Your mindset is the most powerful tool you have when looking to buy a property, and it’s often the thing that holds people back. Yes, house prices are crazy right now, but that won’t change anytime soon…

If you’re purchasing a property, you’ve probably seen those ads for property reports and apps from the banks and thought, ‘what a great tool!’.

Unfortunately, these reports aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. We know that a diligent buyer does a lot of research – but sometimes, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Pre-approval is an important number and will help you narrow your search. But it doesn’t give you the freedom to spend that amount of money on any old property.

Buying a property is a big deal and takes a lot of research, investment, and time. Unfortunately, in fast-moving markets, time is in short supply, and it can lead buyers to make decisions they regret.

The most successful buyers and sellers have a deeper understanding of what the data means to them. Here are some of the things you should be looking at to get the whole story.

This year particularly being such a hot market, it has been challenging to broker a deal pre-auction. But, there are a few things to think about before making a pre-auction offer…

In case you hadn’t noticed, the property market moves at an incredible pace. With prices continuing to climb, it’s a pretty tough time to get your first foot on the property ladder.

These days, it takes a solid strategy and a lot of creativity to enter the market. Teaming up with friends or relatives could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

While the process of buying during a lockdown isn't new, uncertainty is still proving a challenge, and slowly rising interest rates are another factor to consider.

If you’re looking to buy a property during lockdown, here’s what you need to know…

Gazumping occurs when the vendor sells to another party after accepting a verbal offer from someone else.

Without contracts being exchanged, anyone else can come in and make an offer above you. It is completely frustrating, and disheartening, however it is also completely legal, even if sometimes it seems morally wrong.

The good news is though, there are ways to minimise this happening.

Head to my blog to what you can do, and how we can also help.

Secrets are the enemy of any good property search, so there’s nothing more frustrating than not knowing how much a property sold for in your desired area. If you don’t have all the facts and figures, how can you get a feel for what you’ll end up paying?

With more buyers than properties out there, snap auctions (or instant auctions) are another way for vendors to take advantage of intense competition. They can cost buyers thousands of extra dollars or a lifetime of regret if not handled right.

The term off-market instantly makes people think they’re getting exclusive access and potentially a bargain. Sure, that is sometimes the case, but in Sydney, 30-50% of properties never see a For Sale sign, and there are so many reasons why that's the case.