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.

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 ...

What Does it Take to Buy a House in Albert Park for Less than a Million?

By Cate Bakos on 3 Dec 2013 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

On Saturday I attended an auction at 154 Danks Street in Albert Park. It was a bit of a buzz for me to be able to break into this patch, which is tightly held for good reason. Albert Park, Middle Park and South Melbourne arguably boast the highest land values in the entire state - and often these properties are on less than 300sqm ...

How to Spend an Hour in… Williamstown

By Jessica Hoadley on 29 Nov 2013 No Comments yet, your thoughts are very welcome

I can’t believe I grew up in Melbourne and I’ve barely bothered to discover this charming beachside suburb. With the city visible across the water from Williamstown, I reckon it’s just close enough to be in the hustle within 15 mins by car, 30 mins by train and 1 hour by ferry, and just far away enough to maintain that beautiful, quiet sea-village feel ...