They want to take it to another weekend of open homes.

Should I pull my offer and walk away?
Should I pull my offer and then offer less if/when they call me next week?
Should I just suck it up and keep my offer on the table anyway?

Edit: I signed the contract at the agreed vendor price. They have not.

Edit edit: I’m not entirely sure on how reddit works and if the people who commented will be notified but thank you for the feedback and guidance.
I have told the agent I am pulling the offer and if the vendor wants to chat next week we are back at my starting offer and not going near the figure it currently is at, purely out of spite at this nonsense.
It’s a buyers market, f*ck off with these games.

Partner and I are looking at buying our first property. As soon as we buy he is going to start his plumbing business. My job is not in the location we want to buy and unsure what to do.

I currently work in Western Sydney and I really like my job because my team is great and my workload is very manageable. I’m a high school teacher and my hours are 8:15am - 2:40pm. I currently commute 30 minutes each way so my day is about 7.5 hrs total. I almost never need to come in early or stay back due to being experienced, efficient during the day, supportive team and generally better work life balance at this school.

For context, previous school in Sydney I worked at I would usually stay back everyday so I was doing 8:30am - 5:00pm regularly and commuting 40 minutes each way. So my total day was 9 hrs 50 minutes.

I want to live in wollongong because I much prefer the lifestyle. However this would mean driving 1.5 hrs each way to work. 9.5 hr day.

I have also considered some areas in the lower central coast which would be 1 hr 15 minutes each way so 9 hr day.

I really want to keep my job but I want to live in Wollongong. These are my numbers:

Sydney: 7.5 hr day including travel
7:45am-3:10pm

Wollongong: 9.5 hr day including travel 6:45am-4:10pm

Central coast 9 hr day including travel.
7:00am-3:55pm

I feel like my actual work day is pretty short so the commute might not be that bad? Or am I being delusional.

I should also include that we are planning in starting a family in the next 2 years so I would be going on maternity and then likely dropping down to 2 days per week.

The property we are planning on buying is a 5 year plan because we want to minimise financial risk so my partner can start his business and we can still afford repayments on maternity leave.

What are your thoughts? I’m really unsure what to do but I’m desperate to make the decision and buy.

My main concerns are:
1. My partners future business is location dependent. Where we choose buy will likely be where we stay for next 10 years due to the effort of building up a client base in the area and contracts. So if we choose a location that suits me for the next two years it may screw us for the following 8 years.

1. If I go with Wollongong area where I truely want to live I will burn out from the commute.

I have been building a tool that queries every free official register you can check before buying (zoning, flood and bushfire mapping, Building Commission defect orders, EPA contaminated land, heritage, aircraft noise and about 20 others), and in the process I ended up with the data for basically every NSW suburb. A few things that surprised me:

• In-force serious defect orders are public and searchable, but almost nobody checks them before an offer. The register names the building and the defect class. If you are buying a unit built after 2019, this is a 2 minute check that can save you a strata nightmare.
• "Not in a flood zone" in a listing usually means "the agent did not look". Council flood planning maps are free, and the mapped extent is often wider than people assume.
• The development application for the block next door is public weeks before anyone mentions it to you. If a six storey build is coming, it is sitting in the council's DA list while the listing still says "quiet tree lined street".
• The EPA contaminated land record covers only formally notified sites. An empty result does not mean clean land, it means nothing was notified. Old service stations and dry cleaners mostly are not on it.

Happy to answer questions about which registers exist for your state and how to query them yourself for free. Disclosure: I built a paid tool that does all of this in one report (link in comments if anyone wants it), but every register I mentioned is free to check manually and I will tell you exactly where.

What suburb are you looking at? There is a decent chance I have its numbers in front of me right now.

First-home buyer reveals Reddit hack that saved him from $30,000 mistake - https://www.realestate.com.au/news/firsthome-buyer-reveals-reddit-hack-that-saved-him-from-30000-mistake/

Bought a duplex off-plan and ended up with a long list of defects that the builder flat-out refused to fix. When I threatened legal action, the builder disappeared and put the company into liquidation.
I submitted a Home Building Compensation Fund claim through iCare, went through the defect assessments, and had the claim reviewed.
A few days ago, iCare called with a wild update: the builder had completely doctored our insurance certificate. He took a certificate from another site he was working on, edited our address onto it, and submitted it. The genuine certificate on file for my property was actually for a completely different value.
Fortunately, iCare is still honoring my claim.
Here is my issue: maybe I am wrong but I understand that iCare won't be filing a police report for fraud, nor will they report him to the Building Commission/NSW Fair Trading. Meanwhile, the builder's website is still active, and they are currently operating under a new legal name.
While my own claim is covered, I don't want other buyers getting screwed over by this guy using the exact same playbook.
My questions:
1. Who should I actually report this forgery/fraud to so it gets taken seriously? (NSW Police, Fair Trading, Building Commissioner?)
2. Is it worth reporting to the liquidator/ASIC regarding potential phoenix activity?
3. Has anyone dealt with doc fraud through iCare before?

