Extreme Weather event

February 2020 - Sydney is expriencing extreme weather conditions with very high unseasonal rainfall and strong winds across Sydney.

Safety first

When responding to ANY unusual situation eg clearing trees, stemming water, roof leaks etc no matter how minor or seemingly innocuous please take moment before acting to review the safety of the situation. Water and electricity do not mix, fallen branches may mean other branches overhead or blocked drains may contain unseen objects, the list of potential hazards is extensive. SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS.

What to do….

If you are encountering property issues including water pentration, flooding or drainage issue please report it to us immediately. Send us an email, log into our website or call us. Due to the volume of issues emergency services and tradespeople may take time to attend, please take whatever safe action you can to minimise property damage in the meantime.

Follow up

After the weather passes please review your property and report any unusual signs of damage that may be related and require attention. Eg : Settlement cracking can occur when the substructure moves quickly from being very dry to very wet. High moisture content can also lead to mould and damp issue, please keep your property well ventilated at all times to allow excess moisture to dissipate.

W,H & S Safety Requirements

It is essential that staff and tradespeople are not exposed to the risk of this disease and unknowingly spread it into their own community of family, friends and workplace.

W,H & S Safety Requirements

If, as the occupant of a property, you returned to Australia within the past 14 days and/or mixed with people that have returned to Australia within the past 14 days, it is essential that to report this to us even if you do not have any symptoms.

W,H & S Safety Requirements

Repairs and Maintenance issues will not be attended to at an affected property unless visiting tradespeople can be assured appropriate safety measures are in place.

What is Real Estate

It seems obvious at first but real estate is actually more about people than property !

We provide property services to people, people live in the property we manage, we help people buy and sell property to other people….

We don't forget that each property is someone's home, that is kinda important

People and technology

We don't replace people with technology, we use technology to give our clients more access, more time, more face to face contact with REAL people

Our Real people help other real people handle real situations, how can we really help you ?

Property Expectations

To be blunt we expect high standards in property maintenance, Great Neighbours come and stay with us BECAUSE of this. They stay longer, look after their home better and give Owners the best return for their investment.

Independence assured

We are a uniquely independent business, we don't hide links to third parties such as developers or commercial owners. Nor do we act as a defacto data collection agency for large global corporations.

We are Property Agents first and foremost, we represent the property and its owners.

Tenants and Purchasers

Simply put, without these two crucial groups of people our job is impossible.

We treat everyone as a client no matter where they fit into the matrix, in return we expect everyone to live up to their responsibilities and return the favour.

Landlords and Vendors

Our experience and knowledge is part of your toolbox, we will guide your decision making with facts and clear advice. The path to success is not always obvious but we know the way.

Residential Management

We lease, manage and maintain a large portfolio of quality investment property, our clients are based locally and overseas. Our systems combine 25 years of experience with market leading online technology to deliver the ultimate service - no gaps, nothing missing, no hidden fees.

Sales & Purchasing

We sell houses, units, apartments, townhouses…we sell homes (We don't sell data). We help buyers find their new homes, we strongly believe in an open and free market but that doesn't mean people shouldn't enjoy the experience of the biggest purchase they ever make.

Private Building Management

The Management of Boarding houses and large private multi-apartment buildings owned by a single entity require a more complex and scaleable system than a local agent can offer.

Our unique purpose built systems are designed to work with a specific building's requirements, we can combine common property administration and programmed maintenance with a portfolio of individual residential and/or commercial property. Talk to us and let us tailor a package with transparent and affordable fees to suit your very specific needs.

Commercial Management

The same high quality super efficient residential services we have been delivering for more than 25 years is also available for commercial property. Our service standards and unique fee structures bring a breath of fresh air to many clients who can now tailor our services to suit their very specific individual needs.

NCAT - NSW Consumer and Tenancy Tribunal

NCAT is a low cost dispute resolution service operated by the NSW Office of Fair Trading. Landlords and Tenants can apply to the Tribunal to have a matter resolved either informally by mediation or by a member using the legislation available to them.

Our experience and management processes provide a solid base in order to come to a reasonable resolution via mediation, should the matter become a formal hearing we are confident our stubborn adherence to the requirements of the various tenancy legislation will equally ensure the right outcome.

However this requires long term historical management, we cannot represent or defend the actions of less capable managers. Your monthly management fee provides the long term insurance should an incident arise.

A recent example highlights the value of our abilities to a Landlord: A former Tenant applied for approx $15k in compensation AFTER vacating a property, the Landlord was willing to entertain a settlement via mediation of up to $3k which the Tenant declined. After presenting our case detailing the management of the issue in question, the member rejected the application entirely awarding ZERO compensation to the Tenant.

