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OH Property Group
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Home  /  FAQs

FAQ

What happens if you have two clients with the same requirements competing for the same properties?

This does not happen with OH Property Group simply because we never take on two clients who have requirements which are too similar. Even if we could assign the clients to different agents within our company, we have a policy of not doing this to prevent any potential conflict of interest – period. So if you choose OH Property Group, you can be assured that we will be 100% dedicated to getting you, and only you, to the front of the buying line.

Are foreigners allowed to purchase properties in Australia?

The simple answer is ‘yes’. However, depending on your visa status, there may be limitations in terms of what you can buy. Please see our Australian Foreign Investment Policy page for a summary of rules applicable to overseas buyers.

The Foreign Investment Review Board is the agency responsible for approving foreign investments, including real estate.

I will need pre-approved financing for my property purchase. Can you arrange the financing for me?

Since we are not in the financing business we cannot arrange or broker your financing. However, we can refer you to a variety of banks and brokers and suggest those that might be able to provide the most appropriate (and cost effective) financing for your property. We can accompany you through the process. As we do not take any referral fees or commissions, we can and will always make such recommendations in your best interest.

How well can you serve your clients when they live abroad?

As the only buyers’ agency in NSW able to serve our clients in multiple languages, we are well equipped to work with clients who don’t live in Sydney or Australia and for whom English may not be a first language. Depending on your preference, we communicate by phone, email and fax. We do not only maintain a standard 9-5 office hours because we understand that our clients are in many different time zones. We are happy to contact you at a time that is convenient. If you have shortlisted certain properties but are unable to inspect them yourself, we will be happy to show them to someone you nominate or can also take detailed room-by-room photos to send to you.

When I want to buy an investment property, I am usually good at obtaining a price at or below the market value. How can you add value for an investor with my profile?

While your skills will take you part of the way, getting a property at a good price only represents a fraction of the property investment equation. With a medium or long term investment horizon, it is more important to pick the right property in the right location than to get a great deal on the purchase. The benefits of acquiring a property at 5% below fair value are quickly eroded if you hold such property in a suburb which grows at 3% per annum as opposed to 10% per annum or if you hold a property that has defects associated with it. Our search process will help you pick the winners over the losers to maximise your potential capital gains.

Are buyers’ agents fees tax deductible?

The cost of using a buyers’ agent can be tax deductible or may be capitalised into the acquisition cost. However, as the outcome varies depending on your own circumstances, we recommend that you to speak to your own accountant regarding this matter.

What are some specific examples of how buyers’ agents can level the playing field against sellers and their agents?

At the most basic level of example, in the USA, the number of days that a property has been on the market is publicly available. As we know, the longer that a property has been on the market, the more desperate the sellers and their agents are likely to be. This translates to a stronger bargaining position from the buyers’ point of view. In Australia however, this information is not openly disclosed. When buyers’ inquire about this from the selling agents, they usually get the standard response of “recently” or “a couple of weeks”.

Another example is when buyers attend Open for Inspections and the selling agents present “helpful” listings of recent comparable sales in the neighbourhood. What many buyers are not aware of however, is the common practice by selling agents to only list the sales records which are favourable to their sales pitch. Hence they will almost always exclude sales numbers which are not high enough in their opinion.

However, we have access to the same databases and other sources of information used by selling agents Australia-wide. This means that we are able to see how long a property has been on the market, prior sales attempts which may have been un-successful, pricing modifications (for non-auctions) and other information which agents may not wish to disclose openly. We are also able to pull un-biased comparables of all recent sales which selling agents usually filter before showing to prospective buyers.

In other words, by having the same level of access to information as selling agents, we are able to level the playing field for buyers who have traditionally been at a disadvantage against sellers and their agents.

Why do I need a buyers’ agent when I can find property listings on various websites?

