Everybody Everyday | 30 Seconds
July 29, 2011 Leave a comment
New era for Facey group
July 29, 2011 Leave a comment
A new era has begun for the First National Frank Facey group offices in Pakenham Berwick and Narre Warren, in the changing of the three offices to First National Neilson Partners.
Led by senior partners Peter Watson and Ross Neilson, along with Todd McKenna, Nyall Greene and Allison Holzer, the three offices will be run by the same team, under the new name.
“Andrew Facey has allowed us to buy him out,” explained Mr Neilson.
“The change is exciting, while maintaining each and every member of staff.” The Facey Group has a rich real estate history in the south east area, with three generations of Faceys running the business.
“Our membership of the First National Real Estate network is one we are proud of, and the change to First National Neilson Partners allows us to better reflect the ownership of our organisation,” Mr Neilson said.
The first Facey office opened in 1917 in Dandenong, followed by Narre Warren in the early 80s, and Berwick in the early 90s. The Pakenham office, formerly known as Cremin Real Estate was incorporated into the group in 2002.
“We now have three offices with the same ownership and more than 42 staff in total,” Mr Neilson said.
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Can I use the toilet at an open house?
July 28, 2011 Leave a comment
In the middle of the fifth house inspection one Saturday afternoon, the call of nature sounds and you make a beeline for the bathroom.
It is not your home, but it could be soon, so surely using the toilet is OK right?
Wrong.
Using the toilet when you, a prospective buyer, are inspecting someone else’s home is just one of many open-home etiquette no-nos.
First National Epping Central principal Alison Mifsud said her agency had a sign asking prospective buyers not to use the toilet. “Sometimes people don’t take into account that it’s a private home,” she said.
“Also, because it is an open home, the bathroom is supposed to be available for viewing and this can’t happen if someone has the door locked.” Ms Mifsud said keeping an eye on children was a must for parents at open homes.
“Don’t let them run around the house,” she said. When it comes to entering the property Ms Mifsud said buyers should be prepared to take their shoes off. She said this could be to protect floors but may also be for cultural reasons.
Buyers should also be ready to provide their name and phone number in order to enter the property. “Some people don’t want to give their names and numbers but we like to track who is going through the property and if they don’t give their name and number we don’t let them in,” Ms Mifsud said.
“It’s the owner’s private home so it’s about security as well.”
If you’re wondering if it is OK to take a peek inside the pantry or built-in wardrobe, Ms Mifsud said inspecting items that came with the property was fine but personal items or furniture, such as chests of drawers, should not be touched or opened. She also urged people not to bring pets to open homes and to save building inspections and bringing out the measuring tape for private inspections.
“We don’t allow building or pest inspections at an open home,” Ms Mifsud said.
“Some buyers have turned up with ladders in the past expecting to be able to look in the roof cavity.”
Agents and buyers should be on time for inspections, both agents said. Ms Mifsud said agents should allow buyers to freely look through the home but be readily available to answer any questions.
Buyers should use an open home to assess the general condition of the property, the flow of the home, its aspect in terms of natural light, whether it was on the high or low side of the street and, if land was the drawcard, whether or not the block was level.
Gas plans a hot topic
July 27, 2011 1 Comment
Coal-seam gas fields are a big worry for many city and rural landowners.
Mention coal-seam gas in the same breath as property and you will see fireworks and fear.
It’s the reaction in newly affected areas such as Sydney’s suburban St Peters, where locals’ fences are festooned with protest banners, in the lush wine-producing Margaret River region of Western Australia. And even in western Queensland where towns and farming areas have 15 years’ experience of CSG wells.
It is not clear whether coal-seam gas is a good thing or a bad thing for a district and agents disagree about its significance.
The Roma region has seen quite significant increases in values for residential land. This is rental and housing demand from mine employees, says Bruce Booth, principal of First National, Chinchilla.
“Sales have picked up and demand on rentals is huge,” he says. “Our vacancy rate is zero, investors are getting interested and we expect sales to increase.”
And it’s a similar story on the other side of the continent. Kelly Donaldson, director of Margaret River Real Estate First National, says: “I can’t tell you the percentage affect CSG is having until properties sell, and they’re not selling because of CSG.
“People are saying: I don’t want to move into the area til we know the issue is settled.’
Even farmers such as Peter Thompson, who is happy to have wells in place, and who has just signed up for more, says he would not like to try selling his property 80km northwest of Roma.
