Patrick Bright

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Underquoting is a hugely tricky topic for many in property, with the “quote [or price] it low, watch it go” mantra said to be the modus operandi of many in the real estate selling business, especially when it comes to auction sales.
Recently, <a href="/news/29454-online-petition-for-mandatory-reserve-price-publishing-launched" target="_blank">EPS Property Search’s Patrick Bright began a petition against underquoting</a>, and encouraging the consideration of early publishing of the reserve price for properties heading to auction. Property Observer covered this petition upon its launch, and <a href="/news/29129-should-reserve-prices-be-published-for-auctions" target="_blank">discussed it with him prior to its inception</a>.
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SQM Research’s Louis Christopher has also expressed his dislike of the practice of underquoting and is vocally backing Bright’s petition.
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Property Observer recently attended an auction in Sydney where <a href="finding/29729-agent-underquoting-will-not-always-help-buyers-get-the-price-they-want" target="_blank">there was around a $200,000 discrepancy between reserve price and the price guide</a> provided by the real estate agent. The property sold at auction just above the reserve, and we have clear reason to believe that the vendors would never have considered an offer around the price guide provided. Certainly, there may have been buyers that were unable to afford this price and that may have spent money on inspections and conveyancing to prepare for the auction, let alone time. As a buyer's agent, Bright says that this is all too common and that he sees underquoting at the majority of auctions he attends.
SQM Research’s Louis Christopher has also expressed his dislike of the practice of underquoting and is vocally backing Bright’s petition.
"I am personally sick to death of underquoting in real estate.  It wastes time, money and breaks people’s hearts once they know they have been deceived. Ultimately it is damaging to the property sector and all those who participate in it,” said Christopher in his recent newsletter.
"One thing Patrick and I share in common is that we have a very strong belief in property market transparency and ensuring people don’t get ripped off in property transactions. Recently, Patrick has gone so far as to get a petition going to make it compulsory to advertise auction reserve prices to stamp out underquoting and dummy bidding,” he said, noting he 100% agrees with the objective, urging others to <a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/the-honourable-stuart-ayres-mp-nsw-government-make-it-compulsory-to-advertise-auction-reserve-prices-to-stamp-out-underquoting-and-dummy-bidding%20%20" target="_blank">sign the petition</a>.
However, Christopher also expressed his dislike at media ignoring the petition.
"Sadly, I can tell you now there are some dark forces out there who don’t want to see this happen. Indeed, Patrick has recently told me of some media outlets who won’t give this petition coverage, even after promises they would! No doubt they are worried they may lose advertising dollars due to these dark forces,” he wrote.
He said he had a message for those outlets: "Please show a bit of spine on this issue and give it the coverage it deserves.”
He told Property Observer that despite the pain some interests may feel in the short term, price transparency will create overall benefits across the market, and it should be given a run and prominence.
Recently, mainstream media outlets went gangbusters writing about Queensland’s potential change to ban price guides from auctions – something<a href="/news/qld/29009-queensland-auction-price-guide-ban-defies-common-sense-john-mcgrath" target="_blank"> Property Observer also wrote about</a> – and he noted that it is startling to see the contrast between some experts’ exposure and others.
"[Underquoting] does come out in a rising market,” Christopher explained. “Markets can move quickly, but what Patrick has put forward is that the reserve price isn’t provided until a week out.”
Discussing the Queensland potential price guide ban, he noted that he sat on the fence, saying there were many pros and cons. However, he noted that no guide is better than a phoney guide.
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"They’re big businesses protecting their bottom line, and it’s completely their right to do that,” Bright said.
</blockquote>
While neither would disclose which media outlets said they would cover the petition and since changed their minds, Property Observer notes that online there have been stories from Australian Property Investor magazine. Patrick Bright confirmed that API had been in support of sharing news of the petition.
Bright said that he doesn’t want to criticise individuals as he is sure there are powers above them calling the shots.
"They’re big businesses protecting their bottom line, and it’s completely their right to do that,” he said.
He also said that he is getting a lot of support when he personally speaks to sales agents, but finds that many are concerned of ridicule from their peers if they support the petition.
Disclosure: Jennifer Duke has signed the petition for reserve prices to be published, as well as <a href="/news/qld/29277-queensland-auction-price-guides-the-more-info-the-better" target="_blank">a petition opposing the Queensland price guide ban</a>.
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Louis Christopher and Patrick Bright say media outlets are ignoring underquoting petition