AirBnB Hosting

The commercial economic realities of running a short term accomodation facility for budget concious travellers make AirBNB a declining opportunity for all but the home operator. Few Councils approve, fewer Strata plans co-operate and the areas that do remain viable are very specialised and unique. We can guide you in your decision making processes.

You get what you pay for

Anyone can list a property on the Internet, open a house for inspection and get some sort of result. We don't compete with people that want to save a dollar or two, we believe the personal experience of the challenges our industry holds will reinforce the value of our services. We know the value our experience brings is in hundreds and thousands of dollars, we will always earn you more than you can save.

The latest craze

The gig economy has brought a wave of new industry players, numerous web-based services have popped up out of nowhere seemingly ending the role of an Agent. Unfortunately they all have one fundamental similarity, big business has extracted the transactional side of an Industry passed over the hard grunt or leg work of the everyday employee.

Whilst these services offer a new perspective and build-on glamorous online technology, they generally cost more for what they provide, offer little or no protection when things go wrong. They place the huge burden of responsibility on the shoulders of an inexperienced and unpaid landlord at the exact time the client needs an experienced professional.

Are you looking to move home or maybe your Investment property needs new occupants...

Not everyone knows how to find the right people for your property, on the surface the quicker the property is let, the higher the rent rent gained, the better the return should be? However in reality a house only becomes a home through the actions of those that live there, true investment returns come when your property becomes a home. A regular turnover of tenants quickly diminishs any cash return and make a property cold and less appealing.

What is a Great Neighbour ?

The property itself defines the type of people who will want to live in it, by matching prospective purchasers and Tenants with the property profile we help create long term possibilities. A small quiet block predominatly occupied by elderly owners will struggle to provide the harmony and vibrancy desired by a younger generation and vice versa.

Great Neighbours understand their surroundings, they invest in the needs of their neighbours as well as their own because they want to stay for a while. A safe place to return home makes it easy to care that little bit more.

We may already have your new Neighbours in waiting

After 25 years of finding new neighbours we have an ongoing relationship with our Clientele. Many Tenants have become Landlords or Purchasers, many have relocated with us. We have a membership of high quality applicants eager to remain within our neighbourhood.

Experience is the difference

There are very few things we havent encountered over the years, a Goat in a city apartment is probably the most unusual! Its never the easy things that define a agent, like insurance, you hope to never need to call on it but when you do, rest assured we have been there and know how to manage any situation to the best outcome.

Catalyst : a person that precipitates action or change

Great Neighbours' clients are in control! By empowering our clients with the tools of our experience, high performance administrative support and legal understandings, our Clients can instruct us with confidence and responsibility. Our role is to advise, guide and mentor but then listen to and implement, our client's instructions.

Passion for People before Profit

Property Investment as a portfolio or as a family home is not just about profit, the pleasure derived from making decisions based on accurate guidance, should be yours. We can make calls on your behalf as a last resort or if you are overseas but there is nothing more pleasing to us than an educated Client making their own clear decisions.

Honesty Integrity and Confidence

Every professional working partnership be it with Landlord, Tenant, Vendor, Purchaser or Supplier is strengthened and genuinely more productive when both sides understand each other. Our Clients are not afraid to speak their mind, part of our role is to act as a buffer between the outside world and the personal one. Equally our Clients expect us to tell them when their desired outcome or preference is not either allowed by law or generally not accepted as fair and reasonable.

Courtesy and Respect

By encouraging a Tenant to create a home within a Landlord's property we are asking them to build an emotional connection to it. Sometimes when challenges and difficulties arise emotions can easily change the dynamic for resolution. Keeping perspective and a healthy respect for all parties involved is in our DNA there is nothing more important than the human aspect of our Industry.

We understand that all parties are prone to such encounters but in 25+ years we havent encountered anyone that wasn't upset for a genuine reason. In these rare circumstances there must always still be a resolution, we will find a middle ground that allows both sides to part ways with dignity and a fair outcome and try to do it with a minimum of fuss.

Success is often a secret

A catalyst is often the un-noticed ingredient, a successful relationship often is one where everything runs smoothly, the horror stories never happen and a client has time to reflect on how easy property investment can be.

Keeping it simple we are all human

The biggest picture of all is the one that captures and defines the very fabric of our community, we do not discriminate, everyone can be a Great Neighbour.

Administration versus Management

It is important to understand the difference to ensure you get what you are paying for !