Since we do it professionally and full-time, our reach and focus will far exceed the average buyer. When we search for a property, we do not only search through websites, in community advertisements, foreign language papers and local papers, but also extensively by directly contacting the local agents as well as our industry networks. Although websites are increasingly popular, not all properties available for sale are listed online. This occurs especially in cases where owners would like to maintain privacy or for prestige properties where mainstream marketing is not appropriate. Also, properties may be available for sale even if the owner has not yet put them on the market. In such cases, where a very specific location is sought, we will even canvas owners to find unlisted properties. We will update our search records every day of the week and view new listings prior to the weekend when ordinary buyers visit.

It is important to keep in mind that only one part of our service involves the search itself. We also arm you with focused research and comparables on prospective properties and neighbourhoods and then represent you in the private treaty negotiations.

Of course you can do it on your own, but your information and choices will be more limited. Your counterpart is the seller backed by the selling agent who has detailed market information. For too long now, buyers are entering into one-sided real estate transactions. Why not make sure you are as equipped as the seller when it comes to the negotiation? With better information, you will usually acquire better properties at better prices!

Our fee is very small compared to the gains you can and should make from smart investing. You generally enlist the services of a selling agent to sell your house at the best possible price rather than sell yourself. They do the work for you and provide you with valuable market information. Conversely, you will be equally well served by enlisting a buyers’ agent to make sure you buy the right property at the right price. In fact, since holding periods tend to exceed five years, you are better rewarded from buying the right property than selling at the best price. Your property’s growth and capital gains will depend more on the property characteristics and neighbourhood you choose than the selling agent’s skills when you put your property on the market.

Why do I need a buyers’ agent when I can walk into any agency and get an agent there to help me for free?

This is a common question related to a misconception. In Australia, by law, a real estate agent can only represent ONE party in a transaction: either the seller or the buyer. A property for sale is usually marketed exclusively by one agent (the selling real estate agent). This very same agent can claim to ‘help’ buyers find a property. But in reality, he/she is only obligated to secure the highest price for his/her client – the seller, and will only show properties that his/her agency is selling. You do not need to resent them for this. You just need to realise that this is what they were hired to do. If you want someone to work solely on your behalf, then you need to hire a buyers’ agent who can level the playing field.

Are buyers’ agents licensed?

Buyers’ agents are licensed real estate agents just like selling agents. The difference is that most real estate agents work for the seller whereas a buyers’ agent works solely in the best interest of the buyer. Buyers’ agents do not list properties like most other (selling) agents.

Recently the Office of Fair Trading introduced an abridged licensing requirement for those only intending to act as buyers’ agents (with no property management or selling agency business). OH Property Group has the full real estate license and can therefore provide you with property management services (as required) as well. Licensed buyers’ agents in New South Wales are bound by the Rules of Conduct for Buyers’ Agents from the Office of Fair Trading.

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    What Our Clients Say

    • Henny and Oliver moved quickly to help us to secure the property at a great price. This was before the house has even been listed for sale. I have no doubt that it would have sold for a much higher price had it been put on the market.

      E. Yeo

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    • They proved themselves spot on with their estimates of the expected sales prices of properties we viewed.

      C. Chu & A. Siu

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    • Oliver is a person with high integrity who always has the client’s best interest as a priority.

      C. de Salazar & J. Martin

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    • Your knowledge and expertise in what you do is incredible and the enthusiasm in which you put into your work is so evident in everything you do.

      T. & S. Tifa

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    • We felt like we were on the winning team from the time we called them. I just wish we had done it earlier!

      N. & J. Murray

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    • It was like watching a chess game unfold and Henny was able to think several steps ahead and take control of the negotiation process. It was nice to be in the driver’s seat for a change.

      R. & S. Chappell

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    • Having a buyers’ agent represent us at auctions helped relieve a lot of our stress. It was great to finally have an upper hand at an auction situation for we had the best people working for us.

      M. & M. Ng

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    • The property we ended up buying had 17 contracts out on the first open house inspection. Henny knew how to get us to the finish line by positioning us correctly and having an open communication with the real estate agent.

