Real Estate Articles Keep yourself informed in real estate. Discover what agents don't tell you.

How NOT to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.by Neil JenmanReading time: 8.5 mins apxTwo homes on Sydney’s North Shore. Next door to each other. A combined worth of more than $10 million ($5 million each).The first home sells for an extra $700,000.The second home under-sells by $500,000.How can this be? How can one owner […]

And avoid the downward real estate escalator.by Neil JenmanReading Time: Apx 3 minsWhen I was an agent, there was one promise I refused to make to sellers. I never promised to sell their home at a specific price.I did make two promises, however. First, I promised that the price I got for a home would […]

Maybe it’s time to give decency a chance. by Neil Jenman Reading Time: Apx 4.5 mins This is a real estate story that almost breaks my heart. It’s an all-too-common story that applies to agents in every area of Australia, mostly the rookies. Meet just one of them. Sally. There’s one word to describe Sally […]

10 TIPS to help you secure a good rental property.by Neil JenmanReading time: Apx 6.5 minsIf you’re trying to rent a home today, it’s bad news. Rental costs soaring with available homes vanishing. Stories of greedy landlords, dreadful properties and heartless agents.In many parts of Australia, trying to find a home to rent is so […]

HOW REJECTED AGENTSBECOME ENEMY AGENTS by Neil Jenman Reading time: Apx 3.5 mins If you’re about to put your house on the market, you’ll have no trouble attracting agents. The mere scent of a big commission will attract dozens of agents.  And if you enjoy being harrassed by agents promising you all sort of miracles, […]

How to sell or buy betterby Neil JenmanReading time: Apx 2 minsIt was a British sitcom. It was quoted in the Bible. We are told to “love our neighbours”. Yet many of us never think of neighbours.In real estate, there are two big ways neighbours can help you.ALWAYS MEET THE NEIGHBOURS.First, you should always meet […]

8 POINTS TO HELP YOU STAY SAFE AND PROSPERby Neil JenmanReading time: 3 minutesImagine owning a property that even agents don’t want to sell.That’s what happened to one owner recently. Four years ago, he bought an apartment off-the-plan from one of those expert “investment advisers”. He paid $550,000.Today, he’d be lucky to get $400,000.In the […]

by Neil JenmanReading Time: Apx 7 minsIn the real estate world, a “tough nut” is a home seller who wants too much money.To some degree, most sellers are “tough”; they want a great price. That’s okay, it’s just human nature. It doesn’t matter what we are selling – from a car to a home – […]

When home owners do NOT want to be home sellersby Neil JenmanReading time: Apx 5 minsLike many real estate stories, this one has touched my heart.Alf and May have lived in their home since they fell in love and got married in 1968.That’s 55 years.May was 19 when Alf, at 22, carried her up the […]

MAKING SENSE OF NONSENSE IN REAL ESTATE. by Neil Jenman Reading time: Apx 5 mins To the average consumer, there is so much about real estate that doesn’t make sense. But agents say, “This is the way we do it.” So, most consumers just shrug and sign-up with the agents. Big mistake. For those who […]

What to try if your home is not selling.by Neil JenmanReading time: Apx 5.5 minsThere’s a new challenge in the real estate market: Homes are taking longer to sell.In Australia, it’s accepted that the average time to sell a home is about three weeks. Even less in the boom.But now many homes are staying on […]

Most sellers fall for this one.by Neil JenmanReading Time: 7 mins********************************************Warning: This is a thinking person’s article. If you skim it, you’ll risk skimming the price of your home when you sell. Read it slowly. Read it carefully. Think about it. Feel welcome to comment or ask as many questions as you wish. Your family […]

How to quickly discover the truthby Neil JenmanREADING TIME: Apx 2 minsIf you look back on your life, you may find that your biggest mistakes happened when you ignored your feelings.In my life, I have learned more from literature than self-help books. I often think of Conan Doyle’s detective, Sherlock Holmes who said: “When you […]

Another look at real estate commission.by Neil Jenman READING TIME: Apx 3.5 minutesMost real estate agents are massively overpaid.Never mind what they tell you, it takes the same time to sell a unit for $300,000 in Bundaberg as it does to sell a home for millions of dollars in a big city.The agents getting paid $100,000 […]

How unethical conduct is now compulsory.by Neil JenmanReading time: Apx 4 minsCindy is a nice young lady. We always liked her, especially when she started in real estate. She was so enthusiastic, so keen to do the right thing. An honest and decent young lady, the sort of person the real estate industry needs.But, sadly, […]