Estate agents are always offering free valuations, even though they are not qualified to do so. Why are estate agents so keen to offer this free “service”? Perhaps the following email, sent out to estate agents this morning by Mr. Oz Vardar of MyHouseValue.com.au, provides some insight: “Good morning, It all comes together….it all comes to you! What makes a great week for a Real Estate Agent? So much of it is about the momentum...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate I have never met Chris Warren, but I already like the guy. Why? Because he is the first estate agent I have encountered who seems prepared to treat consumers as they should be treated – with honesty and respect. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I come down heavily on those who resort to illegal, improper...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au On TV’s Neighbours once a cache of banknotes was dug up from a vacant lot in Ramsay Street. In the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes play-archaeologists found rare dinosaur bones in their backyard. In the real world people sometimes do discover long-forgotten money or valuable objects. Often lawyers then become involved to help determine who gets to keep this “buried treasure” because, unfortunately, the...
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by Michael Eroz Property Analyst www.zeroagents.com.au Conditioning a property owner is one technique real estate agents use to try and get a deal. This is a very manipulative technique many agents use. More distressing is the fact that as an industry many of the franchise groups actually run structured training courses for their staff on this technique. The basics of this technique are: They accept the price you want to list the property at. Some...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Echos of the well-known poem about Irish-Catholic-bush-pessimist Hanrahan* came out of the Australian Capital Territory when The Canberra Times reported eleventh-hour alarm over the likely ruinous effects of anti-gazumping real estate and conveyancing reforms which were to come into force on July 1, 2004. *See full text of the poem The unethical, but not illegal, practice of “gazumping” ocurred particularly in the ACT and...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate Since our posting about the “Ian Reid” strategy (see our posting of 14 July, 2006), some interesting questions have emerged. In a letter to us dated 3 August, 2006, an obviously annoyed Ian Reid stated, “…The vendor’s solicitor (who has been practicing law for 50 years) is aware you misrepresent on your website that the vendor in this matter...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au The email came after an article of mine. Before throwing mud at others, suggested the writer, I should clean up my own (legal) profession. There would always be crooks, I was reminded. New laws, where “some idiot public servant wants to drown everyone in red tape,” would not stop crooks – just make it harder for honest folk to earn a crust, the email...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au After almost six years the Beattie government finally nailed its first over-priced property marketeer, yet had the temerity to give its subsequent crowing media release this caption: “Breakthough in marketeering battle“. More a lucky shot than a breakthrough, to my mind, and more a struggle than a battle. Just as gangster Al Capone, blamed but never convicted for scores of murders, was eventually jailed...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate Pam Treeby is an estate agent who apparently does things on an enormous scale. Her website at Selectsales.com.au states that Pam Treeby has enormous skill and enormous engergy. Pam Treeby also makes a rather enormous claim regarding her services. In recent times we have had cause to complain about estate agents who claim to offer services they either can’t...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate What if a potential purchaser smells fresh paint during an inspection? And what if this leads a purchaser to suspect that something dodgy is going on? Some people may actually investigate further to find out what was repaired, and how well it was repaired. Stockdale & Leggo have a tip that could save embarrassment. Here’s the advice offered by...
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