      Y. Cho & D. Wong

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    • We have bought three other properties on our own before. However, compared to our past purchase experiences, this time it was so much easier.

      A. & B. Sengphachan

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    • We were advised to let the Auction for our new house pass-in and in the end, we acquired the property for $165,000 below the Vendor’s Bid at auction. This savings means the Buyers’ Agent fees essentially paid for themselves multiple times over.

      S. Lam

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    • In an industry rife with ethically challenged real estate agents it has been a real relief to have a buyer’s agent who possesses such a strong sense of ethics.

      D. Stewart

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    • OH Property Group was proactive, efficient, and always available during each step of the buying process. During our search we never felt rushed in making any irrational decisions and were able to digest all information in our own time.

      S. & R. Reyes

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    • Oliver was thorough, considered, and he took time to understand our situation and tailored his approach accordingly.

      C. Tollemache & P. Anderson

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    • OH Property Group’s professionalism and tireless work ethic achieved the impossible in an impossible time frame. Without their help, I wouldn’t have even looked at the property I ended up buying.

      P. Christensen

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    • We were very impressed by their dedication, excellent service and attention to detail. Their expertise and advice are invaluable and gave us great comfort to know that one of our biggest financial purchases was a sensible one.

      J. & A. Surjadi

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    • Watching Oliver strategize throughout the process was like watching a beautiful piece of art – he made so many moves which ultimately resulted in significant savings for us, not to mention a very smooth and relaxed process.

      J. & C. Budge

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    • To think that we could have bought an ill fitting house for too much money and with possible regret, it’s really made us feel relieved that we have used your services to find the perfect house for us and at good value too.

      O. & C. Valentine

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    • Without their help it is unlikely that we would have even inspected the apartment we bought, and not only does it meet all our needs but the purchase price was at the lower end of our budget.

      D. & W. Watson

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    • We are truly happy with our new home. We were able to get a better price than if we had acted alone. OH Property Group’s professionalism and experienced negotiation tactics really landed us with the best outcome.

      J. & V. Wu

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    • More than making sure we were paying a fair price, Henny and Oliver asked us the right questions to understand what we valued in a property as a couple. They also took into consideration the stage of life we are in and our plans for the future.

      H. Ma & S. Wu

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    • We found the experience of using a buyers’ agent to be very liberating. It took a load off our minds. It was definitely money well spent and we would definitely recommend your services to others!

      P. & A. Wong

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    • It was a big weight off our shoulders to know that an experienced agent was bidding on our behalf at the auction which minimised the stress of the day. We feel very satisfied that we have made a good investment in a great area.

      S. & T. Seton

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    • Our Buyers’ Agent took away all the guesswork, did all the investigation and due diligence and presented us with everything we needed to know in order to make a well informed decision.

      E. Huang

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    • Oliver represented us at the Auction, let it pass in and then negotiated a price much lower than what we had been willing to pay.

      J. Chang & L. Truong

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    • I feel that Oliver and Henny were completely honest and open, working with only my best interests at hand.

      J. Mak

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    • The negotiation process was handled in a highly skilled, efficient and impressive manner and the property secured at the right price within a matter of days despite the competition.

      T. & D. Colwell

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    • From the moment we started working with Henny, her dedication to her clients became clear. We always found her to be incredibly insightful, thorough and trustworthy. In all things, she truly went above and beyond for us.

      J. & A. Pearce

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    • You reacted quickly at any time of the day to my requests for further information and appraisal and I believe that you understood my needs and could be trusted to provide reliable information.

      J. Gulley

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    • Our Buyers Agents were able to provide important advice about the manner in which we should communicate with the Vendor in order to make an offer on the property clearly and confidently – despite our offering well below the asking price.

      A. McConnachie & S. Wrangham

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    • Once the search started, we were really impressed by the frequency and quality of the communication, as well as the responsiveness to any questions we had.

      J. Tyler & L. Morphett

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    • About
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    Chatswood, NSW 2057

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