Listed below are some reasons why properties may remain vacant for an extended period of time.

The rent is too high

The market and the tenants determine rent.  We are constantly monitoring the market rent to ensure that you are receiving the maximum return on your investment.  High rents can lead to long-term vacancies or high tenancy turnovers, which ultimately affects your income.

High Vacancy Rate

If there is a high ratio of properties to tenants (more properties than tenants) it will have an effect on the vacancy factor.  Tenants have more choices and are in a stronger position to negotiate on rents.

Poor Presentation

It is important that the property is maintained in an excellent condition to attract the same quality of tenant.  A tenant will often have a choice between multiple properties.

 Accessibility to local facilities and transport

Often the property can be maintained in an excellent condition, the rent is priced at market value and yet it still remains vacant.  This could be due to its location.  Tenants today (due to the supply and demand of properties) can be choosey.

 Often they require a property that is close to town, shops, clubs, the beach or water, transport or schools, etc.

 Every endeavour is made to locate a quality tenant to suit your investment property, and we will keep you updated on a regular basis on our progress with sourcing a tenant.

ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND

We will value you, as well as your home

Each person who owns a part of the home must be an applicant.

You may be eligible for the grant if …

You are:

• at least 18 years of age
• not a company or a person acting as a trustee
• an Australian citizen or a permanent resident (or a joint applicant with someone who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident).

You may be eligible for the grant if you are a trustee of a trust (other than a discretionary or unit trust) and all the beneficiaries are individuals under a legal disability who will live in the home as their principal place of residence.

You and your spouse have:

• never been paid the first home owner grant
• before 1 July 2000, not owned residential property in Australia
• from 1 July 2000, not lived in residential property (in Australia) you have owned.

You will:

• move into the home within one year of buying it
• live in the home for 6 months continuously as your principal place of residence.

Exceptions

The grant may may approved in special circumstances if you:

• are under 18 years of age
• move into the home after one year
• live in the home for less than 6 months.

However, there must be good reasons for you to get the grant.

You might not get the grant if you have entered into a/an:

• oral contract 
• instalment arrangement 
• rental purchase agreement.

Before applying, check with Queensland Office of State Revenue to see if you are eligible.

Real estate professionals also need to be knowledgeable about the community. They need to have a feel for the history of the area and the approximate price that people will be willing to pay. Also, real estate agents should know what the competition is and how much it will affect your sale.

NEVER choose a Real Estate Agent on price alone. Remember that an Agent cannot magically raise the selling price of the house. Consider the buyer. The purchaser won’t willingly pay too much; it’s most likely that he or she will do research on the market and try to find the best product for the best price. The facts simply cannot be changed, no matter which Agent you select. In spite of these unchangeable factors, the Real Estate Agent you select must still be diligent and knowledgeable.

If your property does not elicit attention within several weeks, the cause can most likely be attributed to one of these three factors: location, condition, and price. The location obviously cannot be changed. You should consider examining the conditioning of your property and the presentation of your home and re-evaluating the marketing strategy. Ask your Agent to offer an explanation of the competition and your pricing strategy. Ask the Agent to give you other properties in the local area that have recently sold and that are similar to your home i.e. same amount of bedrooms, bathrooms, car accommodation and similar land size.

If you choose the right Agent you should have the property priced correctly and the Agent should be able to give you some useful hints on how to present your property. Remember Everything will sell at the right price!

Elders Real Estate Cleveland – We will value you as well as your home

Most real estate agents will have a pool of buyers on their data bases, people contact us daily to search for their perfect homes.  As real estate agents we will contact our buyers when your property comes on to the market.  Our buyers may be the ones who buy your property.

 To obtain maximum exposure of your property we advise you to widen the net.  If you go fishing you put out your hook to catch a fish, if you put out a net  you will get much more than you bargained for.

 Advertising via the local or national newspapers, provides you with much more possibility of increasing the exposure, attention and competition in selling your property and therefore the price that competing buyers will be prepared to pay for your property will be maximised.

 Most people if selling an item of furniture will pay to have it advertised in the paper, as they know that this will be a sure way to get people interested.  They may spend $50 on advertising a dining suite they may only expect to get $250 for.  Yet when it comes to budgeting for advertising for their home, some vendors hold back on what could potentially sell and increase the price of their sale of their home.

 At Elders we would suggest that your home is advertised for the first three weeks on a weekly basis, then fortnightly thereafter.  When a home comes to the market, it will gain its maximum interest within the first month.  If there is no interest in that time then there are usually other factors that may affect the interest in the property.  If a home stays on the market up to the 60 day listing period, there will be other things you may wish to consider.  The P’s as we would call it. 

