Buying Property in Australia Under $700k

 Ever looked at property prices and thought "there is absolutely no way"?

You're not alone. For a lot of women, especially those doing it solo, the property market can feel like a club you were never given the membership code for. But here's the thing: it doesn't have to be.

Briony Benjamin steps in as guest host of Get Rich while Molly is on maternity leave, and she's bringing you one of our most practical episodes yet!

This week, Briony sits down with Jade Fitzgerald, Brisbane-based buyer's agent and founder of Ideal Buyer's Agency, to break down everything you need to know about buying property in Australia under $700k.

Whether you've been putting off buying because it feels too expensive, too complicated, or you think you need a partner to do it with, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What a buyer's agent actually does and how they're completely different from a real estate agent
• Why you should never share your pre-approval with a selling agent (and what to say instead)
• What a $700k budget can realistically buy you in Australia right now
• The case for investing regionally and how to follow government spending to find the best opportunities
• Why you don't need to live in a property for it to build serious long-term wealth
• The two contract clauses you must have before signing anything
• What to actually look for in a building and pest inspection report
• The biggest mistakes buyers make and how to avoid them
• How buyer's agent fees work and why they often pay for themselves

The biggest takeaway from this episode? Just start. You don't need a partner, a million-dollar budget, or to know everything, you just need to take the first step.

🎧 Perfect for: women thinking about buying their first home or investment property, anyone curious about how buyer's agents work, and anyone who's been waiting until they feel "ready" to get into the market.

Connect with Jade here: Jade Fitzgerald – Ladies Finance Club

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Welcome to Get Rich Podcast
01:15 – Introducing Guest Host Brionny Benjamin
01:34 – Meet Jade Fitzgerald: Brisbane Buyer's Agent and Property Expert
01:56 – What Is a Buyer's Agent and How Are They Different to a Real Estate Agent
02:40 – Why Selling Agents Are Expert Negotiators (And Why That Matters for Buyers)
03:18 – Who Needs a Buyer's Agent? First Home Buyers, Investors and Single Women
04:00 – What Is Rentvesting and Is It Right for You?
04:23 – The Reality of Buying Property in Today's Market
05:01 – Buyer Fatigue: The Emotional Side of Buying Property
06:13 – How Much Does a Buyer's Agent Cost and Is It Worth It?
07:02 – Different Fee Structures Explained: From DIY Support to Full Concierge
08:03 – Real Client Story: Buying an Investment Property Under $500k in NSW
09:02 – How Quickly Can a Buyer's Agent Find You a Property?
09:41 – Empowering Women to Buy Property Solo
10:15 – What Can a $700k Budget Buy You in Australia Right Now?
12:38 – Brisbane Property Market: Apartments, Townhouses and the Olympics Effect
13:45 – Capital City vs Regional Investing: Where Should You Buy?
14:29 – Why Location Matters Less Than You Think in 2025
15:30 – How to Follow Government Spending to Find the Best Investment Areas
16:35 – The Biggest Mistakes Property Buyers Make
17:16 – Why You Should Never Share Your Pre-Approval With a Selling Agent
18:23 – The Two Contract Clauses Every Buyer Must Have: Finance and Building Inspection
19:33 – How to Choose a Building and Pest Inspector
20:14 – How to Read a Building and Pest Inspection Report
21:47 – Why Australian Houses Are Never Inspected After Purchase (And Why That's Crazy)
22:46 – What Red Flags Should Make You Walk Away From a Property?
25:27 – Flood Zones, Fire Zones and Insurance: Environmental Risks to Watch Out For
27:23 – How to Scope Out a Neighbourhood Using Google Maps
28:59 – Final Words of Wisdom for Women Thinking About Buying Property
29:26 – Just Start: The Biggest Takeaway From This Episode
   

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Property Research Tools Mentioned – for property searching and flood/zoning maps: https://www.realestate.com.au/
 

CONNECT WITH JADE FITZGERALD

Website: https://idealbuyersagency.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideal-buyer-s-agency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jade_idealbuyersagency/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ideal_buyers_agency
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdealBuyersAgency

