home will suit your lifestyle and future goals, you can appreciate the benefits of downsizing, and enjoy a fresh start. Making the decision to move to something smaller can be made easy. At One Agency JD Property Agents, we are ready to help, so you can get the most out of downsizing. We offer experience and knowledge that will help you make the buying and selling process as seamless as possible. We will provide you with advice, guidance, and results. We can help build a plan with you to overcome any fear, talk with about if you should sell or buy first, achieve sales results for you, assist with finding your next property to buy, and provide you with a range of strategic tailored real estate advice. If you're ready to discover the secrets to being ready to sell your home, download our free insider secrets to being ready to sell checklist. YES, DOWNLOAD MY CHECKLIST If you feel you could benefit from our experience with buying and selling, we’d love to hear from you. Simply reach out. We hope that has helped you today. If you have any questions, or you know of anyone who may benefit from our real estate services, we’d love to chat. Our number is 0426 264 771. We look forward to talking to you soon. Considering how you can Right Size your Home and perhaps move into Aged Care? Register for this short course and learn how to best right size your home when moving into aged care. If you have any family or friends that might benefit from real estate guidance, please feel free to pass on my details or share this link. I’d love to be able to help.