by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate On 4 December, 2005 we ran a posting titled “Agents As Security Goons – The “Open House” Of The Future?”. The issue remains topical, with an article appearing in the Herald-Sun on 10 January, 2006, titled “Revenge Plot Against Agent – Woman cleans up at open inspections”. The news story, appearing at page 3, states “A woman has admitted...
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An EzineArticle by Alison Thompson. You have decided to sell your home and you want to make sure that your house is what every potential purchaser who walks through the door wants. There are a number of ways in which you can help with making sure that your house is the right one for the potential buyer who comes to view and below are a number of items that should be considered to help you...
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In the pretty Sydney suburb of Sylvania, there’s a cute little home for sale for $520,000, it seems well priced. If you turn up at the open-inspection, you’ll probably meet Rodney Spink of Sanders First National Real Estate. Like thousands of agents, Spink’s job is to maximise the positives and minimise the negatives of the homes he’s selling. For instance, the Formosa Street home is in a “great location”. That’s true, it’s right opposite the Bowling...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate It would appear that the President of the REIV thinks it’s funny when consumers are tricked by the scam known as the real estate auction. In a column titled “Confessions” appearing in the Domain section of The Age Newspaper (Saturday 18 February, 2006), REIV President Mr. Geoff Dobson tells of an auction conducted near Shepparton, in country Victoria. Geoff...
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An EzineArticle by Hugh Harris-Evans. You have decided to sell your house, have engaged the services of a Real Estate Agent or decided to handle the sale yourself and are just waiting for prospective buyers to call. Someone arranges to view but, after a quick inspection, they leave never to be heard from again. What went wrong? Here are seven of the best ways to put off your buyer. 1. A house that smells of...
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An EzineArticle by Jennifer Walker. Home inspections have traditionally been for the benefit of the purchaser. Pre-inspected listings benefit all parties – purchasers, vendors and agents. The benefits: Deals won’t fall through Speeds up the selling process Avoid renegotiation Knowing what repairs prior to sale Peace of mind for the purchaser Deals Won’t Fall ThroughHome inspections, performed as a condition of the offer, can kill deals. Sometimes this is because: The purchaser gets cold feet...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Buyers and sellers alike are still being conned on building and pest inspection clauses in sales contracts. Meanwhile, the regulators do not seem to care about protecting consumers in this regard – especially when safety clauses are left out of contracts, or when dodgy ones are added. Beware of building and pest inspection clauses limited to the house only – which means you accept...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate Surely, the first rule of risk management is to avoid unnecessary risks. It has never been necessary for Estate agents to act as “escorts” or “security guards” or “crowd controllers“. “According the latest posting on the website of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV): The REIV is welcoming the release of WorkSafe “Real Estate Agent Out-of-Office Safety” guidelines....
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au What of worth could a suburban solicitor say to a bunch of hard-nosed building consultants about home-buyers’ building inspections? Well, lots. At the Institute of Building Consultants Information Evening, to which I’d been invited as guest speaker, I not only spoke about protecting real estate consumers (and building inspectors into the bargain) but also prompted considerable discussion and first-hand stories about house inspections. Firstly,...
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Reports of burglary and theft associated with property inspections conducted by real estate agents indicate that thieves are relying on estate agents to provide easy access homeowners’ valuables. Thieves no longer have to rely on jemmy bars to gain access to homes. Estate agents are providing easy access to valuables for clever thieves who “shop on the internet” for theft opportunities. According the Sydney Morning Herald: “The topic of theft – and specifically thieves using...
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