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DEAL, OR NO DEAL??
Thursday, October 01, 2009
'TOGETHER' magazine's Valdis Andersons cuts through the jargon and finally gets some straight answers about Real Estate...
You know, it seems really difficult to get a straight answer from some professions, like used car sales people, politicians………but I have found two gentlemen (Kevin Walter and James Irvine) who are not only totally professional in their work, but spared me any jargon when I recently talked to them about real estate.
Walter & Irvine Real Estate at 232 Unley Road, Unley, are Approved Agents whose integrity is a testimony to their Christian beliefs and work ethic. In selling a property, their Company looks through the eyes of the consumer, not the agent, and in this way the whole process of the sale is risk free for the vendor, and indeed is aimed at achieving the best price for the vendor (ie., the seller of a property).
Kevin and James’ philosophy is summed up in the list they provided me outlining the common mistakes made by home-sellers and home buyers. For instance, did you know that sale by auction is not necessarily the best means of selling property? Or that failure to account for hidden extra costs could make the prospective property far more expensive than originally envisaged?
I personally found this approach extremely refreshing, the fact that they deliberately set out to build a “trust” relationship with the vendor. Hence the latter is trusted to follow the recommendations proposed by Walter & Irvine, including avoiding expensive, ineffective advertising, which aims at saving expenses for the vendor.
How then do Kevin and James (and their team) attract buyers? The answer is “targeted marketing”, which ensures that only qualified and suitable buyers are taken through a vendor’s property. Not only does this provide security, but it means that these are people who are ready to buy; they are not just “lookers”. What this means for Walter & Irvine is a high conversion rate of listed properties to actual sales.
I asked Kevin and James whether, in the current economic climate, it was still a good time to buy/sell a home? The answer was ‘yes’ and ‘no’. It really depends on the person’s individual situation. If someone is selling and buying in the same market it doesn’t matter if prices are high or low – the important thing is that the changeover price is the same. Therefore it is more a case of ‘when’ you would like to sell. Most people leave it too long to make the decision to move to a new environment and to enjoy a new phase in their lives.
Both Kevin and James did advise new home buyers to exercise caution in the current market. Interest rates will ultimately go up again, so it is unwise to over-extend by purchasing a property that will be too expensive to maintain in mortgage repayments, as well as buying what is wanted (the ideal) instead of what is really needed (or practical).
I also wanted to know if it was true that a house had to be prepared for sale, and was informed that the main consideration was that the property be light, bright, neat, and tidy. The home won’t be more valuable, but it will definitely be more saleable.
One important area Kevin and James have recognized is that of older persons looking to go into Retirement Homes. Usually people don’t know where to begin. Walter & Irvine will go the extra mile to help people selling their homes to find a suitable retirement location.
Incidentally, Kevin and family are members at St. Stephen’s, where he is involved as a musician and also serves on the Property Committee, while James and his family are members at St. John’s Unley. Here are two Christian businessmen who understand the ethics of their profession and the notion of service, and apply it to their professional life.
Written by Valdis Andersons
Communications Coordinator for "TOGETHER" magazine
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