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GUEST OBSERVER
In a market where high numbers of stock exist upgraders will often opt to place an offer subject to the successful sale of their existing property, however this process needs to be considered carefully to avoid wasted time and disappointment.
Invariably, when a subject sale is negotiated, the sellers will include a clause allowing them to continue marketing their property to other buyers with a proviso that the subject buyers be given a period of time to go unconditional (usually 48 hours) after which the new offer is accepted.
To avoid this situation upgraders should consider getting their existing property sold or at least under offer prior to placing an offer on another home and perhaps ask for a longer settlement period to enable everything to come together.
The other problem with making subject to sale offers is that they don’t excite a seller as much as being presented with a cash or a subject to finance offer because the latter comes with a predictable settlement date and hence there is more scope for negotiation. 
If an upgrader does decide to place a subject to sale offer then they should also try to negotiate a period whereby the property cannot be sold from under them if or when another buyer comes onto the scene.
Geoff Baldwin is chairman of the  Certified Practicing Real Estate Agents and can be contacted <a href="https://www.CPREA.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>. 
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Tread warily with ‘subject to’ offers: Geoff Baldwin

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There is no argument that the market has slowed since Christmas however this can be wonderful news for people looking to sell their current property to upgrade to a bigger and better home.
Right now there are approximately 14,000 properties on the market which is around 40% more than this time last year so upgraders do have a larger selection to choose from however many a worried that they won’t achieve a good price for their current property.
The brutal truth is that an upgrader may need to accept less on their current property but there is little doubt they will enjoy a parallel discount on the one they buy and this is when the sums really add up in their favour.
In an example where 12 months ago, a person was selling a $500,000 property to upgrade to one worth $800,000, the gap was $300,000. Today, in the slower market, although they may have to take $480,000 for their existing home they are now more likely to buy that $800,000 home for $760,000 reducing the gap to $280,000 and saving them $20,000.
It’s also very relevant that when the market slows the dearer properties are hit hardest while the cheaper homes, up to around $600,000 continue to sell readily as that is where the buyers are most prevalent.
The secret is to not look at selling and buying in isolation but to instead consider the whole changeover package and by doing so it can often be found that selling to upgrade in a slower market is an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
Geoff Baldwin is managing director of <a href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/" target="_blank">RE/MAX Western Australia</a>.
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Slower Perth market creates opportunity for upgraders: Geoff Baldwin

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Demand for suburban blocks that are zoned for development has risen significantly and owners of these sites should choose their marketing method very carefully or risk underselling.
We are repeatedly seeing owners of potential development blocks being approached directly  by builders and developers with offers to buy their properties. However, in many cases the prices being offered are substantially lower than what they would receive with a professional and targeted marketing campaign.
Often these properties are owned by elderly people who have lived in them for decades and hence they have little concept of the true value so when they are approached with what looks like being a trouble free sale they are trapped into selling cheaply.
Owners of properties in any area that is popular with developers should seek indications of their likely sale price through local agents who have a proven record of achieving good prices for sellers and who have a thorough understanding of how to pitch the property to ensure maximum exposure.
These sites are now in high demand and although developers won’t overpay, it is important that an agent knows how to create competition and hopefully attract multiple offers to ensure the best result is achieved for the seller.
 
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 Geoff Baldwin is managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/" rel="nofollow">RE/MAX WA</a>.
 
 
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Demand for development zone housing is creating a risk of underselling for the unwary: Geoff Baldwin

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Perth should batten down for the perfect storm in our real estate market to correspond with the beginning of spring.
Strong rental returns and demand, record low interest rates, competitive prices, positive and neutrally geared opportunities and increasing stock levels all point to a window of opportunity for prudent investors.
Going back three or four years it was almost impossible to find a property where the rent would cover the mortgage however these positive and neutrally geared opportunities exist in many areas of Perth and also in some regional areas such as Mandurah and Bunbury.
Spring is predicted to be the start of a significant increase in activity that will bring upward pressure onto prices and a significant return to the market by investors so now is the time to act to take advantage of this window as it will not remain open for a long period.
Most people who have owned their own home for a few years will have enough equity to purchase an investment property without having to put in any cash themselves plus, working with an experienced agent they should be able to identify and purchase an investment property that will cover most if not all its own costs.
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Geoff Baldwin is managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/" rel="nofollow">RE/MAX WA</a>.
 