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GUEST OBSERVATION
According to news reports it looks like the ban on price guides for properties up for auction in Queensland will go ahead when Parliament sits in May - with one minor amendment.
Vendors and selling agents will still be able to categorise the property in a price bracket for buyers searching on real estate websites. 
How will it affect the auction climate in Queensland?  Not much - auctions aren't as popular there and price guides have always been frowned upon.  But the debate has captured the attention of the major players in Sydney and Melbourne where auctions are the sales method of choice for many. A change such as this in these markets would dramatically alter the real estate landscape and make auctions less popular - a result many in the industry don't want despite the flaws in the current process. 
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Underquoting is a cruel, misleading and deceptive practice that needs to be stamped out for good.
</blockquote>
This is why I believe so many industry players have been so outspoken against the proposed changes. Their main claim has been that "buyers want pricing information". Yes, they are on the right track - buyers do want pricing information - however, they have left off the most important words in that statement which I believe to be "honest and transparent". 
The Queensland government's position can be summed up as "no price guides are better than phoney ones", and I have to agree.
Underquoting, or bait advertising as it’s also known, is a cruel, misleading and deceptive practice that needs to be stamped out for good.  
However, I believe the Queensland government is set to miss the mark here. They have the opportunity to make a real change for the better with the eyes of Australia's real estate industry watching.
Instead what is proposed is a half measure that doesn't really address the lack of transparency issue.
Naturally I much prefer my idea of making it mandatory to publish auction reserve prices seven days prior to auction as I've outlined in <a href="https://www.epspropertysearch.com.au/go/eps/blog/bringing-down-the-hammer-on-dodgy-auction-price-guides" target="_self">previous blogs</a>.  I believe my proposed changes would achieve a much better outcome for both the buyers and sellers.  Further my proposed changes would more than likely make auctions more popular with buyers due to this transparency.  If they are more popular with buyers they will be more popular with sellers, so everybody wins. 
In just a few weeks my <a href="https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-honourable-stuart-ayres-mp-nsw-government-make-it-compulsory-to-advertise-auction-reserve-prices-to-stamp-out-underquoting-and-dummy-bidding" target="_blank">‘publish auction reserve prices’</a> petition has had hundreds of comments supporting the idea, but I believe it needs more support before the Minister is likely to look at the proposal - if you haven't already please take three minutes to read it and support it if you agree.   
Please let anyone you know who has recently purchased a property or who is currently searching for one know about it so they can also have their say! 
Patrick Bright is the founder of Sydney-based buyer’s agency <a href="https://%20www.epspropertysearch.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">EPS Property Search</a>.
Patrick is the author of four best-selling real estate books known as “The Insider’s Guide to Buying Real Estate Series.”
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.epspropertysearch.com.au/" rel="nofollow">www.epspropertysearch.com.au</a>.
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Queensland's price guide bans don't go far enough, what we need is real transparency

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It seems that many think about retirement only when they’re nearing it, suddenly considering property investing as a viable option to quickly build themselves a nest egg.
However, EPS Property Search director Patrick Bright says that undertaking risky strategies, or going to “play the casino” with property, should not be an approach for those with little time until retirement day, despite the reality that most people will not have accrued enough super to maintain their current lifestyle.
“Often people who are getting closer to retirement have a lot of disposable income with many at the height of their career and the kids off the books,” said Bright.
“It’s incredibly important to take advantage of this situation and set yourself up with the right investments to ensure you can enjoy all that retirement has to offer.”
Those with a decade left who are now considering investing are fairly well placed, he said, pointing to those in their 50s still able to build a small portfolio with a range of investments. Property, in this dynamic, can be low-risk and insurable.
However, those looking for quick, high returns to catch up may see themselves going backwards.
"The greater the return the greater the risk,” he said.
“In your 50s you don’t have time to recover from a significant financial loss and secure your retirement if the investment goes pear-shaped,” Bright warned.
Instead, looking to preserve capital.
“You should be investing and protecting your financial position with reliable income producing assets that generate both capital growth and cash flow and property plays an important part in this strategy.”
Two key rules for 50+ investors
<ol>
<li>Protection and preservation of your capital is more important than the return on it Invest in secure, quality property primed for capital growth rather than speculating by chasing the latest ‘hot spot’. Investing in locations with upside is important however looking at a location’s history and track record is equally important. Capital cities offer the best opportunity for consistent capital growth, particularly in the inner ring around the CBD but not in it. Buy for high capital growth not high rental yields as these properties generally have high overall returns over the long-run. 
</li>
<li>Invest in the liquid part of the market It’s wise to invest in property that is easy to sell when and if you need to regardless of market conditions at the time. Here, I recommend buying investment properties around the median price for the suburb you’re investing into. I would stick to 20% above or below the median. There are always plenty of buyers and plenty of tenants in the middle of the market.</li>
</ol>
Source: EPS Property Search
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Older investors shouldn’t “play the casino” with property warns Patrick Bright

