Are you ready for the spring property buzz?

Thankfully the warmer weather is just around the corner and with it comes the peak of the real estate market. Spring is the time of the year where many property owners try to capitalise on attractive gardens and the sunny days that spring brings. It also means that more buyers come out of their winter hibernation looking for their new home or to secure a great investment property. So how do you best ensure you give yourself every chance to secure a great property at a great price?  Here are a few tips to put into action:

Be prepared - if you're serious about buying then you need to be ready to buy.  Don't leave it until you find a great property, start now.  Firstly get your finance pre-approval sorted out; be clear on your wants and needs lists; narrow down a suburb or two to buy in; start researching current values; prepare your property spreadsheets to keep track of all details and start speaking with local selling agents to see what is coming onto the market that would suite your needs.

Understand the auction process - Spring is the most active auction season with often a few 'Super Saturdays' where around 1000 properties are auctioned on the one day.  Make sure that you understand all there is to know about auctions as chances are at least one or two properties that you like will be going under the hammer.  It's important that you learn the different legal requirements between private treaty sales and auctions, research the auction lingo, and understand what's needed to buy before, during or after auction. To ensure you don't make any expensive mistakes I suggest you order a copy of my best selling book "The Insider's Guide to Saving Thousands at Auction".

Do you have the time? - Ensuring you don't over pay and only buy an A or B grade property takes a considerable amount of time in researching and understanding current market and values.  If you don't have the time to do this properly then I recommend you do what most switched on home buyers and investors do which is take advantage of our services. Not only will you be able to enjoy your weekends, you will also benefit from having access to our network of off-market properties and negotiation techniques honed from hundreds of transactions over decades of working in the real estate industry.