First National Sets Technology Pace
July 14, 2011 4 Comments
Visit Apple's iTunes Store to download your free First National iPad App
Media Release: 14 July 2011
First National Real Estate has announced the addition of a further three Apps to its suite for the popular Apple iPad. This closely follows the network’s announcement of the industry’s first rental property condition reporting App at its recent National Convention in Coolum – My Condition Reporter.
Available at no cost through iTunes, the ‘First National Real Estate’ App provides consumers with instant access to the network’s residential, commercial, rural and business listings, as well as the contact details of each of its office locations nationally.
While the network’s My Condition Reporter App has been made available to all of its Property Managers at no charge, First National Real Estate intends to soon make the App available to all property managers nationally for a small fee through the iTunes store.
The other two Apps that First National Real Estate has launched are exclusively for the use of its member agents.
The first, Mobile Register, enables First National agents to use their iPads to enter buyer and tenant search criteria to the network’s Utopia customer database while they’re in the field.
‘This is the future of Real Estate’ says Chief Executive, Ray Ellis.
‘First National has positioned itself as the industry leader when it comes to online marketing, mobile devices, customer relationship management and quality assurance systems. Consumers expect more from estate agents today and First National is providing the tools that guarantee the highest standards of service in the profession.
‘If you give your details to a First National agent at an inspection, you’ll see them entering your search criteria via their iPad immediately. That provides our customers with immediate confidence. Utopia then guarantees when one of our agents lists a matching property that’s for sale or rent, the customer will automatically receive an email or sms notification’
Utopia was a finalist in the Relationship Marketing Category of the Australian Marketing Institute’s ‘Awards for Marketing Excellence’ in 2010 and First National Real Estate was the only organisation representing the Australian property industry.
Mr Ellis believes this is indicative of the complacency with which many Australian real estate brands approach both their product offering and the needs of their franchisees.
‘The opportunities offered by technology to improve the profession’s performance and customer satisfaction ratings are enormous. However, many of our competitors choose to rely on their brand equity and perhaps even franchisee apathy, instead of investing resources where they are clearly needed. One even cancelled its 2011 National Convention, citing difficult market conditions, clearly showing contempt for the needs of its franchisees’ says Mr Ellis.
The second App, Mobile Lister, enables vendor listing presentations that really give First National agents a distinct advantage. Linking directly with the Utopia system, agents can present precise examples of how their potential customer’s property would look when marketed by First National Real Estate.
The agent can produce a live buyer demand report, proving to potential clients how many buyers are waiting on their database and looking for the customer’s property. The property’s asking price can also be moved upwards or downwards, using a sliding scale, to show the impact this would have on the number of buyers available.
‘Our members are very excited by the path First National has forged in recent years. Our combination of new branding, customer focused technology, community outreach through energy efficiency and charitable fundraising, as well as our marketing and lead generation systems, are differentiating their agencies in ways our competitors simply can’t match’ says Mr Ellis.
Issued by: First National Real Estate
For further information,
National Communications Manager, Stewart Bunn, 1800 032 332
Pimp Your Property Home Painting Giveaway – Victorian Residents
July 1, 2011 7 Comments
Media Release – 1 July 2011
First National Real Estate has launched a competition throughout Victoria where homeowners can win a re-paint of their house worth up to $10,000.
‘Australians just love home ownership and there’s a huge amount of interest in making improvements in order to maximise capital growth. But the last thing people want to do in their spare time is paint their house’ the network’s National Communications Manager, Stewart Bunn said.
One of the most important things you can do to preserve or improve the presentation of your property is keep it freshly painted. The winner of the ‘Pimp Your Property – $10,000 Home Painting Giveaway’ will have their home re-painted to the value of $10,000 – enough to complete an average sized Australian house.
‘In a sense, we all prosper by riding on the back of our property renovations so we took a tongue in cheek view in the naming of this competition’ said Mr Bunn.
‘Australia once rode on the sheep’s back but these days, for most Australians, we build wealth and improve our lifestyles by renovating our properties.
‘I’m sure that whoever wins this competition will improve the value of their home by more than the $10,000 investment First National will be making on their behalf’.
To enter the competition, participants need to visit www.pimpyourproperty.com.au and follow the prompts.
The ‘Pimp Your Property – $10,000 Home Painting Giveaway’ competition is simple to enter and runs between 1 July and 15 September 2011.