CONNECT WITH LADIES FINANCE CLUB

Join our free Facebook group - Ladies Finance Club Money Chat
Website: https://www.ladiesfinanceclub.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladiesfinanceclub/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ladies-finance-club/

TAKEAWAYS

• Use a buyer's agent to save money and secure better property deals.
• Fixed fees make buying accessible for first-time buyers.
• Agents offer support to avoid fatigue and mistakes.
• Ensure thorough inspections to prevent pitfalls.
• Assess neighborhoods for long-term potential.
• Invest in regions with government backing for growth.
• Start small and learn to enter the property market confidently.

SOUND BITES

"A buyer's agent is your secret weapon in property deals."
"Fixed fees mean no surprises, just smart buying."
"Let an agent handle the stress, you enjoy the journey."
"Inspections are your shield against costly surprises."
"Decode neighborhoods for hidden gems and risks."

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Molly: Welcome to Get Rich, the podcast that helps you do just that. Get rich and stay rich. Hey, I'm Molly Benjamin. I'm the founder of Ladies Finance Club, one of Australia's largest financial education platforms for women. But before I started helping thousands of women take control with their money, I was a hot financial mess when it came to my own finances and not the fun kind of hot, more like crying in a supermarket, wondering where all my money went, kind of hot.

[00:00:29] But here's the thing. If I can go from financial mess to owning a share portfolio, investing in property and building wealth, then you can too. My mission is simple to make women rich because when we have financial freedom, we have choices, confidence, and control over our future. Every week on Get Rich, I sit down with some of the best experts.

[00:00:51] In the industry to break down how we can all start investing, growing our money, and creating long-term financial security without the jargon, boring bits or overwhelm. Because when women get rich, we don't just change our lives, we change the world. So if you're ready to start making some smart money moves, hit that subscribe button and let's get rich together.

[00:01:15] Brionny: Hey everyone. Brian Benjamin here. I'm Molly's sister and I'm filling in for her on the podcast while she's on maternity leave. Now, if you are looking to buy a house or an investment property anytime soon, then you need to listen to today's talk. Today we're gonna be diving into the world of property with Jade Fitzgerald from Ideal.

[00:01:34] Buyer's agency. She's a Brisbane based buyer's agent who help women navigate the property market with confidence. In this episode, we unpack what a buyer's agent actually does, how they differ from real estate agents and who can benefit from having one in their corner. Jade also shares some of the biggest mistakes buyers make, what different budgets can realistically buy right now?

[00:01:56] And the key thing to look out for before you commit to a property Jade's mission is helping more women, especially single women. Get onto the property ladder and build long-term financial security. So let's jump in. Okay, so Jade, we'll get straight into it. What actually is a buyer's agent for those that aren't aware, and how are you different to a real estate agent?

[00:02:17] Jade: Okay, first and foremost, I guess the difference between us is a selling agent is representing the seller, the vendor in the property only. And then number one objective is obviously if you are selling a property to make as much money as possible. So that's their entire role and their job. Our job is on the flip side, the opposite side, supporting you, the buyer through the process.

[00:02:40] So I think what people forget a lot of the times is that selling agents are mass. Stars at negotiations. They do it all day, every day. They are negotiating with their clients. They're negotiating with you, the buyer. So this is their full-time job is negotiation. The big thing that we do on this side of our fence is also negotiation, and so we're.

[00:03:04] Slipping the script back on them more than anything, and allowing you to feel really confident as a buyer that you've got someone who does this every day in their day-to-day job representing you in the marketplace. That's the best way I can describe the differences between us.

[00:03:18] Brionny: Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

[00:03:20] And I suppose who needs one? Is this just a thing for first time buyers or if you're just an investor, uh, who needs a buyer's agent?

[00:03:28] Jade: Look, you know, there's a lot of people that are totally property savvy and they have the time and effort to go and deep dive into all the data and. There's a whole bunch of different buyers that are out there, right?

