Street Talk

If you’d like to learn more about a local Melbourne or Victorian suburb, our Street Talk suburb snapshots explore the schools, parks, restaurants, cafes, general entertainment options and liveability options available in various areas.

Armadale Offers Surprisingly Strong Growth

By Cate Bakos on 4 Feb 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting two new delightful clients who had been referred to me by their friends. Their property story was interesting and gripped me to write this article about their purchase strategy and how well it had worked out for them. My client's father had prompted him to purchase an investment property back in 2008. ...

Finding Another Asset Under $250,000

By Cate Bakos on 28 Jan 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Last week I had the pleasure of securing a 3 bedroom 1950s era brick home in a beautiful location within Ballarat for two very special clients. The brief was particularly challenging for two reasons; firstly, they had already purchased last year in Ballarat's Wendouree, and secondly, they wanted two properties priced under $250,000 ...

How Do You Buy a House From a Self-Seller?

By Cate Bakos on 21 Jan 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Recently I had the pleasure of dealing with two lovely vendors, who were selling their property without a real estate agent. Many buyers would wonder how this type of sale works, and many prospective vendors would question whether it’s the best way to sell a property. From a buyer agent’s point of view ...

Cosmopolitan Kensington

By Cate Bakos on 15 Jan 2014 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Now that the summer season's upon us, it’s been a big sigh of relief for real estate agents (including buyer’s agents!) to take a well-earned break. January is a time when many agencies take a breather and run on skeleton staff for the early part of the month. Agents have a chance to take holidays and put their feet up for a bit ...

Is Sunday a Good Day to Auction Property?

By Cate Bakos on 17 Dec 2013 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Every auction I have participated in since late November has had one thing in common – the auctioneers have been quick to remind the crowd that there will be no new properties hitting the market until February. It's not entirely true - many an agent has encouraged me to purchase a February-scheduled auction property ...

Market Slow Down? I Think Not!

By Cate Bakos on 10 Dec 2013 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

Several publishers recently asked me to comment on claims that Melbourne's property market was in slow down. I was emphatic then, and I'm emphatic now: there is no sign of slow down in the desirable suburbs. Last week I didn't venture outside a 10km radius of the city, and I cited five auctions I'd attended with strong sales results ...