OPINIONby Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQualified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd Enzo Raimondo is the CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), but he is not a lawyer. In fact, Mr. Raimondo is not even a licensed real estate agent, and he is certainly not a qualified real estate valuer. So why is Mr. Raimondo telling consumers about the role(s) of professional real estate valuers? Enzo Raimondo, CEO...
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OPINIONby Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQu alified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd When stupidity reaches the front page of The Age newspaper, something has to be said. Today’s Age screams, “Push to end underquoting” (The Age, Monday 29 March, 2010 p.1). Unfortunately, the author, Property Editor Marika Dobbin, appears to have ignored the real problem and has just followed the parade of misinformed real estate industry commentators. Let me confirm,...
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OPINIONby Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQualified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd There is little doubt that the real estate industry in Victoria is the most corrupt in Australia. This is largely due to the power and arrogance of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV). The recent dismissal of Mr. John Keating from the REIV ethics committee is an example of the contempt the REIV has for ethical conduct, and...
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OPINIONby Chris WarrenLicenced Real Estate Agent Chris@RemaxColonial.com.au Chris Warren is a Licensed Real Estate agent with over 20 years’ experience, providing real estate services to consumers on Brisbane’s inner southside. He was recently quoted in a submission to the Estate Agents Council of Victoria concerning real estate agent appraisals and the pricing of real estate, and wrote this article in response to a request for his opinion on the problems associated with the valuing...
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by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQualified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd We now have the REIV inventing, and forcing its own legislation on real estate consumers. When will journalists, regulators, lawyers and consumers start thinking for themselves instead of simply watching Enzo Raimondo and the crew at the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) make fools of them. It’s time to put vendors and purchasers back in control, and to...
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OPINIONby George RousosDirectorIndustry Training Consultantsgeorge@itc.nsw.edu.au After receiving glowing support from my clients and colleagues, it was now time to take decisive action by requesting to the NSW Minister- The Hon. Virginia JUDGE, BEd MP that urgent amendments to real estate laws in NSW be introduced in parliament. What follows is my letter to the Minister, written after my reading of the following article which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald: Watchdog raids real estate...
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OPINIONby Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQu alified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd Following on from my previous posting in which I acknowledged Enzo Raimondo, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) as a master of the partial-truth, comes a newspaper article in which Raimondo confirms that “Much misinformation is abroad about property sales” (sic). Of course, Raimondo does not acknowledge his own role in the dissemination of this...
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OPINIONby Peter Mericka B.A., LL.BReal Estate LawyerQualified Practising Conveyancer VictoriaDirector Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd Enzo Raimondo, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) is a master of the partial-truth. In a recent article in the Herald Sun newspaper Raimondo purports to advise consumers on “forming an accurate view about the value of a property” but deliberately avoids informing consumers of the easiest and most accurate method of all. In his regular...
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OPINIONby Patrick Brady AAPI, MRICS, Dip. EdCertified Practising Valuer No. 1277Director WBP Property Group Many people know the basics of what can impact the value of their property – overhead power lines and busy roads versus sea/tree views and a short stroll to the local coffee shop. To gain a better idea of how to improve the value of your property, it is worthwhile taking a look at what a professional valuer looks...
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by Tim O’Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au The following is an email from estate agent Chris Warren to Tim O’Dwyer. At last there is an estate agent who is prepared to tell consumers that estate agents are NOT valuers. “Hi Tim, Have recently read your article where you say owners should get valuations before listing their properties. You may be interested to hear that for the last 3 months we have...
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