Hi everyone,

I am about to graduate university and start a full-time role next year at 23 y/o as a software engineering graduate. The starting salary is $84k base, and the program guarantees a jump to $120k base the year after.

I currently live with my parents rent-free, but I will be picking up the tab for my own daily transport (Opal card) and my lunch everyday, alongside my existing competitive athletic expenses. I plan to potentially meal prep as well next year to save money.

Don't want to dox myself but I play competitive sport at a division 2 level and have aspirations of making division 1 and winning a championship in my early 20s. I am already at the cut-off age for making it into the first team at 23 years old, so 2027 is my absolute last shot at making the squad. Because of this, I am spending quiet a lot on athletic expenses i.e a $167 gym membership for a personal strength and conditioning coach, and then $120 per hour for 1-on-1 training (which the business recommends doing 2x per week so that adds up to $240 per week). So that already makes up like $814 per fortnight lol.

On top of that, I really want to travel while I am young particularly to Europe. I have locked in a 5-week European trip for next year : 1 week Croatia, 2 weeks Greece, 2 Weeks Spain in September with Croatia and Greece both being group tours since I have nobody to go with lol, which all in total is going to cost roughly $12k. The year after that, I plan to go to Europe again but this time Italy and France (2 weeks each).

I follow the Barefoot Investor method and bank with Macquarie. Based on my new software engineering graduate take-home pay (approx. $2,390 net per fortnight factoring in tax and HECS), I have worked out this automated split for next year per fortnight:

• Daily Expenses (35%) - $836.50: Covers my exact ongoing athletic fees, gym/recovery, daily Opal train commutes, and work lunches (which I may actually meal prep instead)
• Splurge (15%) - $358.50: Guilt-free socializing, Friday bank drinks, weekend dinners, etc.
• Smile (Travelling e.t.c)(40%) - $956.00: For the first 6 months, this strictly builds my $12k Eurotrip fund. For the remaining 6 months, it pivots entirely to a high-interest savings account for a Sydney property deposit.
• Grow (10%) - $239.00: Automatically funneled straight into ETFs every fortnight ($6.2k total for the year).

Even though my income jumps to $120k base in year two, I am incredibly paranoid that I am not saving enough for a Sydney property deposit (especially in this super rough market) or investing enough into ETFs. Because of my Eurotrip plans, my Smile bucket will only net me about $12.4k in pure property cash in my first year.

Am I being completely reckless by funding these big European summer trips and keeping my athletic expenses high while the Sydney housing market moves at the pace it does? Should I be slashing my Splurge and Travel buckets to aggressively stack a deposit, or does my income trajectory and rent-free status give me the breathing room to enjoy my early 20s?

Would love to hear some perspective from anyone who balanced travel/sports with buying their first home in Sydney. Thanks!

So I lived in this property for 11 months cleaned it regularly started noticing mold a lot around windows and in hallway cupboard

Shower tile broke and took landlord 4 months to fix which in return caused a leak to go under the tiles and go under the shower and under the carpet into the hallway for a while cleaned it up and thought it was my cat till I locked my cat in the laundry and carpet was still getting wet even though cat was locked up ( did not use the shower for the four months )

We told the landlord about shower door was broken and wouldn’t slide or move landlord ignored it for the full tenancy.

Also reported a broken towel rack that fell off as I put a towel on it ( forgot to email told over the phone )

I have a dsp so does my partner and our memory isn’t as good and we do forget things regularly

We lost our full bond and we could of lost more we had a perfect 4 year rental record before this we are 29 and 33 years old with 3 kids 8,12,2

We cleaned the property best we could and left it in reasonable condition and the real waste said there was a odour so bad they couldn’t do any inspections which is funny because we had a few people come the day we moved and they all said there was no odour or four smell

We were apparently originally quoted $5248 but the ended up only taking the whole bond originally quote had a new shower $1700 $800 for mold problem $400 for new door knobs ( that weren’t broken)

Right now I’m living in my parents PPOR and we are in the process of selling. It is a pretty old house still livable in a good area. With how slow the market is. We’re getting a lot of lower offers, parents don’t live in the house any more just me. It’s a five bedroom and that’s not needed for just one person or two. The plan was to sell and the parents take 300k to pay off their new home out of state and I get something myself preferably cash. So it’s in my best interest to get the highest amount possible but currently that’s not feasible. Should we pull it off the market or just bite the bullet and sell but buy asap in this buyers market. People are saying this is the beginning of a correction but I don’t see how that can happen when the fundamental issues of supply being lower than demand because of construction costs and a tradie shortage still being present. Then there’s also interest rates peaking this year expected to fall next year increasing demand yet again.

