In 14 years of real estate experience we have seen a number of advocates & worked with many & there were some that we would not work with based on an imbalance of each parties value set, it just wasn’t a good match.
We have taken the best aspects of those experiences & built what we believe to be a truly unique & hard to replicate model. “Why is that?” we hear you ask.
Well, very rarely does a highly experienced & successful agent become an advocate & we will be blunt, the reason is that there is more money in being on the agents side. We have seen first hand too many vendors undersell their biggest asset because the agent wasn’t willing or able to negotiate more from the buyers. In fact over 70% of our vendors when asked whether they would have paid more for the home they were selling with us answered, “Yes, but we weren’t asked to”. This shows that most agents are either a little lazy & wanting to get onto the next deal or do not have the ability to effectively negotiate a better outcome. Either way that is 100’s of thousands of dollars left behind & unfortunately most vendors would never know about their loss.
This is where an advocate on your side comes into play, there is no conflict of interest as we deal with you & your outcome only. In fact we start paying for ourselves from the very beginning of the process. Most agents see the home first without:
- Decluttering
- Gardening
- Maintenance & Repairs
- Painting
- Styling
They value the home based on what it is & not what it will be when completed & ready for inspection, let’s just say for example they appraise it at $1,000,000-1,100,000 as is. Once the work above is completed it may now be actually worth $1,100,000-1,200,000. Now think about the agent that has asked for an incentive based commission structure of for example 10% of any amount above their appraised top of range $1,100,000. Based on it selling at its new value of $1,200,000 they would get an extra $10,000 for doing absolutely nothing.
We would ensure the home was photo ready before we interview the best performing agents in the area based on the home itself, location & price range. This way we will get a realistic appraisal from the beginning. Don’t worry about project management no matter how big or small it is all part of our service. Preparation is the key to a great result.
Being real estate agents previously also means that we know 100’s of the best performing agents across Melbourne & know whether they fit our values to achieve an outstanding result fairly & ethically. We will interview the agents, you may choose to be a part of this process or not, that’s completely up to you. They will complete our detailed submission that ensures they are aware that if by your choice we will conduct the auction for you (at no charge), this is another point of difference as we have conducted 1000’s of auctions & will be again working solely for your best interests, especially in situations of the property passing in & requiring negotiations with the highest bidder. If it is chosen to be a private sale, unlike many advocates we will actually negotiate the final offers after the selected agent has finalised them & more often than not we pay for ourselves at this stage of the process & make you more money.
We will also negotiate you the fairest commission structure & unlike many advocates we share in nothing from the agents commission, in fact the best agents wouldn’t work on that basis, some advocates take up to 60% which seems outrageous. This also allows us to again have no conflict, why would we negotiate a lower fee if we were getting paid from it? Exactly we wouldn’t & that’s why we structure our service the way we do.
We also are well across the marketing side of your home & what benefits you & what benefits (at your cost) the agent & agency. We will not have you pay anything that’s not required & again this will save you money & make our fee more like an investment in your profit rather than an expense.
We will also ensure there is clear & direct information during your campaign coming from the appointed agent, this will include phone calls, written reports & face to face (or Zoom) meetings which we will be across. We will give you advice on where to set your expectations & work with you based on the information at hand to ensure you achieve the best result the market can bear & will keep the agent accountable during the process.
Upon exchange of contracts for a successful sale unlike most agents we will be there right throughout the settlement period & be able to assist in relation to removalists, connections & any trades required. From start to finish in your corner to ensure you have the best result with the least trouble or stress.
