Sellers routinely spend money before listing their property. A significant portion of what sellers spend before listing does not return at settlement. Some of what sellers spend before selling was never going to move the price in any meaningful way.Few things produce more disappointment for sellers than discovering at settlement that the mo… Read More

Sellers typically know what percentage an agent charges long before they understand what that percentage actually means. That focus on the number rarely extends to what the number actually represents.In Australia, agent commission is structured as a percentage of what the property sells for. How that percentage is set depends on the agent, … Read More

The Role and Purpose of a Real Estate AppraisalThe distinction matters most when a decision is attached to the number. Choosing a listing price. Refinancing a property. Settling an estate. Dividing assets in a legal process. Each situation requires a specific type of assessment - and using the wrong type produces a number that eith… Read More

Why Local Market Conditions Are Not Uniform Across SuburbsMarket conditions are the context inside which a property appraisal happens. Understanding that context is part of understanding what the number means.Market conditions are not a single variable. They are a composite reading of several factors operating simultaneousl… Read More

Why Sellers Who Start With a Price in Mind StruggleIt happens quietly. A seller does not announce they have already decided what the property is worth. But the figure is there. And when the appraisal lands somewhere different, the gap between the two produces friction that is difficult to work through productively.Starting … Read More