Jacobs - Sold!: how to buy or sell your home with real confidence

To our beautiful girls, Maya, Keisha and Zahra. You can achieve anything if you work hard and believe. xx

Contents

I have always had an interest in the way we interact within the spaces we live in, whether they are small apartments or large palatial homes. The objects we style our homes with. The way we set them up. Why some of us choose to be on the doorstep of a tram or train, but others want to be within walking distance of the beach or are pulled towards the country on acreage where neighbours are few and far between. What I do firmly believe is this: the space within which we live can have a massive impact on how we feel, depending on our individual make-up. I only have to look at our young identical twins to see that one can live quite happily in a room that is cluttered and messy, while the other cannot function unless her space is clean and ordered and with everything in its place.

For me, seeking the balance between possessions around me that have memories and a space that works for our family of five on a daily basis is one of constant evolution. I do know that we have, for too many years, been heavy consumers of all things material. It is only now that we have decided to implement a more minimalistic approach that I can see a clear path to the way I would like our spaces to be. Having the privilege of walking through so many homes on a weekly basis, I have come to realise that even the largest and most expensive of homes do not always bring joy and happiness to those living in them. Sometimes it is the small homes that are perfectly balanced with light, possessions, space and that feeling of peace and security that I enjoy viewing the most.

We are all (thankfully) different in our views and are motivated by many different things, making my world of buying homes for people incredibly rewarding.

Sold! aims to be a practical guide to buying your home. It may be that you are a first home buyer or a family upscaling to a bigger home as your numbers grow. You might even be a downsizer, whose kids have left homechances are you have been out of the property market so long you simply need a few pointers on how to best deal with selling agents. I will provide you with the due-diligence checklists required, no matter where you are on your home-buying journey, and help you to work through exactly why you are buying. You may even read Sold! and decide you couldand shouldfall in love with your existing home and that renovating just makes sense. After all, how hard can it be? Well, to answer that question, I have included a chapter on how best to renovate your home so that it suits your needs now and should also bring you maximum profit when and if you choose to sell in years to come.

Many buyers are also sellers, so I have included a section on how to choose a selling agent and the tips and tricks of the trade to prepare your home for sale, from where to spend your money to get the best return through to street appeal.

Overall, Sold! will provide an easy-to-access guide, organised so that, no matter what part of the property journey you are on, you can refer to the appropriate section for practical, commonsense ideas and top tips.

My aim as a buyers advocate (also known as a buyers agent; these terms are interchangeable) for my clients is to always provide as much information as possible so my clients can make a very educated decision. Sold! will let you in on the process that I follow for my clients and reveal why doing your homework is imperative to buying (and selling) well.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

I have been in the property industry professionally for eighteen years, of which roughly seven were as a selling agent and the rest as a buyers advocate. Starting in traditional sales in the Melbourne suburbs of Elwood and St Kilda, I then moved into selling newly constructed buildings in Port Melbourne and off-the-plan apartments in Docklands. During my entire career, I have always believed in being as qualified as possible. I studied for my real estate licence as soon as I could, which meant I could open my own business when the time was right.

The move into buyer advocacy, or the other side, actually happened when one of the directors of the business I was working with in Brighton, Marcus Peters, asked me to look after the buyers coming through the door. I found the transaction process completely different from sellingit was so focused on the buyers needs and I loved it. Through this opportunity arose a passion to be a buyers advocate, allowing me to combine my love for homes and architecture while helping people realise their property dreams.

I believed I could add value. People who are selling their homes are nearly always represented by a professional but buyers, by and large, try to do it all on their own. Being able to help them was something that excited me.

I began small, working from my study at home, and buying mostly small houses and apartments for young couples. As my knowledge and networks grew, I realised the importance of marketing and pushing myself into different segments of the market. Buying people their second houses took me into another market while, at the same time, a lot of business was also coming from referrals. My business grew with my clients and their journey up the property ladder. Soon I had leased a desk in a local builders office and worked hard to grow my business organically. Now, I have two offices: one in Melbourne, where I am based for the majority of my business, and one in Sydney, where I am also now licensed and able to work in conjunction with other like-minded advocates to purchase property for clients interstate.

Referrals have always been a key part of my business and I am sure this comes back to my core belief in customer service. When I was studying at university, I had a casual job at Safeway (now Woolworths). I guess thats where I realised just how important customer service was. My mum was quick to remind me one day when I was less than excited about going to work that I only had a job because of the customers I served. I have never forgotten that and to this day it reminds me just how important it is to understand not just my clients needs but also those of everyone I deal with on a daily basis. Whether it is a solicitor I am briefing on a new client, a selling agent I am discussing a property with or an agent at the door of a home I am viewing, they are all my customers. Ultimately, it is being able to coordinate the whole processfrom a clients brief to the pre-settlement inspection before they take the keysthat drives my passion for what I do.

I have always been driven to succeed and to put myself in situations where, perhaps, I may sink but also I might just swim. Representing buyers on The Block is one such example.

One of the most common questions I am asked is How did you come to be on The Block? It is undoubtedly the most popular reality renovation show in Australia, but the story is quite simple. It was a bit of a right place at the right time situation, I believe. I chose to offer my services to the agents marketing the properties that might have potential buyers who were unfamiliar with the auction process, werent around to bid for themselves (many buyers are either holidaying overseas or are expats living overseas at the time of the auction) or, for privacy reasons, just did not want to be on camera. Lets face it, auctions are quite nerve-racking even when they are not being filmed; for some buyers, the thought of bidding with lights, cameras and action is just too much to handle. Much of my business comes from buyers who fit the exact criteria above, so it just made sense.