Administration

Administration of a property portfolio is the paperwork and processes that ensure compliance with legislation, these are delivered via email or web portal. There are numerous online services offering discounted services that ONLY provide administration, these often use the same base software that local agents use but without a physical office. Great Neighbours owns and operates a purpose built adminstration system which retains data ownership and delivers the services you need at a remarkably low price.

Management

Management of a property portfolio is the personal experience, the hands on attendance to inspections, overseeing repairs and ensuring legal compliance by all parties. A computer can not represent you at a Tribunal hearing, it can not open your proeprty for inspection and it can not know the difference between properties based on data alone. Our management fee covers this aspect of our service.

Comm-Mastery versus Con-Misery

Commission is generally only paid when an Agent sells a property, no result = no fee. Whilst some may argue this means a sale at any price, the reality is one listing doesn't make a career.

Comm Mastery is the art of using a commission structure to reward sensational results, would you pay your agent an extra $1000 if they put an extra $30,000 in your pocket ?

Con Misery is the dark art of collecting a fixed commission REGARDLESS of the result and usually UPFRONT

If your property doesn't sell and you've paid a fee anyway…. Priceless (Don't worry they will always have an excuse and an add on service to make you feel better)

Getting what you pay for

We can not emphasise enough the idea of value for money, getting what you pay for. Industry disrupters tend to sell you savings, taking more but giving less. A dozen eggs is not 10 eggs for the price of 11 delivered in a glittery carton !

What makes our industry tick ?

In all facets of our Industry, the biggest cost component is time. All services simply relate back to someone doing something and how long it takes them. For a Salesperson or Property Manager time in a working day is a limited resource, it can't be extended or increased. As professionals we don't cut corners, we don't do half the job and we don't overload our staff with more property than they can service properly.

Cheap fees ALWAYS have things missing, the latest red herrings are glorified listing sites that charge a flat fee and highlight fee savings. In principle it sounds great until you realise Online listings are not new, your property is unique and special, its not a used car. An experienced agent actively works to sell/lease/manage your property, they add value in the form of tens of thousands on the end sale price or %returns on your investment property.

Incentive rewards innovation

Happy agents work incredibly hard, they go out of their way to achieve the best results for all parties. Our fee structures are innovative and reward excellence. Excellence is the end product we deliver as normal service to our clients.

Do the sums

Don't lose sight of the $$$ in talking about %%%. When a client starts their search for an ideal agent by comparing % fees, the message they send to the agent is all wrong. The service we provide returns $$, we will increase your investment return with excellent management, we will achieve the best sales price with excellent marketing and negotiation.

Flexibility and Consistency

Our fee options provide solutions to common Industry complaints, our sales fees reinforce accuracy in our market opinion ensuring Vendors aren't duped. An overly optimistic opinion might be easy for an old hack to work down later but it restricts the ability to properly market a property from day one. Maintaining a property and looking after tenants should be rewarded by lower costs, our management fees take this into account.

HIDDEN Commissions and kick backs

Third parties are notorious at tempting agents with hidden referral fees and commissions to sway us to give them your business. Special ADVERTISING REBATES for bulk advertising will often slip into the agents pocket without flowing to the client whose business created the reward, or worse FREQUENT FLYER POINTS are collected by your agent, not you, by simply paying bills on your behalf.

Our relationships are transparent with all third parties, actual costs for all expenses are passed on directly and no indirect commissions are accepted. We believe in the long run this is a better investment to you our client.

Professional and commercial investors

For the professional investor we have a range of wholesale portfolio fee options and services that can be tailored to suit any size portfolio. Our systems are set up to manage everything from an entire multi-unit building with common property down to a collection of single properties in different buildings, we have a comprehensive solution for you.

Common Terms

Buying a listing : When an agent inflates their opinion to attract a prospective Vendor

Under Quoting : When an agent knowingly underquotes the expected sale price to encourage a prospective buyer to engage (spend money) with the listing

Deceptive marketing : When an agent pretends to offer you a full service but only provides an website login and expects you to do the work

Gig Economy : When a global business strips the low risk transactional elements of an industry, passes the hard work and high risk elements to individuals for lower wages, and trys to make customers feel grateful for paying more to do it themselves

Fruit Cake : A prospective client that chooses an agent based on their fee and not the quality of their work

Savings are not losses : Don’t think about how much you might save but how much you might lose. Agents negotiate sales prices in $5+k units. Vendors negotiate fees in $100 units. A Great Agent will earn their client more than the commission they are paid !

Comm Mastery : the art of using a commission structure to gain the best result

Con Misery : the dark art of collecting an upfront fixed fee REGARDLESS of the result

The Marketplace

In the real world a purchaser walks into an open house, views the property thoroughly and asks the sales agent for a price guide…simple right ?