 Position – If your property is situated on a main road, or busy junction, there is little which can be done to change this.  You may want to ensure that you have adequate appeal to the front of your property to compensate for this.  You may decide to erect an attractive fence to screen off the front of the property and plant some trees, shrubs or other foliage to hide anything which may otherwise deter buyers from putting in an offer.

 Presentation – It’s common sense that if you are selling your home, you want to get that top dollar.  At Elders we will supply you with our fact sheet, “Hints and Tips on Selling your Home”.  If your blue three piece suite or green and pink cushions are tired and have seen better days, don’t wait until you are in your new home to replace them, purchase those new attractive soft furnishings now, add to the value and appeal  BEFORE YOU SELL. 

 Price – People will vote with their feet, if there are no people walking through your open home then there will be no chance of getting an offer.  No offer means we have nothing to work with for you.  If you have advertised your home and put out that net and done all you can to improve the appeal and presentation to the property, then there is normally only one thing which is hampering achieving your sale.

 There are many pricing techniques real estate agents use.  At Elders Real Estate we hide nothing from you the vendor or potential purchasers.  We do not hide the address in our marketing or advertising, just to provoke interest in obtaining customer details, which will benefit ourselves, we do not play games with pricing techniques, with Elders Real Estate, we offer an honest, up front and transparent service.  Elders offers your property for sale at the top price which can realistically be achieved in the market place.  This will be agreed and decided on before it is listed for sale.  We understand that you want to get the highest price for your home and if that price is out there, we at Elders are the people to get it for you.

Elders Real Estate Cleveland – We will value you as well as your home

For example there is a good chance you will like us to keep our appointments, be on time, or call if  there is a change to our itinerary. This is simple, professional courtesy. So you can be rest assured that we do.

You probably prefer that we listen rather than talk over you, being totally focused on the appointment is paramount so we turn off our mobile phone.

We also think that you wish to appoint someone with extensive local knowledge and experience.

We will give you a realistic price estimate rather than an unachievable inflated opinion but we will stretch our buyers to their maximum potential to achieve the best price for you.

We aim to treat you with courtesy and friendly professionalism during all stages of the sales process. We are not arrogant yet we believe in “telling it as it is”.

We believe you will find our approach refreshing.

We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t practice what we preach. We are totally committed to our community, where we live, where we work and where our children go to school.

Whether you require any property advice you can feel confident in dealing with the Elders Cleveland team –

whether it is for sales, leasing, property management or investment advice.

WELCOME TO ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND

ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND – We value you, as well as your home

As a starting point, continued growth in house prices is very good news for home owners and those looking to sell, re-locate or upgrade. ABS figures for June 2009 quarter show that the average price for established homes across eight capital cities rose by 4.2%. Lending and re-financing options remain attractive, with interest rates currently remaining at record lows for five consecutive months. 

Growth is not only occurring at the lower, more affordable sector, but also in the middle market and upper end, with RP Data reporting growth of properties in the top 20%. General market activity is well and truly on the increase. Auction clearance rates, a good indictor of the market’s strength, are healthy, with Brisbane achieving 59% for the week ending August 23^rd.  “Listings,” are indeed being met with immediate and avid interest from various sectors, including investors who have made a welcome return to the market.

First home buyers are also keen to take advantage of the First Home Buyer Grant Boost, which halves at the end of September and ceases at the end of December. For further information about those changes, and other helpful, state-based incentives, please see www.firsthome.gov.au. Elders Cleveland welcomes all inquiries about how to make the most successful property transactions in today’s market.

ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND – We will value you, as well as your home

 For sale by owner is becoming more and more a popular option as marketing your property gets easier via the internet.  There are a lot of people trying to sell their properties to save themselves thousands of dollars on real estate commission. 

 The bottom line is the “for sale by owner” method could actually cost you thousands of dollars in the inability to get people to view your property, negotiate the sale and to successfully close the deal.  Not only that, but the time involved in selling your home is, from experience, much longer, (in some cases over a year)! 

 Most potential purchasers are very reluctant to approach the owner of the property to undergo the viewing and negotiation process, and would rather avoid putting offers forward than deal directly with the vendor.

 Selling your home is a very personal and emotional experience.  To sell your home you need to be detached and analytical in your approach to your sale.  From experience, I have known other real estate agents, who are extremely well qualified and experienced, to completely avoid undertaking selling their own property choosing to out source it to another agent for a more professional result.  It is very difficult to mediate and negotiate when opposing buyer and seller needs, wants and demands may come into play, it may also prove to be extremely stressful in the process.  Appointing a professional real estate may cost you thousands of dollars, but their job is to act in your best interest to ensure that you achieve the maximum return on your home and to act on your behalf wholeheartedly.

