116 Dunlin Drive Time to show our house off

Brian Bowshire and Scott Campbell from REOL Property Consultants have just been so supportive through this whole process. We love our home and it is very positive and reassuring to know they feel the same way.

Sitting down together on the patio, under the umberella in the Queensland sunshine discussing the marketing plans they had enviseaged for our home was pain free and an enjoyable process. There were no time constraints, or was it that we all were just enjoying the view too much. They answered all our questions.

May 7th was the date set for the video and professional photo's.

Felt like a movie crew had decended upon us. Both the video and photo's were taken at the same time, we just had to stay out of camera shot and enjoy the behind the scene setting up.  The dialogue was set by Scott and Brian with the camera crew setting up the best shots to take, lighting, sound levels etc etc.

Wish I'd taken some photo's of my own, missed that opportunity big time.

These gentlemen work very hard, moving from target to target with the presenters in tow. Even the occasional blooper were enjoyable and taken to light.  Higly recommend if this sevice is available to have a video and photo shoot produced.

Matthew Lyndon Photography - published photo's of our home.
http://www.reol.com.au/ - Home address for REOL
Brian Bowshire... REOL Property Consultants - Contact email for Brian Bowshire

Have a lovely day

116 Dunlin Drive - Time to sign

After weeks of interviewing agents we were just as confused as when we made our mind up to sell.  It's just not as plain as agents would like to tell you it is.

Benefits of walking distance of 20 minutes to the beach, 6 minutes to a major shopping centre and transport, 10 minutes walk to doctors, car repairs, tyre dealers, petrol service station, gym, pole dancing, solicitors. Do I need to go on. Needed some one as passionate of Burleigh Heads as we are.

Direct link to 116 Dunlin Drive

One point we covered in our list of Internet coverage and web site appeal.

Our thanks to Jaimie Massey for on the going support at  Robina Village Real Estate.  The only downside for us was web site appeal. The up side, they follow theJenman Philosophy.

REOL PROPERTY CONSULTANTS
It was at this point we noticed how many homes were actually being sold by another real estate to this point not considered. REOL Property Consultants. In particular interest was 109 Dunlin Drive which had a sign erected in the morning, then in the afternoon a "SOLD" sticker placed over the front. We contacted REOL for an appraisal and within a surprisingly short time the General Manager Brian Bowshire and Property Consultant Scott Campbell. I have to tell you that we were absolutely blown away by both Brian and Scott's level of enthusiasm and genuine interest in our home. They were excited about being shown through our home and praised all the features our home had to offer. Nothing was a problem at all.
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All our questions were answered. Both Brian and Scott believed that our home was indeed unique and a direct comparison could not be honestly made with any other home in the area. With this thought they proposed auction as a consideration.

This was now a dilemma, to sell private treaty as both Jean and I agreed was our preferred method or auction as Brian and Scott and so many of the others proposed. Their reasoning seem to make sense, and especially as research showed that REOL Property Consultants didn't really believe in auction. Scott is a Jenman  trained agent also.

REOL has a positively wicked website. They have what they call REOL TV. This is extensive use of
You Tube to show case homes for sale, a very innovative piece of marketing and a very professional presentation of the house they are selling. And to add to that impressive feature they also advertise in a number web sites local, interstate and international web sites.

Jean and I took our time to discuss all the agents we had interviewed, the pros the cons. What we believed in, what we didn't believe in. The ultimate question we asked ourselves was who would do the best job and had been as excited as we were about our home. The answer came up the same every time we compared and that was REOL Property Consultants. 

We phoned REOL and both Brian Bowshire and Scott Campbell arrived, another unique procedure REOL believe in that top management are as involved as the property consultant is. Time to sign that contract 22A.

116 Dunlin Drive Time to pick our Real estate agent

Walking down the village street in Burleigh Heads we passed by numerous real estate agents, stopping to browse through the listings as we usually do. After a short 20 min stroll from home it was the usual circuit down the James Street across the Gold Coast Highway over to Justin Park so we can stroll along the walkway from the Burleigh Surf Club past Oskars Restaurant and up the hill to Burleigh Point to watch the surfers.
Especially on Monday mornings when there are free Gold Coast City Council Tai Chi lessions in the park, anyone can join in so there is no excuse.

On one particular walk we stopped in at an agent in James Street asking if they had a list of houses on the market. The receptionist referred us through to the agent and as we started asking a lot of questions about commission and marketing I realised ready or not we are now heading down that road officially. I was like a stunned mullet walking home, we had organised an appraisal and Jean was now in full out combat mode. Jean just couldn't wait to start looking through the local paper and phoning other agents for an appraisal.

My peaceful Saturday afternoon walk now cluttered up with thoughts of selling commisions, internet marketing packages, media packages, possible other agents and a million and one other thoughts and memories. Regrets, if there were any it's too late now. Were off!!

The next 3 weeks in March were full of appraisals and interviewing agents. You need to take on the employer point of view as they are working for you and really get to know the people that may be selling the one biggest and closest asset any person would own. Hours of research on the internet reading sellers and buyers comments trying to get a feel for how trust worthy the agents were.

Decided to research also Neil Jenman. This man has been on a one man crusade to clean up the real estate business. Occasionally he would appear on a current affairs program helping a landlord regain weeks of unpaid rent or helping to legally evict renters whom have been behind or are being unreasonable in their dealings with their landlords. Or to those despicable people that demolish homes for no reason what so ever, don't know how some can live in such pigstyes or even admit that they pretend to be human.

Many thanks to Neil and to Arthur Kolovos from Real Estate Monitoring http://www.realestatemonitors.com.au/index.php. The help that they forwarded as in supportive phone calls, books about selling your home and possible Jenman approved real estates was much appreciated, timely and possibly the best education about how to pick a real estate agent we have ever seen.

http://www.jenman.com.au/

It's easy to see why people have such a low view of real estate. But there are mostly very helpful agents whom are doing the right thing by people.

One agent from Robina I can say I would never deal with, came totally unprepared who turns up at a potential customer without researching the area, type of building, how big a building, what property size etc etc. This agent did come unprepared and admitted it. Maybe he didn't really need the commission? Who knows, he lost ours on the door step.

The first appraisal although positive was heading in a direction we didn't want. Even after saying we didn't want to go auction. Neil Jenmans pick of agents was a Real Estate at Burleigh Heads and we were very impressed. They adhere to the Jenman style of selling, no open house, no auction and up front representation.

After a number of Real Estate agents giving their opinion to what we should do you have to remember that it is your choice and they are working for you.
More about the agents in the next blog post, hope to have the pleasure of you dropping by.
Til then, caio.

Pictures and video of our home.

116 Dunlin Drive Time to sell

A little behind with my blog but it has been a very hard and emotional decision to sell our home. We have spent weeks searching, interviewing, visiting and quizzing real estate agents in the hope that we pick an agent that we can trust and work with.

Starting was one of the hardest decisions, I must admit to procastinating just a little. Sure if you don't have an emotional attachment to the property then selling is not such a big deal.

A litlle back ground. We live in a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 car on 853 sqm property on the canal at Burleigh Waters on the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia.

We have lived and shared our home for the past 5 years and feel it is just too big for us now. Moving into this home was a dream most people would love to have shared.

Well time is up, we have some exploring to do around Australia and while Jean and I still have our health we are going to take the opportunity to buy a 4 wheel drive and caravan and travel around this beautiful country.

And so starts our journey of selling our wonderful home and pass it on to the next family that will add their own warm touches. I hope it will be as fun as it has for Jean and I.