[00:03:39] So we've got, as you've already mentioned, we've got investors, we've got moms and dads looking for their family home. We've got our beautiful first home buyers that are absolutely gorgeously adore. And then we also generally have our beautiful women who are entering the. Property ladder as well. And generally they're doing what we call rent vesting.

[00:04:00] So there's a really big broad cross section of buyers. I personally think everyone needs a buyer's agent, obviously, but mostly it's because I think people, you go out and you get your mortgage and you get your loan approved and like that's amazing and it's a massive step onto itself. But then having this thing where you're thrown out to the wolves and everyone being ex.

[00:04:23] Expected to know all of the ins and outs of the intricacies of property, whether it's buying for your home and in a location that you know, or whether it's investing and it potentially is in a state that you know nothing about having someone on your team who does this for a living. Like, so I buy house all day every day.

[00:04:42] That's what I do. I'm in the market all day every day. It's not just a Saturday and sort of not just a one time thing. I've bought hundreds and hundreds of properties. So I think anyone who really wants to have the support crew behind them to assist them through the process, they're the ones that should reach out.

[00:05:01] And what we tend to find is, unfortunately people get bias, fatigue, particularly in today's environment. It's so exciting. People have got a loan, it's epic. You can go out and you can buy yourself a new home and pretty soon you hit the ground and you're like. Oh, okay. It's this expensive for this area or I can only get this now.

[00:05:21] And a lot of what we do is sort of psychologically helping people through the process as well. Talking them up when they need to be talked up, helping them holding their hand and making sure that the information that they're going out with, they know that A, we can figure physically afford and to buy that property.

[00:05:39] B, there's nothing wrong with it. We've done all the due diligences that we can in the background, and C, that we're actually explaining the process as we go through it because there's actually quite a lot to buy in our own. That comes in the backend as well, and it's not just the negotiating.

[00:05:54] Brionny: Yeah, that's really interesting.

[00:05:56] I mean, my partner and I bought our first home two years ago, and exactly as you describe, it's overwhelming. You're not an expert in property. It's the first time you've really deeply thought about it. Definitely could have, um, benefited from some jade in our corner for all of the reasons you mentioned, but that's really interesting.

[00:06:13] And so, because, you know, I imagine there are people out there thinking, oh, I'm, you know, I'm handy on domain and I, why don't I just search for myself? So I'm interested to understand a bit about the. Fee and then how you justify that fee. So like you said, there is so much that's unknown that you don't know.

[00:06:26] How does that work?

[00:06:27] Jade: So we have a couple of different free fee structures in place and we also have a lady finance club discount that we apply for anyone who comes through. Um, amazing from a lady finance club as well. But we've got a couple of really good fee structures, particularly for first home buyers, for instance as well.

[00:06:43] So if you are buying your own place. For instance, and you've got a little budget and we can go and buy an apartment or something like that. Generally speaking, we've got a fixed fee for all of our pricing structures anyway, so there's no ambiguity in there. There's no, you not knowing what you're gonna pay or getting some big bill at the end.

[00:07:02] It's very clear and pointed out for you as we go through the process, and generally we've got everything from, we'd like to call it your support pit crew team behind you. So you go out and do the majority of the work. We do in the background, make sure that the pricing's all correct, you can actually afford it, making sure that we run all the due diligence checks for you, do all the negotiating and hold your hand all the way through to settlement.

[00:07:27] But essentially, you are out doing the pavement pounding and going and looking at the properties yourselves right up into like a. Full concierge service, which you know, I've got a couple of clients on the books at the moment and they're in the 2.5 to $3 million range, and we do all of the work for them.

[00:07:43] We go and investigate properties for them. We don't generally take them through anything until they've gone through all the pictures and photos we've sent them, and there is interest there for them. They're generally very busy professionals that don't have time. Or the energy or the inclination to go and look at stuff that's not ticking enough of the boxes for them.

[00:08:03] And then we've got the people in between. That's a nice hybrid. We have some investors that'll come on board, like, I've got an amazing woman from Lady Finance Club at the moment, for instance. So we started talking with her two and a half years ago. Molly and I did a online how to buy a house for under 500,000.

