Leederville - Realmark's home

I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but Leederville is almost the spiritual home of Realmark. Leederville was a forgotten city fringe commercial precinct when Realmark first opened its doors back when it was just my wife Anita and I running the show in a small shop font with some second-hand furniture. We have sure grown up since then, and Leederville has too... read the full article at realmark.com.au

Volunteering Holidays

People travel for many reasons but now groups of travellers are giving back as well as taking in the scenery. Ara Jansen discovers a growing trend.

Catherine Wallace likes to travel but there was something missing in her adventures. So she found a group trip with a difference and headed to Vietnam. A year later she was in Tanzania.

The 29-year-old had discovered that by spending part of her trip working on a sustainable community project she was not only giving but receiving plenty too.

Catherine travelled with World Expeditions, a company pioneering community project travel adventures... read the full article at realmark.com.au

Beat the Crisis

I sometimes feel I am turning into a broken record when it comes to the looming housing shortage we are facing in this State. It is a big issue and it is likely to be the fundamental that once again smashes affordability of housing in WA. So we need to keep talking about it.

There are many factors at play in this shortage, one issue surrounds what our first home buyers or young people are building. We need more homes to be built, that is a fact. But what we don’t need is oversized houses built in new subdivisions which are getting further and further away from the CBD. There is a mindset in WA that when you build a home, you need to build something as big as possible, with a theatre room, alfresco area and multiple bedrooms, but this mindset is actually just leaving us with... read the complete article at realmark.com.au

Experiment with a new look

Just a quick message to post a link to a nifty little site I found... http://bit.ly/homestyler.

Good to have a tinker with some ideas or experiment with a new look for your favourite room.

Are clichés costing you thousands?

The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape, wrote in a column a few weeks back something along the lines of, real estate agents get paid too much for what they do.

This comment was not popular within our industry because it is pretty scathing, but I think he has made not only a very valid, but very important point.

The thing is, selling a home is major financial decision no matter who you are, and the quality of the advice you receive at this time can impact you in the way of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So sellers, are you falling for the old clichés? Silent listings, buyer databases, a quick sale is a good sale and so on?

In today’s market your home will sell with or without an agent. The danger out there right now is underselling and missing out on sometimes tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In all honesty, many agents today are simply order takers, and they are getting paid big bucks for the privilege. If you handed over that cash to any other discipline (say a lawyer or accountant) you would have massive expectations around their service level, why are we not expecting the same from our real estate agents?

So I am in real estate, why I am I saying all this? At Realmark I know that we provide value in that we help people get more for their property, we help them make good decisions around their property. We provide proven processes and our results reflect this. We work hard to remain informed and in touch, we never push outdated methods. We don’t take our commissions for granted and those in our industry that do reflect badly on us, and let me tell you, it is frustrating.

Sellers you need to understand that old clichés cost you money and rob you of the transparency you deserve. Let your sale mature with buyers within the optimum 21 days, demand a high level marketing strategy, expect real buyer feedback and find an agent that offers process, not personality...don’t just appoint an agent because they are a neighbourhood celebrity!

Be a little more savvy and it will pay off, often financially.

Gumiyo... relevant?

I recently provided comment to The West Australian which ran a story on the introduction of Gumiyo into our commercial business and our use of other marketing mediums. The Real Estate Institute of WA chairman Victor Sankey also provided comment and said the use of Gumiyo might not be as relevant to commercial as it was to residential property.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and getting two sides to every story is the name of the game in the media. And he may be right, innovative mediums may not be as relevant to commercial as they are to residential – but despite this, they do have a place and that is why we are launching this new initiative. It may not be typical of the commercial sector, but we are willing to try.

The nature of the commercial industry means that things tend to move a little slower than they do in residential, especially here in WA. But in business, those who follow are always left behind, it is about not being afraid to embrace something different, having enough confidence to do something that is perhaps a little outside the box. In the eastern states, commercial agencies are far more open to innovation and fresh thinking, things are a little stale here sometimes.

I feel that agents in WA have still not fully realised that they are no longer in control of the information feed and it is now firmly in the hands of the consumer. It is the consumer that will decide when and through which medium they will receive the data they want. I feel that those businesses that let go of control will in turn reach favour with the real estate consumer and be winners.

Here at Realmark we are not afraid to push the envelope, we are always open to and looking for, newer and fresher ways of delivering outstanding service and better solutions to our clients. Both residential and commercial. And the fact of the matter is, digital is the future and we want to be ahead of that curve, not playing catch ups.

Our ongoing research into new marketing concepts and technologies led us to Gumiyo and after looking closely at the technology, we realised that this would work well with our commercial niche.

Realmark Commercial provides a distinct alternative choice for clients who are looking for a non-corporatised style agency; we relate to those clients seeking an agency whose focus is not primarily on the CBD. And we think these clients will find Gumiyo a useful marketing tool. It won’t replace other marketing tools, it is just another string in the bow for our clients.

Gumiyo is convenient, smart and efficient and able to deliver data rich responses to consumers exactly when they want it via a mobile phone.

We’re proud to be the first commercial agency in WA to take it on board and the feedback we’ve received from clients has been positive. Of course only time will tell how this plays out, but as anyone in marketing knows, most good things are a gamble in the beginning.

Believe it or not, interest rate rise is good news

Interest rate rises are never seen as good news, because for the everyday borrower they simply mean another cost to worry about. And while that is understandable, people need to realise that the first interest rate rise since the global financial crisis is actually a very good sign.

I believe the recent rate rise was a bold and wise move by the RBA, and it is also an indication that here in Australia we have managed to come out of the global financial crisis in a far better position than other nations. For us, the outlook is good. We are only the second developed nation to officially increase rates since the emergency lows.

What this really highlights is how strong both our economy and our banking systems are. And I think we need to understand how lucky we are to live in a country where the RBA is willing to make a move ahead of the curve to ensure our economy is not exposed to any further risk. Despite the fact it was never going to be a popular move.

This rise was necessary especially for WA. Why? Because with the Gorgon announcement and growing confidence there is a risk WA may slide back into a boom time mentality.

The increase will assist in protecting housing affordability here in WA by ensuring that the market isn’t fuelled by misplaced confidence. Gorgon may ignite the market somewhat and dropping stock levels are already threatening affordability, there is a significant risk that another housing ‘bubble’ may occur.

What I am asking people to see here is the bigger picture. When the cost of housing increases it causes a wide ripple of problems, rents go up and other living costs are affected. As a consequence, those most vulnerable in society are the hardest hit – this really is a social issue, not just an issue for borrowers.

In the short term rapid price increases favour a few people and businesses, in the medium term, unsustainable price hikes are actually detrimental to the overall strength of the market.

For all you borrowers out there who are facing bigger repayments as a consequence of the rate rise, remember to keep it in perspective. The three per cent interest rates were at emergency levels because there was significant risk to our economy, they were never going to stay there for long. At the moment interest rates are still very manageable.

The outlook for interest rates is that they will now continue to trend upward, so understand this and stay informed so you can make the best decisions when the time is right.