 When deciding to sell your own property, you have to ask yourself if you are prepared to continue negotiating even though the initial offer has offended you.  How well would you deal with the buyer or seller without it ending in a lose : lose situation where both opposing parties are reluctant to have any further contact or discussion over the sale.

 You also have to put yourself in the other person’s position, which when you are both out to win, it can be a recipe for disaster.  A FOR SALE BY OWNER sign, speaks volumes in terms of how reasonable you would expect the seller to be in his/her ability to negotiate the sale.  Most potential purchasers would completely avoid such a property as they see it as they would not wish to put themselves into a possibly confrontational or disastrous situation.

 So, if you think you have what it takes to sell your own property, consider the end result, if you want to achieve a smooth transition and move on to your future property, put it in the hands of the experts and trust your Real Estate Agent to get you the results you deserve.

 ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND – We value you, as well as your home

Astute investors watch, understand, and take advantage of market conditions and property cycles. It’s no real surprise then that increasing numbers of investors have zoomed in on current opportunities and become a much stronger presence in today’s market.

Key data collection and industry bodies, including the REIA, ABS and RP Data, have all reported renewed energy and activity in the investment sector in recent months. The value of investment housing commitments not only rose in June, it also followed increases in the previous three months, according to the REIA. So, why the rush?

There have been several enticements. Generally speaking, key indicators of a stabilisation and strengthening of both the Australian property market and wider Australian economy have boosted business, consumer, vendor and investor confidence. In addition, competition from the first home buyer sector has abated somewhat, and may well continue to decline given the First Home Buyer Grant Boost will halve at the end of September and cease at the end of the year.

The growth of house prices across all capital cities in the June quarter brought an additional welcomed surprise. Values improved not only at the lower, more affordable end, but also in the middle range and top end. With the top 20% of properties now recording increases in their values, RP Data suggests that now might be a good time for investors ”to look to re-invest in top end property”.

Investors have been quick to capitalise on record-low interest rates and fixed rate loans. Even with possible rate increases on the horizon, investors should keep the bigger picture in sight. Vacancy rates, which drive demand, remain very tight at under 3% in all capital cities. This shortage of supply is unlikely, according to PR Data, to abate in the near future. Rental yields remain historically higher than the long-term average, capital growth has returned, and residential property, which produces average annual returns of 12%, remains the best-performing asset over the past 20 years.

For professional, timely advice and support in starting, growing and managing your investment portfolio, please contact Nicole Davies at Elders Cleveland

 Many real estate agents loath the thought of door knocking, walking the streets and approaching the public.  It’s not always the easiest part of the job and it happens, but not very often; that I will be told, “not interested, can you not call here”, (sometimes, not so politely).  That’s okay, working at Elders we appreciate and respect your decision and opinions, we understand that not everyone wants a real estate agent knocking on the door.  Some agents I speak to just don’t believe that I really do enjoy spending two or three hours, speaking face to face with people at their doors.

 For most of the time, I meet very genuine, kind and fun people.  Some just want to chat and talk about the property market in general, and some want to know how I am doing in property sales, most people are very kind.  A cup of tea is always a lovely offer and very much appreciated after the “not interested” experience. 

 I always say that if people don’t want to be disturbed, do not disturb.  If people want to chat, I love to chat, (it’s a great socialising opportunity).  It’s not always about the housing market or property prices.  I was invited into this great couple, Tony and Gill’s house in Cleveland this week to look at his collection of football and cricket memorabilia – with genuine autographs of Matt Busby, George Best and Bobby Charlton – how cool was that!  To top it we had a great time talking about meeting the famous, what he would rescue if the house burned down and the ins and outs of how to lay his front porch.  It’s people like this who make my day.

 So it isn’t about me wanting to get you to sell your home.  It’s about me really enjoying meeting you the people.  Back in the UK we lived very closed door lifestyles, which really makes me appreciate the social, friendly people of Australia and the “Good’ay Mate culture”.

 Good’ay Mate – good on ya!!!

ELDERS REAL ESTATE CLEVELAND – We value you, as well as your home

A koala conservation program operates in Capalaba where a nature corridor caters to wandering koalas. An abundance of other wildlife also exists, wallabies, cockatoos and lorikeets featuring among them. there are plenty of parks and neighbourhood playgrounds as well as large sporting fields and bushland refuges.

Originally cleared for farmland, it was not until the 1960’s that this suburb really started to develop and grow. As a result there are a range of architectural styles with timber homes, low set brick and tile homes and a scattering of newer dwellings (circa 1990’s).

No high rise development exists, the tallest dwellings being a scattering of two storey townhouses.

Median Prices