[00:08:23] She reached out from there. She's been talking with mortgage brokers since then. She's gone and saved up her deposit in this timeframe and we're only just starting to hit the ground looking for her now. And she's got a budget of 450,000. So we've had to talk through, she's in New South Wales. Her potentially never seen this property in her lifetime, but we're gonna buy her a cracker.

[00:08:45] It's gonna start building wealth for her, and she's one of our classic rent investors out in the marketplace. So we've got a really big cross section of different types of clients, different fee structures that come with those. And it comes back to, you know, the level of service that we are giving in from our end.

[00:09:02] What we tend to find is that most of our clients, well fact, all of our clients in the timeframe that they have us on board, our turnaround time's about 21 days from sign up to purchase. So even within that timeframe, the property prices and property values have gone up more than what our fee structure is.

[00:09:22] So we are a very approachable fee structure in the marketplace. There are buyer's agents out there that charge 20,000, 25,000. We are nowhere close. To that we would prefer to try and help people get on the property market and get them to that point rather than it being a roadblock for only the rich being able to afford.

[00:09:41] Brionny: Yeah, brilliant. And I think that's such a wonderful example you gave there, Jade of that lady's Finance club member, because I know it was actually Molly herself was doing that webinar with you and had a big epiphany moment herself as well where she went. Hang on, I'm waiting to meet a partner and do that together.

[00:09:59] She's like, oh, I could actually do this by myself now, and, and I should, you know? Yeah. And so hearing that story of actually, you don't need to be looking at a one and a half million dollar home, a $2 million home. There are other options out there for you to get into the market by yourself is really empowering.

[00:10:15] Jade: Yeah, it's super empowering and we love doing it right. It's not easy. I'm not gonna profess that it is easy. It is looking at all different types of states and all different types of areas. You know, at the moment I'm talking through with her on like. Even that some of these properties is gonna have asbestos in them and that she has to be comfortable with that, which is fine, by the way, as long as you don't go renovating it yourself.

[00:10:40] But yeah, so there's lots of different things that you've kind of gotta cover off with it. But I think there's se there is this bit of a mindset, particularly with women, that we've gotta be perfect at all times and know exactly where we need to be, and then we've gotta educate ourselves on it and we have to know everything about it.

[00:10:57] While we do that. I mean, I know I'm, I'm. Similar myself the same way, and I feel like I need to know everything and I've now got a releasing things even in my own business. I need a social media marketing person. I need a, all these things. I don't need to be the absolute advocate for everything in my business.

[00:11:16] There are other professionals out there to do it. And when you're talking about this sort of sums of money, I mean we're really buying anything under half a million now is the challenge. So you are looking at a huge amount of money and a huge investment in your future, and you wanna make sure that the decisions that are being made are the right decisions.

[00:11:34] Brionny: Absolutely. And that example you gave where you know, this may be a house that she's never gonna see or visit necessarily. I mean, how daunting would that be? Purchasing that by yourself without the help? So I can definitely see massive value that you bring to the table there to help people get into the market in those price points.

[00:11:53] Not somewhere where they maybe even have a chance to go and check it out themselves. So on that note, Jade, like if we're talking a $700,000 budget, what does that actually buy today in Australia?

[00:12:04] Jade: Look, it's an interesting budget, that price point, it was our entry level and before the first home buyers scheme changed, that was a cap for most people as well.

[00:12:13] So now the cap is sitting at a million. So you've got this new kind of environment currently where. That price point is highly competitive for investors, but you can still buy a very decent home, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, brick on a block of land, depending on where we are looking. And you can also buy really amazing and fantastic apartments still.

[00:12:38] The apartment market in Brisbane in particular, he's very, very good and it has been booming for some time. It's been a bit of a sleeping. Secret and a sleeping giant. I moved up here from Sydney during COVID and especially when I was first doing, getting into buyer's agency and I was working for another company at the time and I was going around looking at all these apartments going.

[00:13:02] What do you mean? This is under $500,000 and it's two bedrooms and got views and you know, all these sorts of things. It has moved in that timeframe, but there is a heap of different property out there. Available Townhouses are also a great investment. They've grown at the same growth rate as houses in Brisbane.

