Help Your Luxury Agent Help You
Once you list your home for sale you may find it difficult to step aside and let your agent take over. You may be wrestling with the temptation to linger around while prospective buyers view your home, hoping to get the chance to point out all of the “bells and whistles” you know make your [...]
Growing Pains: Michael Jackson Forced to Sell Neverland
It seems that no matter who you are, the credit crunch is snapping at your heals. And, as we seem to be hearing more and more each day, people from all walks of life are losing the battle.
Michael Jackson, he of the world’s biggest selling album of all time, “Thriller” (and on its 25th [...]
How to Survive the Sale Process – What you must know!
Times are difficult – sale volumes are down and the process of selling your home is taking longer than it has for years. Today we have heard that Australia may be heading toward a recession – the first in 18 years! The US Federal Reserve has cut official interest rates by 0.5%, the Japanese Government [...]
Insights: Some of the Business Lessons I Learned at the Who’s Who Conference
Last week whilst at the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate Annual Conference and Award’s in Philadelphia, Michael Marquette & myself (representing Marquette Turner Luxury Homes) were awarded the title of the World’s Most Oustanding Rookie (New Luxury Real Estate Agency).
Therefore, as the “newbie” we were in the company of other winners, some that were [...]
Marquette Turner Luxury Homes is Set to Expand
Are You Tired of Losing Most of Your Hard Earned Commission?
Are you sick of subsidizing agents that do not perform as well as you do in your office? We are looking for the best of the best – those that are truly committed to leading the industry.
Don’t be left behind! Technology is at the centre [...]
Hide Your Personals! Protecting your privacy when selling your home!
Putting your property on the market poses two very personal concerns:
invasion of privacy: that your personal life will be on show;
theft: your personal effects are prey to any “prospective” buyers
De-clutter your property before placing it on the market for sale: this is my first tip of advice for those vendors concerned with their privacy being [...]
The Meaning Of “Home”: The Kiva Organisation
When Marquette Turner Luxury Homes began, we were determined that we would regularly donate and lend a significant amount of our revenue to organizations and individuals worldwide.
As a company with a substantial focus in real estate, we deal with transactions involving people’s homes. In the simplest manner, our philanthropic efforts are subsequently focused in [...]
Marquette Turner’s “Real Estate Radar”
Marquette Turner’s real estate radar® hones-in on property news to keep your finger on the pulse, and with interest rate cuts on the cards, our news couldn’t be more timely!
A report conducted by the Real Estate Institute of Australia in June 2008 has showed that housing affordability has fallen across every Australian State and Territory [...]
Walk the walk: making real estate agents accountable to you
In tough times choosing an agent to sell your property is more important than ever. Asking agents to show evidence that what they are claiming actually works is a great idea. I strongly believe that agents who insist on vendor paid marketing should be capable of proving that your money is going to be spent [...]
Luxury Homes Fail to Sell at Auction
It has always astonished me how many real estate agents advise everyone they meet to auction their home. In Regional cities like Newcastle this happens all too often with the inevitable result of the property passing in, and in most cases not even receiving one bid from a potential buyer.
The process is horrendous for vendors [...]
Newcastle Property Sales Down 85% in July!
Sales in Newcastle were down by a massive 85% in July, compared to the same month last year. This is a staggering decrease in sales volumes which is causing enormous problems for agencies which sell average suburban properties.
Luxury Home prices have remained steady although the practice of real estate agents overpricing property is alive and [...]
If in doubt with DIY: don’t!
Stories of renovation failures are nothing new. Over the last few years we have become accustomed to watching countless homeowners and their DIY disasters, often to our sympathetic but all-knowing amusement.
We always think we could do better, and many of us have decided to prove so, sometimes with good results and other times with [...]
Australian Auction Clearance Rates Crash!
Auction Clearance rates for the week ending July 27, 2008 indicate a property market in crisis. Sydney’s Clearance rate of just 36.5% is indicative of the disparity between vendors and buyers, with some real estate agents caught in the middle.
Agent’s skills in both marketing and negotiating homes are being put to the test and many [...]
How to be a (successful) property developer
BECOMING a property developer can be as simple as buying a block of land and slapping a house on it or buying an existing house, knocking it down and building a new one.
However, becoming a successful property developer is a different story. It requires time, research, patience, and a willingness to take calculated risks.
The president [...]
Tips for buying and selling in a turbulent market
In today’s turbulent real estate market, many buyers and sellers seem to have become confused about negotiating tactics.
Many buyers assume that every property is overpriced and that low-ball bids are de rigueur. Sellers often recoil at these “insulting” offers, which typically leave no room for negotiation.
The result: a potential deal collapses and both parties [...]
Exposed: if it sounds too good to be true…real estate sharks
Home owners experiencing mortgage stress should be wary of a new breed of online entrepreneurs who are offering quick money for homes.
For instance, Express Homebuyers, advertises on its website for houses where owners are behind in repayments, facing repossession, or need debt relief. It offers online quotes and promises owners the sales take “days, [...]
10 Tips to Avoid Mortgage Foreclosure
Here are 10 tips to avoid defaulting on your mortgage, and ultimately preventing repossession and foreclosure.
1. Don’t ignore the problem. The further behind you become, the harder it will be to reinstate your loan and the more likely that you will lose your home. If you are behind on your mortgage payments or have received [...]
7 DAYS: a Longtime in Politics, but a Lifetime in Real Estate
Seven days is a long time in politics and a lifetime in real estate. After I wrote last weeks’ article on “The Death of Real Estate As We Know It” we have seen the very public demise of three franchised offices in North West Metropolitan Sydney. The issues were all just a little close to [...]
Howeowners Becoming Prey For Some Real Estate Agents
There are concerns that some unscrupulous agents are cashing in as homeowners sell up for less than market value.
Federal and New South Wales politicians are calling for an inquiry into online real estate agents who offer quick house sales to people who can no longer pay their mortgages. It is feared the agents are exploiting [...]
Detonate or Renovate? Japan’s Tradition
Homes in Japan last for only 30 years. The government wants to change that!
Even though Japanese houses are supposed to be built to withstand earthquakes, few of them defy demolition for more than a few decades. The housing stock is amazingly young: more than 60% of all Japanese homes were built after 1980 (see chart). [...]
