How it started
In 2014, a European family living in Asia were being relocated to Melbourne for work. Being close to the water felt appealing as did being close to good schools for their 2 children. One day soon after they started searching, they received an invitation from an agency to inspect a house near a school but they were concerned about the parking from school and shoppers. Accepting they did not have enough knowledge of streets and the nuances of precincts they contacted us for an initial chat.
Leading with the exclamation that they were very unsure about prices and didn’t want to pay too much, they soon realised what they were sure of and that was – they wanted to find a home they really liked that was also a sound investment. Their timeline was 12-18 months to buy and settle in a good family home for the next 10 years. The meeting went well.
As I commenced searching and coaching them through a good home and good position, I soon learnt one partner had the skills to renovate, so I added good potential to our explorations. With more knowledge of themselves and the market, they decided Brighton should become their priority. And then the unexpected happened – they found they liked 2 homes at once! One home needed a garage, so they decided to try to buy the other weatherboard home first and keep the one needing a garage as a second choice.
How it concluded
Home one was a private sale but the weatherboard home was scheduled for auction, so the plan was to bid courageously.
They bid before auction.
They were met with competition, but it did not turn into a transparent boardroom auction. We were told there were other buyers. How many and at what price and on which terms? How could they discern what was real and what was important?
After all these months searching and assessing, and reflecting, they asked good questions during the negotiations.
And they were victorious.
They bought their Brighton Beauty within 15 days of it hitting the internet. And 18 months later they invited us around to see the renovations they dubbed “from drab to fab.”
Why it matters?
Relocating from interstate and especially overseas, is an emotional and anxious time due to the uncertainty of how you will feel in your new home and in your new area. It’s something that AI can’t advise with empathy …well, not yet anyway.
And buying a home that fills the heart and the satisfies the mind, is not always what it initially seems.
Good area. Good Schools. Good Bones.
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Upon moving from overseas with the family, it became clear that we needed professional advice as to navigate a new kind of property market and find a home that would help us settle while making a sound investment.
Gina was the perfect buyer advocate, and I am thankful for her patience and rather holistic approach to buying a house.
Her broad knowledge of the Victoria market and of the suburbs profiles combined with her connections within the real estate industry meant that she could engage a search tailored to the needs of every member of our family.
Gina truly listens and will go her way to curate a portfolio of properties ( sometime off market ) that will align with a list of requirements from budget to access to public transport, chosen schools or the best amenities to create the ideal lifestyle from weekdays to weekends.
This is truly a tailored service like no other, delivered with attention to details and a strong consideration for the emotional and financial aspects of buying a home.
Thank you, Gina for your attentive and seamless service from finding us a home to taking care of all aspects of inspection, survey, negotiation and purchase. Those could have been very stressful for us as we were still in the process of grasping the property market in this new country that we now happily call home.
Gratefully
The McGRATH family
(Brighton)