[00:13:21] So when you are looking from an investment standpoint and you are looking at a a city that's about to host the Olympics as well, these are amazing investments.

[00:13:30] Brionny: Yeah, and you know the home of Bluey, so what more could you want in Brissy? But

[00:13:35] Jade: a hundred percent Bluey has a very expensive house, though. No one wants to be

[00:13:39] Brionny: buying

[00:13:39] Jade: a Queenslander unless you really, really want a Queenslander.

[00:13:43] They're a lot of work.

[00:13:45] Brionny: Absolutely. Jade. So in terms of that location, I'm interested in your take. Is it better to buy in a capital city fringe or go regional at that price point? You know, obviously this is when you're not wanting to live in it and it's for an investment property.

[00:13:58] Jade: Yeah, look, it all comes down to budget, right?

[00:14:01] Brionny: Yeah.

[00:14:02] Jade: And the reality is, and I dunno if you would've seen the news recently, but you know, Brisbane's now one of the most expensive markets to crack into. The median house price entry level is 1.1. Sydney is still sitting around that 1.1 to 1.2 Melbourne. Yes, there's some entry level there that you can get into, but in regards to sort of capital city living, and it is another thing that I sort of have to talk people through a lot.

[00:14:29] It's kind of irrelevant these days. We've got a lot of people working from home. Being in the center of the city and being in a hub of A CBD is almost a moot point now. And so what we're wanting to do is make sure that we are buying in an environment that's gonna see ongoing growth. So what's driving growth in an area is what's gonna see your property value, price increase.

[00:14:54] Victoria's a bit of of a prime example. There's some spots in Victoria in Melbourne, right in the middle of the city that's have no movement whatsoever. Sydney Homebush another classic example. No movement in the apartments there at all. Whereas you can move a couple of suburbs over and they go gangbusters.

[00:15:12] It's an interesting thing and it's a state by state, city by city. It's really like, as I say, clients come to you living in the middle of the city, unless it's absolutely necessary. We generally tell people to start looking out and around. You're gonna get better bang for your buck. You are gonna get more growth with your property.

[00:15:30] And if growth and long-term wealth is the objective. Generally looking regionally, not remotely, but regionally and following government spending. There's a lot of data backed resources that we use as to why we are buying in certain areas and what's gonna continue to see that ongoing employment drivers, all of those sorts of things.

[00:15:54] And once you start breaking those down, that's where you start seeing where the actual real opportunities are. For me, I follow government spending wherever the government's spending money regionally. So following things like renewable energies, hospital upgrades, roads, those sorts of things. Renewable energies and hospital upgrades are a classic example because there's so much that comes with them.

[00:16:18] More shops, more schools, more everything, and it will only ever continue to grow. So they're the main things that you wanna look at when you're out there shopping. Every single client's completely different, and every single property's completely different. So there's not a one size fits all.

[00:16:35] Brionny: Yeah. Gosh.

[00:16:36] And once again, so many factors to consider that if you're not an expert in this field, that feels quite daunting. So I'm already like, yeah, if I'm ever in this world, I, I know who to call. And so, Jade, on that note, what are some of the biggest, most common mistakes you see people make when they buy a property?

[00:16:52] Jade: Yeah, look, it's really hard to watch and, and look at, so it's a couple of big ones, not making sure that your contract is subject to very two important clauses. One being your finance clause, and one being a building and pest inspection on the property. There are a lot of agents out there that will try and push for an unconditional contract, or, you know, the property's fine.

[00:17:16] Don't worry about, you don't need a building inspection. Or even recently we've seen in the market agents asking buyers for their pre-approval documentation and you know, it's amazing how quickly the price actually gets to the full amount of the pre-approval. It's not ethical for them to ask from that for you, but again, their job, they're not working for you, the buyer, they are working for the seller, so whatever way they can get the best price possible, it's fair game.

[00:17:45] And I think there's just this bit of a misconception out there that. The agents looking after me, and there are, don't get me wrong, there are some lovely humans that are agents. Many, but there are a few, and you know, their job is to get the most amount of, they get paid also. From the, whatever the money is that they make for the property, they earn a percentage from it.