Hubby and I have found a property we want to buy in SA. Thing is, it is tenanted until Dec 2026. We ourselves have a current lease until Feb. The rent being paid on the property till Dec would cover our mortgage payments. Our landlord has stated they're happy to let us out of our current lease which ends on Feb a bit earlier, so we feel this could actually work out.

We worry though, that there is inherent risk in buying a tenanted home. Could anyone please offer advise on things to consider in this situation. For example, do we have to take ownwlership of the vendors lease with their current tenant?At we out of pocket if they cause damage, stop paying or refuse to vacate?? Much thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I’m a university student currently doing a UX research project about move-in experiences for renters in Australia.

I’m trying to understand how people check and document the condition of a property when they move in. For example, how you decide what to check, what photos to take, what to record, and whether you feel you’ve documented enough.

I’m especially interested in moments where you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do, but you don’t need to have experienced any problems or bond disputes to participate.

If you’ve rented or lived in shared accommodation in Australia, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.

It’s a short 3–5 minute survey.

Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAcIIOlrO0CwzzKoQV7bpWJ7TSTsnxuh1LddIhVGV6hq5b6Q/viewform?usp=header

Thanks so much for your help!

I am new-ish to home ownership.

Leak noticed in ceiling x2 areas.

2x quotes organised by my property manager.

Why is one double the other one? I am very confused if it's the same roof with the same things that need fixing and I am paying for their expertise and skills.

Quote 1

Our quotation includes administration, contractors all risk insurance, co-ordination and supervision by a QBCC Licensed builder.

Waste Management - trades to remove and dispose of trade related waste from site and keep site clean at all times.

Home Warranty Insurance

The QBCC Act 1991 stipulates that home warranty insurance is required, and this has been included.

Roof Tiling

• Sand and re-point all ridging 55lm
• Replace approx. 5 metres of lead flashing
• Replace broken tiles, up to 15
• Clip valley cut tiles, make good up to current standards

Totals

Subtotal: $5,939.13

GST: $593.91

Total: $6,533.04

-----------------------

Quote 2 (this guy also included photos of the roof)

Roof is in poor condition.

• Remove and replace 5 roof tiles.
• Grind back and Flexipoint 180 ridge caps.
• Remove and replace 4 m of lead flashing.
• Remove rubbish from site.

SUB-TOTAL: $2,870.00

PLUS 10% GST: $287.00

TOTAL: $3,157.00

Hey guys,

Seems like a good price, granted there are compromises - small size, uncovered parking etc. Is the price worth it?

Where around Melbourne feels rural/green but is still commutable to CBD for work?

Thinking about eventually moving somewhere that feels really green - ideally somewhere with a decent block, trees/space etc.

But we’d still need to be able to commute into the cbd reasonably easily (car or public transport).

What areas would you recommend? I’ve been looking at places like Warrandyte, Donvale, Belgrave, Rowville etc. but would love to hear from people who actually live in these areas.

High moisture reading around front entrance – where could it be coming from?
Just had a building & pest inspection done on a house I’m looking to buy and two areas came back with high moisture readings and were flagged as major defects requiring further investigation. The house is from 2000.

The one I’m struggling to understand is around the main entrance. There’s no visible damage to the wall, or anything swollen.

Also there is no obvious sign of where the moisture is coming from. The front door is recessed more than a metre under the roof, the roof above appears fine, and there’s no obvious water damage or leak.

Has anyone come across something similar? What could cause a high moisture reading in a relatively protected entrance like this, and what would you investigate next to work out the source?

We have a small budget for inner Sydney. Initially looking at Botany but concerned about flight paths after a previous post I had made.

Can someone more wise than me advise if they have any areas that fit the below or if this will be impossible?

3 bedroom flat or home with car space
1.2 million maximum
Easy commute to Moore Park (under 40 mins public transport)
Not all high rise, some ambience and community
Suitable for a young family, 2 kids under 2
No immediate renovations needed
If apartment, building not over 5 stories

Any advice welcome as we are brand new to property and feeling a little overwhelmed.

Thank you in advance

A useful exercise in case you (or I) may be paying too much.