Win Free Fuel For A Year (New South Wales Residents’ Competiton)
July 1, 2011 Leave a comment
Media Release: July 1 2011
First National Real Estate has launched a competition throughout New South Wales where homeowners can win a free year’s supply of fuel from Caltex.
‘Can anyone explain why the cost of fuel has gone through the roof yet the Australian dollar has never been stronger’ the network’s National Communications Manager, Stewart Bunn asked.
With interest rates expected to gradually rise, the cost of home ownership will increase. However, the winner of First National’s competition will certainly enjoy a considerable weight being lifted from their budget by not having to pay for fuel for a year.
‘We’re certain this will be a great boost to some lucky family’s or an individual’s budget this year’ said Mr Bunn.
To enter the competition, participants need to visit www.freefuelforayear.com.au and follow the prompts.
The ‘Free Fuel For A Year’ competition is simple to enter and runs between 1 July and 15 September 2011.
Property Market Outlook Mid Year Update – The Year Of The Investor
July 1, 2011 Leave a comment
Media Release – 1 July 2011
Click Here To Read Our Mid Year Update
First National Real Estate has surveyed its 450+ offices throughout Australia and New Zealand to find that 2011 is set to become the year of the investor, with prime conditions for this segment to make their return to the market.
According to First National CEO, Ray Ellis, this is the picture building at the moment, based on expectations of interest rates, movements and local area member knowledge, underpinned by strong economic fundamentals as detailed in First National Real Estate’s Property Market Outlook Mid Year Update released this week.
“The market is continuing to slow which is producing excellent opportunities for investors who should be taking advantage of low vacancy rates, strong returns, increased upgrader activity and easing bank lending criteria conditions”, Mr Ellis said.
“The biggest challenge facing us as an industry will be uncertainty.
“There is a lot of consumer nervousness which is basically due to uncertainty. They are unsure of what is going to happen on a lot of fronts including what is happening to Australia’s economy and other global economies like Japan and Greece, will interest rates rise, will house prices fall, what’s happening on the job front and what changes will the government introduce in terms of policy, planning and taxes.
“As long as there is so much uncertainty and talk of policy changes, consumers will hold off making any major financial decisions.
“There is already evidence that they are holding onto their savings and either putting it back into their mortgages or other safe holdings until their confidence returns.”
First National Real Estate members across the country were overwhelmingly in agreement that house prices had steadied or fallen.
“Around 32 per cent of our members surveyed said house prices would trend downwards, while 50.9 said they would be flat,” Mr Ellis said.
“Across the board, any movements in house prices are expected to be within 10 per cent, but the majority of survey respondents anticipate them to be less than 5 per cent.”
Apartment/strata property prices in the coming six months are a mixed bag, with some states and areas expected them to trend upwards, some downwards and some for them to remain flat.
“Nationally, 45.5 per cent of our members surveyed expected this segment to remain relatively flat, but in New South Wales and Victoria the greater majority were expecting this,” Mr Ellis said.
“Whereas for Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, most of the members responding believed apartment/strata property prices would trend downwards.
Price movements for Apartment/strata property prices are expected, in the main, to be below 5 per cent.
According to the survey, most of First National’s members expect land prices to remain flat, with some predictions for prices to head upwards, and some downwards. Victoria is the only state where the majority of members say land prices will trend upwards.
Any movements in land prices are expected to be mainly less than 5 per cent with some saying they may be as much as 10 per cent and a small minority predicting movements of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
For the rental market, members’ surveyed overwhelmingly expect weekly rents to increase while vacancy rates will lower or remain flat.
Members surveyed believe the strongest growth in their region will come from primarily investors, followed by upgraders, then first home buyers and lastly from retirees.
“Investor activity is expected to increase across the board, with all member survey respondents saying they anticipated growth in this segment,” Mr Ellis said.
“Investor growth is expected to be driven by mainly better rental yields and returns, increased second buyer activity and easing of bank lending criteria.
“As upgraders become more active, members expect opportunities will be created for first home buyers to dip their toes back into the market, as well. However, any movement by investors and upgraders may be diminished if government continues to talk up some of their proposed policy changes they have recently raised.”
Mr Ellis said it was hoped the lack of inclusion of any of these proposals from the recently released budget is a sign that they have seen the error of their ways and dropped them.
Issued by: First National Real Estate. For further information or to receive a copy of the 2011 Property Market Outlook Mid Year Update, contact Stewart Bunn, National Communications Manager, First National Real Estate, on 02 9320 2535