[00:18:05] So there's a couple of pitfalls there. Number one for me is making sure that you have two very important clauses, your finance clause. 'cause although you've already got your pre-approval in place, that doesn't mean that the bank is happy for you to buy. Specific property that we are going to look at.

[00:18:23] They do things in, once you've signed your contract, like they do a valuation on the property, which is done by an independent source, and so it's to make sure that we haven't overpaid for the property for a start, and that they're gonna loan you that exact amount of money that we are gonna pay for the property.

[00:18:39] The second one, obviously, is a building and pest inspection. Absolutely vital, crucial. Don't buy anything without it and don't get railroaded by agents at any stage to not get one down in Tassie. There's no pests, but they're still building things that come through. In Queensland and New South Wales. We do have pests.

[00:19:00] We have termites. We have them in Victoria too. But you and I could walk through the property together and we'd go, oh, it's amazing. But I'm not a builder. You are not a builder. We are not gonna go and crawl up in the roof. We're not gonna go crawl under the house. And that's where a lot of these things get found.

[00:19:17] You wanna make sure that the building inspector that you engage has the latest technology, can do water readings in walls, all of those sorts of things. 'cause that six or $700 you're gonna spend on a building and pest inspector could end up saving you tens of thousands of dollars.

[00:19:33] Brionny: Absolutely. And when you are working with a client, do you recommend them a specific person to work with as well or,

[00:19:39] Jade: yeah.

[00:19:40] Brionny: Yeah, because, because I wouldn't have even known that you, we got a pest inspection done when we bought our house, but we just Googled someone and found someone. Yeah. It's really interesting that you need someone also with, you know, that's,

[00:19:49] Jade: well then you've got decipher the a hundred pages that are sent to you and that sometimes can also have.

[00:19:55] Some very, very inflammatory language in them. The bane of my existence is flexi hoses under sinks. They're made from some material that are constantly rusting and it has water going through them all the time, so they always come through on a building inspection as a major problem. It's a $5 hose that needs replacement.

[00:20:14] Yeah, right. You know, like it's not a big deal. I have lots of different contacts throughout the country where I can recommend. You know, not only conveyances and building and pest inspectors, but also property managers and things like that. I've been in the game long enough now to have got a really good collection of people that I work with.

[00:20:33] I definitely don't take any kickbacks from anyone. I work with people who are gonna give my clients the same service that I would expect for myself. And yeah, they are very encompassing sometimes their reports, and so a part of what I do is get them and tell you to. Hold fire. Wait, don't read it. Let me do a summary and then we'll go through it together and then if you really wanna go and do some light reading and reading the rest of it, then go for it.

[00:21:01] But really they're there to show us. I think a lot of times, well, people get a bit confused about what a building and pest report actually is for, and they think, you know, oh, well there's some paint that's off the skirting board and I want that repainted. Or, you know, there's some light fittings that are broken or those sorts of things, and it's not what those are actually for.

[00:21:23] As we go through the process, we're mainly looking for major structural defects or pest infestations, which will. Adversely affect the property and you don't know until you get this done. Although there will be things that pop up throughout the report. Weirdly, we don't need buyer, our insurance ever to do these reports and our properties.

[00:21:47] So when you think about it, like we get our car done and you get to a certain age in your car and your car has to go and be checked every year, and then they insure it not with a house. Right. Yeah. So the only time we do these reports is when we're buying a house. It is crazy to me. So there will be, and there always is, and I talk people through it all the time, that there will be some things that pop up.

[00:22:09] But for most part, a lot of those can be looked at as your maintenance list as you move forward and to make sure that you don't ignore them. If there is a hose from your AC that's too close to the house, fix it. Is that something that's worth not buying the house over? No, but it's good to know. Or there's some rusted gutters or what have you.

[00:22:30] Again, is it something to not buy a house over? Generally not, but it's good to know. Keep your eye on it, monitor it, those sorts of things. It's a crazy process and it's insane to me that the insurance companies don't ever have them done. Like it's just never checked. Absolutely. It's mad.