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Personal insurance isn’t something that property investors should ignore, warns EPS Property Search director Patrick Bright.
Australia is one of the most underinsured developed countries in the world, Bright said, and many investors are failing to adequately protect themselves.
“Before you sign a contract to purchase a property you should have the appropriate insurances in place, at the very least income protection,” said Bright.
“You not only want to protect your 10% deposit in case something unforeseen happens between exchange and settlement but you want to know that you can complete settlement.”
He said that one of the quickest ways to lose your home is through unpredictable occurrences that stop your ability to earn. Many property investors consider burglary, tenant damage or natural disaster, but then fail to consider the possibility of dying or getting ill.
Pointing to an Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance study on the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires, he noted that for 171 people who died – less than $1 million was paid out in life insurance.
“You need to insure the person who is paying for the asset rather than just insuring the asset itself,” he explains.
“Ask yourself how your family will manage if one of the breadwinners becomes sick or dies? Do you have the necessary income protection and life insurances in place to protect your assets and allow your family to continue their quality of life rather than being forced to sell the family home?”
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Investor warning: Don’t ignore your personal insurance

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The petition begun by New South Wales buyer’s agent Patrick Bright asking for vendors to publish reserve prices a week out from auction to stamp out underquoting has reached 500 signatures.
This is a significant milestone for the petition, which was created in response to the underquoting claims making headlines after Queensland’s much-publicised debate, and now decision, to remove price guides entirely from auction real estate listings.
Bright told Property Observer that when the supporters for the petition reaches the 1,000 mark, he will be personally visiting Minister for Fair Trading, Matthew Mason-Cox, to discuss this proposal. You can <a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/the-honourable-matthew-mason-cox-mlc-nsw-government-make-it-compulsory-to-advertise-auction-reserve-prices-to-stamp-out-underquoting-and-dummy-bidding" target="_blank">see the proposal on the Change.org website here</a>.
<img src="/images/2014/06/16/image-june-16-one.png" alt="">
Noting that “Buyers right across Australia are sick of needlessly forking out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on pest and building inspections and legal fees when preparing for auction,” the petition notes that price guides are “more often than not significantly below the price a selling agent knows a property is likely to sell at and well below what the vendor would actually accept thereby enticing buyers to think they can afford a property that is well above their budget.”
“This is why I am advocating for a more transparent process where there is a legal requirement to advertise the reserve price seven days out from a property auction,” Bright explains.
<img src="/images/2014/06/16/image-june-16-two.png" alt="">
Starting slow, and with <a href="/expert-insights/buying/29808-christopher-bright-media-outlets-ignoring-underquoting-petition" target="_blank">discussion around the petition being ignored, it has gathered momentum in the past month</a> to reach its current 501 signatories mark.
It has also encouraged <a href="/expert-insights/buying/32098-consumer-affairs-victoria-does-not-have-manpower-or-skills-to-police-underquoting-petition" target="_blank">a similar petition for Victoria from buyer’s agent Miriam Sandkuhler</a>, who is asking for reserve prices to be published from “day one” of the campaign. While this has received criticism for the length of time required for the reserve price to be published, it has currently reached 284 signatures.
The act of publishing the reserve price <a href="/news/29129-should-reserve-prices-be-published-for-auctions" target="_blank">seems to be largely supported by Property Observer readers</a>, who voted on our poll with an 84.5% support for the concept earlier this year.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/03/poll-results-march-3.png" alt="poll-results-march-3" width="470" height="111">
YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ Mark Armstrong's Underquoting: <a href="/expert-insights/investing/27150-underquoting-the-clear-and-transparent-solution" target="_blank">The clear and transparent solution</a>
Room for debate: <a href="/expert-insights/investing/19258-thursday-flicker-4-room-for-debate-are-melbourne-agents-underquoting" target="_blank">Are Melbourne agents underquoting?</a>
Letter from the editor: <a href="/news/qld/29277-queensland-auction-price-guides-the-more-info-the-better" target="_blank">More information not less please Queensland</a>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/expert-insights/investing/29724-legally-underquoting-how-agents-get-away-with-it" target="_blank">Legally underquoting? How agents get away with it: </a>Catherine Cashmore
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New South Wales underquoting petition hits 500 signatures