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A perfect spring storm is brewing for Perth's real estate market: Geoff Baldwin

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After a period where the number of property listings being offered for sale has been at its lowest level for decades, the past month has seen some strong signs of stock levels increasing for the first time in two years.
Since early 2011 when there were around 19,000 properties for sale we have seen this number drop to only around 7,000. However in July, the number of properties being listed throughout our group increased by around 30% compared to recent monthly averages.
This sudden increase in listings coming onto the market has not been at the cost of sale numbers which have remained fairly strong throughout winter, so it can only be put down to record low interest rates and people seeing a brighter light at the end of the election tunnel.
Seller confidence has been at an all time low through the longer than normal election lead up and this coupled with constant talk of the mining sector softening and a general hesitance about debt, have all combined to convince prospective sellers to wait and see.
The general consensus is that activity will increase markedly after the election next month and, with the normal spring bounce, it seems that sellers are recognising that now may be their best time to sell and to get into their next property before the price gap begins to widen.
Although we are seeing more stock coming onto the market we believe this increase will be absorbed by a lift in buyer activity between now and Christmas and that there will be upward pressure on prices.
 
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Geoff Baldwin is managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/" rel="nofollow">RE/MAX WA</a>.
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Low interest rates and the end of the election contributing to strong winter sales: Geoff Baldwin

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The increasing use of “from” pricing or “offers over” pricing is pushing the limits of trades practices laws. This may be considered  misleading advertising and so should be avoided.
This strategy that has become popular in recent years whereby the seller sets a price low enough to attract buyers with the intention of working those buyers up to a higher price.
Personally, I am very uncomfortable with this method as it often borders on being “bait” advertising and I advise sellers to avoid it and to instead consider a fairer strategy.
Also, if the seller will not accept the lower “from” price then legislation depicts this as being a breach of trade practice law in that it is seen as misleading and deceptive advertising.
The best way to turn a buyer off is to upset them the moment they ask about the true price expectation by telling them it’s advertised at ‘X’ but the sellers won’t accept below ‘Y’.
So unless a seller is genuinely willing to accept the advertised price, then using the “from” or “offers over” pricing strategy should definitely be avoided.
There is no argument that placing a fixed price on a property is difficult as every buyer will have a different opinion so people should consider marketing a wide “buyer feedback range” surrounding their expectation.
Buyer feedback ranging, as it suggests, invites feedback from all interested parties and is considered fairer to buyer and seller and has been used successfully, particularly in Western Australia for years.
The records show that most properties tend to sell in the middle of the range however buyer traffic to these listings is around three times that of fixed price listings.
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The use of 'from' pricing or 'offers over' is pushing trade practice laws: Geoff Baldwin

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Records show that most new property investors tend to be influenced by the masses buying at or near to the top of each cycle, but the minority who reap the biggest rewards have purchased and settled long before the upward trend sets in.
It’s an unfortunate fact that most people need to see evidence of something happening before they are willing to invest their money and hence they wait for the market to boom before they buy.
A smarter way to approach property investment is to study the historic economic cycles as they relate to property, as this has proven to be a failsafe guide for investors for over 100 years.
Although this last cycle has been longer than usual due mainly to the Global Financial Crisis, it has been a cycle all the same, comprising the boom years of 2007-2008 followed by rising interest rates, an easing of activity and prices, a lull in the market through to 2012 then falling interest rates, rental stock shortages, rising rents and a significant bounce in buyer activity into 2013.
Since the beginning of this year we have seen stock levels plummet in WA to a 10-year low of around 6,000 properties, sales volume is way up and we are seeing more and more examples of multiple offers on properties with many properties selling above price expectation.
For investors wanting to take full benefit from this upswing, now is the time to be entering the market and securing property before investing again becomes the fashionable thing to do.
Most people 30 or over have, at some stage wished they had purchased a property at yesterday’s prices but right now a window of opportunity is wide open for investors to take action so they can look back happily with some nice capital appreciation and a healthy nest egg for the future.
Geoff Baldwin is managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/" rel="nofollow">RE/MAX WA</a>.
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Smart investors buy property before the upswing: Geoff Baldwin

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While most other Australian states continue to experience a real estate lull, the WA market has bounced back strongly to the point where it is hard to argue the case for another interest rate cut.
I know there are many people who would argue with me on this point, but if real estate sales in the rest of the country were as strong as they are here in WA currently I’m sure the Reserve Bank board would not be considering dropping rates.
Of course, there are other sectors of our WA economy, especially retail, that do continue to need assistance to boost trade. However, the last thing we need in WA is for our real estate market to overheat.  
The sub-$600,000 segment of the WA market has been strengthening for some time fired up by latent first-home buyer demand and this activity is now beginning to feed through to the higher prices as people upgrade to second and third homes.  
Obviously, a strong property market is always a good thing, but a short term boom fertilised by “irresistible” interest rates can only result in another long period of stagnation such as the 2008 to 2012 down market.
History shows that when the property market is down, everything is down because when people see their home value affected they lose confidence and are much less enthusiastic about spending elsewhere so this is another reason to avoid a boom and bust environment here.  
It’s a big call but, because the states can be so different economically there is almost an argument for rates to be adjusted to suit each market rather than a one size fits all approach.
Geoff Baldwin is managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.remaxwa.com.au/">RE/MAX WA</a>.
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Geoff Baldwin

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