[00:22:46] Brionny: Absolutely. On such a big.

[00:22:48] Big asset in your life. Yeah, that was, I learned so much from that, Jade. And the thing that really struck me, that I did not realize is yeah, sharing your pre-approval too early with the agent because of course then they know what you can spend up to. That's really interesting. So just to come back to that point, 'cause they need to see it at some point, but what do you advise you?

[00:23:08] They don't. Okay. Yeah.

[00:23:10] Jade: The only person that needs to see that is you and your broker. Right? And maybe your buyer's agent.

[00:23:15] Brionny: Yes,

[00:23:15] Jade: yes. Sometimes I'll wanna see it just to make sure that everything's in place and that we're all good to go. What are the dates? 'cause generally speaking, the pre-approvals will be in place for about three months, and then if we haven't purchased or the client hasn't purchased in that timeframe, we need to know that date and we need to be talking to the broker about.

[00:23:36] Whether there's gonna be an automatic rollover, maybe the client's circumstances have changed, they may need to redo their pre-approval. There's a whole bunch of different things there that need to be factored in, but no one ever needs to see your pre-approval other than you and your broker and potentially your buyer's agent.

[00:23:54] But yes.

[00:23:55] Brionny: Wow, that's, that's really an amazing point. So if a real estate agent asks for it, you just say, I've got pre-approval. I'm not sharing it

[00:24:02] Jade: with you. Yep. I'm good to go. Good to go. Um, I've got it in place and I'm good to go. Well, what's your budget? Well, what are you selling it for?

[00:24:09] Brionny: Yes. Great.

[00:24:11] Jade: You know, and you've gotta ask questions, answer questions with, with, uh, asking questions, basically.

[00:24:16] Don't give away anything. That's my number one key thing with people is like the, I see it all the time at Open Homes, and I wanna go up to people and be like, shh. Be quiet. You don't walk around and going, oh my God, I love it. This is my dream home. I'm definitely moving in here. No,

[00:24:36] Brionny: so keep it cool.

[00:24:37] Jade: Keep it cool.

[00:24:37] It cool guys. Keep it cool. It's

[00:24:39] Brionny: all right.

[00:24:40] Jade: It's fine. Yeah, it's okay. You

[00:24:41] Brionny: keep that on

[00:24:41] Jade: the inside that be, look, as a serious buyer, right, you need to be taken seriously of. We're playing in the big kids club and we're spending a lot of money. But we also, yeah, wanna play cards close to your chest as they say.

[00:24:56] Brionny: Okay. That's great advice. And I feel like it's particularly good advice for women who sometimes like to be friendly and people pleasing and it's not in our nature necessarily to like do that.

[00:25:05] Jade: No.

[00:25:05] Brionny: So that's great advice.

[00:25:07] Jade: Yeah.

[00:25:07] Brionny: I'm wondering, Jade, what we talked about it in terms of that pest and building inspection and the, you know, you're there, you're looking for major structural issues or pest infestations that are really gonna impact.

[00:25:19] The value of a property and cause you a lot of money, if you did go through with it, are there any other things that you should be looking for that would make you walk away from property immediately?

[00:25:27] Jade: Yeah, look, and, and again, this is area specific and can come down to making sure that due diligence checks are done in the background.

[00:25:36] For instance, let's use Brisbane again as an example. Half of this city goes underwater and you need a snorkel to live in it. And it happens like we are going through these crazy days, aren't we? We are generation where we've, we've gone through a global pandemic. We're in the middle of what looks like our third world war.

[00:25:54] We have been through the ringer. And from a, a perspective of climate and what's happening with the world, we are starting to see more than one or two. Lifetime events happening in our lifetime as well. So absolutely. When you look at places like Brisbane, for instance, the river has flooded three times in the last five years.

[00:26:15] It's a lot now that affects things like your insurances. There are still multi-million dollar properties that living in all of these flooding zones, and some people are happy to wear those and happy to understand and pay that extra insurance. I was looking at one for a client. Yesterday, the insurance on the property for the year is $47,000.