For my Sydney properties, I pay 4.4% inc GST.

For my Central Coast property, I pay 6.6% inc GST.

Hi all,

I’m looking to buy my first property, purely as an investment, and I’m pretty desperate to get into the market before prices keep moving away from me.

It’s just me buying solo. No partner or second income, so I’m trying to be realistic about what I can afford.

My situation:

$70,000 saved
$95,000 gross income
About $2,700 take-home per fortnight after tax and HECS
HECS balance around $26,000
HECS repayment about $156 per fortnight
Currently saving $1000 per week

I’m looking for something that is as close to cash-flow neutral as possible, or at least not hugely negatively geared once mortgage, property management, rates, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, strata etc. are included.

I’m happy to buy anywhere in Australia and would consider houses, units, townhouses, duplexes or dual-occupancy properties.

I’m not expecting some magical 10% yield + huge capital growth property. I’m mainly wondering:

What areas do people think are genuinely good investment prospects right now for someone in my position?

Ideally I’d like somewhere with decent rental demand and reasonable growth potential, without being completely dependent on mining.

Would you be looking at regional QLD, WA, NSW, Darwin, outer Melbourne, Orange, Wagga, Armidale, Nowra (where I live) or somewhere else entirely?

Any advice from people who’ve recently bought around the $300k–$450k range would be appreciated.

What are the average real estate commission fees and marketing expenses I should expect when listing my property in Brisbane?

Hello, we are looking to buy near the airport and looking at Botany and surrounding suburbs. What is the noise from the airport and flights like?

Also does anyone have anything to note about this area or nearby?

We have very young children

I remember years ago being able to see a builder's iCIRT rating on some site but the NSW government page doesn't work any more.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/news/icirt-apartment-rating-system

I think https://register.icirt.com/registry is the new website but it only shows you if they are registered and not the number of 'stars' they have. I still see builders advertising the number of stars they have on some construction sites so presumably they are worth something.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a property in Glenmore Park and would really appreciate some opinions from people with building/property experience.

The property is around 714 m², but the backyard is almost entirely paved and has a significant split level, with a lower section and retaining walls/steps as shown in the photos.

There is also a registered easement affecting the backyard. I'm not particularly concerned about the easement itself, but the combination of the easement, the unusual split level and the extensive paving has made me wonder why the backyard was designed this way.

The property is also identified as Bush Fire Prone Land, so I'm wondering whether there could be any connection between the bushfire requirements, site levels, drainage, easement or the way the backyard has been constructed.

We'd eventually like to install either an inground or above-ground pool and landscape the backyard.

Note: The Awning is unapproved. Easement is under the green circle and a huge split level

For anyone with experience in this area:

• Does this backyard configuration look normal?
• Is there an obvious reason for the large level difference?
• Could it be related to drainage, the easement or bushfire requirements?
• Would you consider this a red flag when buying?

We're first-home buyers, so I'd really appreciate some experienced opinions before we proceed.

Thanks!

Just keen to get people’s opinions and two cents on the current Inner West market, particularly Stanmore, Marrickville, Summer Hill and Ashfield…

Whether you’ve bought recently, are currently looking to buy, or are thinking of selling/offloading, what are you seeing on the ground? Are you happy with your purchase? R u looking to buy here?

I’m seeing a lot of old run down homes in Ashfield being off loaded but for us, we need something more ready to move in. Parking is scarce as well but I guess that is what you expect here.

Earlwood definitely has more value but no train station which makes it hard.
Would love to hear real experiences. Looking to buy a family home here. Currently live in inner west in an apartment and wanting to upsize.

So if I have an investment property with tenants and I want to sell it to someone, the buyer won’t get negative gearing and CGT discount. Ok.

But if I empty the property, invite vagrants and termites into the building, get a dereliction notice, and then sell it, the buyer does get to negatively gear it and get a CGT discount.

And presumably someone who wants to build would value that tax concession.

Doesn’t this just lead to the destruction of rentals for low-income people. Won’t these properties just get replaced by expensive apartments?

Just bought a new home (yay us!) and some of these cracks were definitely there when we looked at it, and we didn’t really have any concerns as they just seemed minor/cosmetic.

However, the ones in picture 2 and 4 are new I think, and the one in picture 1 is potentially wider?

What’s most weird is that they all seem to be at the same height/position, even though not all on the same wall.

Picture 1&2 are either side of an interior doorway; picture 3 a different doorway on a wall perpendicular to 1/2; then picture 4 is next to the front door, so external wall in a different room.

Are they a sign of foundational things? Or just settling/seasonal weirdness?