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GUEST OBSERVATION
On Saturday, I witnessed two auctions that were marketed in two different ways and which resulted in very different outcomes.
The first property was advertised with a fairly typical auction marketing campaign which included the usual underquoting. The price guide that was provided throughout the marketing campaign was $1,050,000. At auction the bidding ran out of steam short of the reserve. The agent came and told me he needed more money to get it on the market as the reserve was $1.25 million. I said, "best of luck as you won't be getting that out of me".  
Frustrated the agent went inside to talk to the vendor again before coming back outside to tell me that he had convinced the vendor to reduce the reserve to $1,225,000.  He then told the auctioneer and it was called on the market at $1,225,000. No further bids were made and it sold for $25,000 under the vendor’s reserve to us.  
Anyone who did detailed research and looked at the comparables would know that the property was worth $1,250,000 to $1,275,000 but the underquoting attracted people with a budget closer to the guide of $1.05 million rather than those with a budget of $1.25 million or more. More than likely many of those people with a budget around the $1.25 million mark were attending auctions that had price guides around that point but reserves and values that were maybe closer to the $1.45 million mark?   
The fact is my clients loved the property so much that they gave me a budget of $1,330,000 to spend if needed to secure the property. Yes we purchased the property $105,000 below what my clients were prepared to pay for it which they are very happy about. However they are even happier we purchased it for $50,000 below what the comparables indicated the property was worth up to. 
In comparison at the second property auction I attended the vendor had decided to be transparent with the market. Whether he decided to do this of his own accord or read about my petition to make it mandatory to publish reserves and decided to take the idea on board, I don’t know.  What I do know is that he was transparent with buyers and attracted bidders who could actually afford the price he wanted for the property. He set and published his reserve at $570,000 and <a href="/expert-insights/buying/33615-a-7-5-premium-above-disclosed-reserve-at-bexley-auction-experiment" target="_blank">the property sold for $613,000, some $43,000 over the reserve</a>.
The buyer was ushered into the house to sign the contract and so I spoke to the under bidder. I asked her if the publishing of the reserve price influenced her decision to bid on the property.  She said she would not have even attended the auction if the reserve price had not been disclosed as she was ‘fed up’ with attending auctions that had reserves set well over the price guide provided by agents.
The bottom line here is that transparency won the day.
Let’s hope it catches on for not only all the vendors’ sake but for all the buyers who keep wasting money and time attending auctions every week where the reserve is set in excess of the guide when in fact they should be one in the same.  
If you think my idea of publishing reserves prior to auction is a good move then simply <a href="https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-honourable-matthew-mason-cox-mlc-nsw-government-make-it-compulsory-to-advertise-auction-reserve-prices-to-stamp-out-underquoting-and-dummy-bidding" target="_blank">sign my petition</a> which is calling on the NSW state government to make it mandatory for all property auctions to have the reserve price advertised seven days ahead of a scheduled auction. 
Feel free to make your comments as to why you signed the petition in the comments box.
Patrick Bright is the founder of Sydney-based buyer’s agency <a href="https://%20www.epspropertysearch.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">EPS Property Search</a>.
Patrick is the author of four best-selling real estate books known as “The Insider’s Guide to Buying Real Estate Series”.
<a href="https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-honourable-matthew-mason-cox-mlc-nsw-government-make-it-compulsory-to-advertise-auction-reserve-prices-to-stamp-out-underquoting-and-dummy-bidding" target="_blank">Visit change.org to sign the petition</a> calling on the NSW state government to make it mandatory for all property auctions.
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No more excuses: Publishing the reserve price prior to auction works

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Prospective home owners and investors should be careful not to go overboard with the current low interest rate.
Last week the Reserve Bank cut interest rates to a historic low of 2.25% after weeks of speculation.
I encourage home owners to continue to pay off their mortgage with the same or higher repayments in order to build up a buffer to be used in tough times.
Prospective home buyers often get so excited about buying their own place that they forget about evaluating the future.
They base their home loan on their current financial circumstances and don’t take into account their future plans like starting a family or allowing for the fact that rates will rise at some time in the future.
While rates are at historic lows now, it’s important to keep in mind that they won’t stay at these levels for the long term.
There’s no downside to making repayments above your required level as it gives you a safety net in case of difficult financial times or allows you to pay off your mortgage sooner.
In contrast, borrowing to your maximum at this, or any, time is a recipe for disaster.
I recommend people follow my 20-25-20 rule if they want to avoid financial stress where you put down a 20% deposit, ensure no more than 25% of your income is required for repayments and have a term of no longer than 20 years.
Patrick Bright is the founder of Sydney-based buyer’s agency <a href="https://%20www.epspropertysearch.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">EPS Property Search</a>.
Patrick is the author of four best-selling real estate books known as “The Insider’s Guide to Buying Real Estate Series”.
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Patrick Bright

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