[00:26:39] Sorry, that's not for me. Whereas, you know, your average is about three, three and a half potentially. So you've really gotta look at those sorts of things. In Australia, we also obviously have things like fire zones. Victoria's prone to a couple of those. You've gotta just make sure that you are looking at not only the house, but the environmental factors that are surrounding it.

[00:27:01] What is happening in that area? People get obsessed with things like social housing and stuff like that. Australia's an amazing economy and an amazing community base where generally speaking, uh, social housing's being dotted in and around most of our suburbs, we don't have full, hardcore concentrated areas within that socioeconomic standpoint.

[00:27:23] So you've gotta be mindful. I've got two on my house and my house is. Up in the millions in, uh, most of my streets. So it just is one of those things that you've gotta be really, when you are looking, dig and dive into everything, the maps on that they have on realestate.com, comma fantastic or domain.com and zoning out and having a look at what your neighbor's yards look like.

[00:27:46] Like for me, one of my biggest ones, getting back to your question is. Hoarders. No thank you. I don't want anyone with lots of cars in their front yard. Lots of rubbish lying around. I, no, it's just a big no. So I spend a lot of time zoning out. Looking down at maps and seeing who's your neighbors. You don't need to walk the streets to see that.

[00:28:13] Brionny: That is absolutely fascinating and something I would never have thought to have done to like scope out the neighbor's box on

[00:28:21] Jade: Totally.

[00:28:21] Brionny: On the maps. That's, yeah, because

[00:28:23] Jade: so we'll do

[00:28:24] Brionny: part of your life, massive. The people you're dealing with them. Yeah. Directly around.

[00:28:28] Jade: Yeah. And like the whole thing is as well, like I'll look at people's garden.

[00:28:32] I'll look at whether they're like, whether their hedges are trimmed. I'll look at a whole bunch of things that I'm looking for to see who the neighbors are, what's happening in the hood. Wow. Have people put swimming pools in the backyard, shows gentrification.

[00:28:50] Brionny: I love it. You're getting up paid to be professionally nosy, isn't it?

[00:28:53] It's like,

[00:28:53] Jade: oh, totally. I get to go snooping through people's cupboards for a living. It's fantastic.

[00:28:59] Brionny: I love it. I love it. Jade, I've just learned so much from this conversation and I think it's so valuable for people that are beginning, starting out or maybe looking to, you know, buy an investment property.

[00:29:09] Before we wrap up, I would just love any other words of wisdom for you, for someone that is, hasn't made the leap yet, but they're thinking about it and particularly, you know, maybe it is a ladies Finance Club member who might be doing it by herself. Yeah. What are your final closing thoughts and words of wisdom that we might not have touched on?

[00:29:26] Jade: Start, don't be scared. Like it is a super scary, overwhelming, and everyone thinks that they have all the advice in the world for it. Don't listen to the moms and Dads club who'll be like, ah, this and that. Just start. Talk to a broker. Find out where you stand currently and if you need to work on. Getting a deposit together or what have you, then you at least have the plan to get there.

[00:29:53] The only way that things aren't gonna happen is if you don't start, the rest of it can fall into place. You can pay people to help you through the process. You can look at things like, Molly's got a million different podcasts and, and those sorts of things where there's a wealth of information out there.

[00:30:09] But start, don't be scared. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. We wanna see as many women on the property ladder as possible and let's make women rich. 'cause we rule the world better.

[00:30:21] Brionny: Love it, Jade. Well that is a perfect note to end this chat on Let's make women rich. Fantastic. Exactly.

[00:30:27] Thanks so much for your time today, Jade, and all your incredible advice.

[00:30:31] Jade: You are more than welcome. Thanks so much.

KEYWORDS

Buyer's Agent, Property Investment, Real Estate, Home Buying, Negotiation Skills, Fixed Fees, Inspections, Neighborhood Insights, Regional Growth, Market Confidence, First-Time Buyers, Transparent Costs, Stress-Free Buying, Hidden Gems, Investment Strategy