TRADING HOURS – LET THE MARKET SPEAK

Realmark Commercial director John Percudani says when it comes to trading hours, we should forget the referendums and simply let the market speak.

“When the issue of trading hours rears its head, there is always one fundamental that is left out of the conversation every time and that is what the market wants,” Mr Percudani said.

“Obviously there are stakeholders who are threatened by the extension of trading hours who are being protected by these regulations, however there is a lot of time and resources spent on this debate when if we just let the market speak, the people of WA would be getting what they want and the market would find its own equilibrium.

“It may be a crazy notion to some, but the fact is, if there is specific demand for extend trading in certain suburbs and strips, businesses that operate in these areas will profit from this and stay open. In areas where the demand isn’t strong enough to make staying open later or on Sunday’s profitable, those businesses will only be open when it is profitable to do so.”

“It is not a complex equation, it is just the way it is. We are trying to regulate something that really should be allowed to happen naturally, like it does elsewhere in Australia,” he said.

“Why are we telling people when and where to shop? The market should be telling us. The fact is consumers will go elsewhere, maybe online if they can’t find what they want, when they want it.

“In an age of every increasing consumer assess and individuality it is the consumer who should be dictating the trading hours agenda not politicians or retailers.”

Mr Percudani says more flexibility around trading hours would encourage more vibrant hubs throughout Perth.

“You can not artificially create the village centre, it is something that happens over time and it cannot be controlled by planning or regulating trading hours, we need to have the foresight to see that,” he said.

“I fear we are crushing creativity and opportunity by being lead by specific stakeholders on this issue. While some sectors will be impacted by opening up trading hours, so many will benefit and so will the people of WA.”

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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.