Have you been trying to find your dream home?
At times it can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack, can’t it?
It’s difficult enough as an investor, but when buying a home there is an additional layer of complexity – emotion!
I know that was the case for one of our Brisbane clients who recently engaged our services to find their dream home, but that was certainly the case.
They had been searching for almost a year but with no luck.
Plenty of opportunities, but nothing that met all their requirements and very few had that all-important WOW factor.
But that was about to change.
Here is the story of how we helped our clients find the property of their dreams a couple of years ago.
The Brief
As with most homeowners, we usually ask them to prepare a brief for us to narrow the search to meet their requirements.
In this case, it appeared very simple.
- 3 Exclusive Water-Front Brisbane Suburbs
- Must be up to 1,000sqm of land
- Suitable to Demolish or extensive Renovation
- Wow Factor
In reality, it was far from simple, hence the reason they had been searching for the last 9 months.
But they were a couple of things they felt were working against them;
- They were searching for a new home during a Pandemic when stock levels were at record lows.
- They only had access to properties “on the market” – on realestate.com or domain websites and they were few and far between.
So, they turned to Metropole’s professional buyer’s agents to level the playing field and find what seemed their impossible dream.
And…here’s what we did…
On Market Opportunities
The first thing we did was set up a specific and dedicated search on the main real estate search portals.
It would allow us to be emailed daily, those opportunities that ticked all the boxes, so we could act on it right away.
When I say right away, I mean that very minute.
I know our clients had also been following this procedure, but when opportunities had come up, they had to wait until the weekend to inspect as they were time-poor.
As a result, they were coming up short and either missing out on price or together, as the property had sold by the first open home.
When you have a full-time property professional on your side, we can be there within a moment’s notice.
So, we knew this was an important first step, but in reality, it would be a long search if we just relied on properties hitting the open market.
Pre-Market Opportunities
In the next part of the search, we attempted to locate and identify suitable properties before they hit the open market.
Quite often with our strong networks and relationships with sales agents, we have a lot of success here.
Between signing up for a new listing and taking it to the open market, it may still be a couple of weeks.
It is not uncommon for us to attend inspections alongside photographers, cleaners and the like.
It allows us a head start on the competition and to potentially negotiate on our terms without additional buyers or bidders.
I know that this was one key reason our existing clients decided to engage our professional services, as they kept missing out.
They had also already seen everything on the market and felt like they were continually playing a waiting game.
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Off Market Opportunities
This type of property is a little harder to find for just the average buyer and is another big reason our clients came to us.
There are usually two types of properties we find off-market.
The first may be the result of a long tenancy or a very messy tenant, a divorce, or something like an elderly couple that does not want buyers messing up their home each weekend.
There can be many different reasons.
In this instance, it is the sales agent reaching out to us, as we have qualified buyers, ready to take action.
We usually work with these agents regularly and they want a smooth process for both themselves and their clients.
We have often purchased properties at exceptional prices as we are able to meet the seller’s primary desires, often outside of price.
The second way to find off-market opportunities takes a great deal more effort from the buyer or buyers’ agent.
It involves trawling through older and expired listings and talking to agents regarding properties that were previously for sale, but for one reason or another (e.g. price or circumstances) are no longer offered.
How We Helped
Our clients had been searching for 9 months, but we were able to find our clients their dream homes in less than a few weeks!
We certainly worked hard to show our clients all properties for sale, not just the ones on the Internet.
It was some amazing detective work from one of our senior buyers' agents in Brisbane Leanne Spring that came up trumps!
Leanne had identified a property that was previously on the market but was no longer on offer.
Leanne knew it would be perfect!
By making direct contact with the sales agent and letting them know she had a very serious buyer looking for this exact property, it rekindled the sellers’ interest.
As you can imagine, it also rekindled the sales agent’s interest, as he also reached out to his database.
But we were able to get out there, that day and under 24 hours later we had secured that needle in a haystack for our clients!
Just in the Knick of time with other potential buyers booking in times to also inspect.
Any doubt about the value of our service was dismissed on the day, as the sales agent turned to our clients and said:
“You know if it wasn’t for Leanne, we would not be standing here right now”
Our clients were absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t be happier!
So, if you are someone you know is having trouble finding their dream home, perhaps it is time to engage a professional.
Allow yourself to have access to every property for sale and not just the ones for sale on the Internet.
Don’t keep missing out on open homes with everybody else and losing your weekends.
A professional buyer’s agent will be in the market every day and can maximise your search results.
But, not all Buyers Agents are equal and you need to be able to tell the difference.
By having the known, proven, and trusted team at Metropole by your side, you will finally be able to find that needle in a haystack!
