When you’re focussed on buying a new home, it can feel like an interminable wait until those precious keys are in your hot little hands. There’s the right house to find, the property market’s activity to come to terms with, sometimes there’s compromises to make on location and must-haves in a home, important finance to organise, a conveyancer to appoint … and that’s all before you’ve even begun to negotiate with the agent and vendor.
A bit like planning to start a family, you can spend years waiting to buy a home … and then all of a sudden, you’re a homeowner. In today’s Aviser blog, we follow two of our dear clients on their recent property journey – from selling, to seeking, to finally acquiring their ideal home. Meet Rach and Sil – and their gorgeous kids – and find out how they made their big property transition a happy one.
Aviser: You’ve just recently been through the life-changing experience of selling and buying a home. Can you remark on two parts of this adventure that have stuck most strongly with you?
Rachel: It was a big process! I would recommend selling your property first so you’re not working with ‘rubbery’ budget numbers. You’ll be more confident – and will probably negotiate with a stronger backbone – if you know exactly what you can afford and what the bank will allow you to loan. Additionally, it’s worth doing your homework on where you can afford to buy. Do this by attending auctions, visiting open for inspections and then checking sales results. Quoted prices don’t reflect the finale sales figure, more often than not.
Aviser: Having chosen to sell your home before buying, would you undertake the transaction process in this order again?
Rachel: Yes, absolutely. It reduced our sense of risk and gave a heightened sense of control over our decision-making.
Aviser: You’ve chosen to stay in the inner-north of Melbourne – with property values on the rise, were you concerned you might not be able to buy in an area you loved? Did you have other areas planned for consideration?
Rachel: Yes, we did have some concerns over being ‘outpriced’ as the price of property increased around us. We were looking predominantly in the area we lived, and the surrounding suburbs. It was a distinct possibility that we might have had to go further out to find a property that matched our budget and needs. Luckily, we didn’t have to!
Aviser: Share your experience in finding the home you ultimately purchased. Did you look for a long time? Did you develop any particularly important relationships with estate agents? How did you learn about the home you eventually purchased?
Aviser: How early in the process of buying did you arrange finance? How would you say arranging finance using Aviser impacted on the success of your offer?
Rachel: We organised finance as soon as we had sold our home and knew what we could borrow. There were some issues to resolve around timing: we needed a quick settlement – which Aviser organised for us in next to no time. It’s really because of their speed and diligence that we were able to buy our home.
Aviser: If you had two or gems of advice to give others looking to secure a property in the next few months, what would they be?
Rachel: Be ready with your finance – don’t leave anything to chance – and take time to do your homework on the real estate market. Preparation is key!