In the past an agent might have provided an informal price range which reflected, not only historical records, but also included a sense or gut feel as to what the 'market' was doing at the time and what other purchasers were saying. The purchaser would have interpreted this as an INFORMAL guess and recognised the agent WORKS FOR THE VENDOR and treated it accordingly.

Unfortunately human nature got the better of everyone, agents wrongly started to use this conversation as a sales technique and purchasers wrongly started to rely on a conflicted agents opinion as fact.

Fair Trading oversees the law

Fair Trading offices around the country stepped in boots and all and imposed strict penalties(read massive fines) on agencies and their agents to prevent them from using any price at any time, whether informal gossip or via public marketing, that could not be underwritten by a solid data base.

So when you get frustrated ….

We have all seen the disclaimers on financial products that remind customers that past performance is no guarentee of future performance, but what if in a rising market an experienced agent KNOWS a property will sell well above the current historical data but can't prove it…… Unfortunately there is NOTHING an agent can do without risk of a huge fine.

How should price influence marketing

Lets clarify something first and foremost, when selling a property an agent is not the entity that should dictate the sales price. The Sales price is defined as the price a willing Vendor and willing Purchaser agree to, it is informed by a range of factors including ability to pay, actual and percieved values by the two parties. At no point does the agents opinion decide the price, when this occurs we will all be in trouble.

One main objective of any agent selling any property is to achieve the best outcome for the Vendor, this is primarily interpreted as the best price the market will pay at the time. The Market can not inform this decision unless it visits the property and makes educated comparisions to other property without a best guess influencing them.

Every market is fluid(bananas, petrol, realestate), and can change dramatically within weeks. During the first few weeks of a marketing campaign, whilst we are collecting realtime market data, we will not supply or promote a price or price guide. This is not being 'lazy' or 'inconvenient', it is being professional and acting in the best interests of both Vendor and prospective purchaser.

The Educated Purchaser

Today a prospective purchaser can get an online market opinion from a range of sources that are not governed by the same strict legislation as real estate agents. There is therefore no excuse for a purchaser not to have a general ballpark idea of what a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom older style apartment will sell for in their chosen area.

However, caution should be exercised when making significant financial decisions, be sure to keep your own capacities and knowledge on a pedistal above those with ulterior motives. Fair Trading might have outlawed an Agent's gut feel but not they have left a purchaser's intact.

PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY

Great Neighbours knows that you care how information about you is used. The Great Neighbours Privacy Policy explains how we protect your privacy. Great Neighbours reserves the right to amend its Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be effective immediately upon publication.

HOW WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect your personal information from you on a voluntary basis. If appropriate we will tell you why we are collecting personal information and how we use it or these things will be apparent when we collect the information.

Personal information is collected at predominantly four locations:

when you visit a Great Neighbours office.

when you visit the Great Neighbours website and subscribe to join our mailing list for news and offers.

when you services and facilities offered by the Great Neighbours website.

when you contact Great Neighbours for any reason.

At each of the above collection points you may be required to fill in a form or we will enter the information you provide verbally into a form or directly into our electronic records providing contact details such as your name address telephone number and email address. Where relevant we or your Great Neighbours CSO may also request your security Identification information such as date of birth and ask questions on your lifestyle occupation and hobbies to assist in providing services and support both now and into the future.

There may also be occasions when we need to obtain personal information from a third party. For example we may collect personal information from your legal and/or financial advisors referees and other sources to assist us to fully undertake our duties.

In any event your personal information will be collected by lawful and fair means.

HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

In providing you and our clients with our services we need to collect personal information from you which is necessary for us to perform a thorough service and provide you with the most suitable property services. Your Great Neighbours representatives have access to your records for professional purposes only.

We collect your personal information to provide you and our clients with the most suitable property services. If we intend to use your personal information for the secondary purpose of direct marketing (such as by adding you to our marketing database to seek your input on your service from Great Neighbours or to keep you updated with new facilities and services special promotions and offers) and you have not already consented to this use we will notify you and we will give you the opportunity to opt out of that secondary use.

We may also use your contact details to:

advise you issues relating to the services provided to you and other clients that you have a direct or indirect connection to eg : Tenants are connected to Landlords tradespeople building services etc.

advise you if we relocate.

Our agents with your consent may refer you to third party service providors.

If you decline to provide us with your personal information we may be unable to provide you with some or all of our services.

We may also use or disclose your personal information if required or authorised by law of if otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

In any event we will maintain records of the use of your personal information as required by law.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is up-to-date whenever we collect it or use it.

WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION UP-TO-DATE

We require accurate personal information about you to ensure you receive the best possible service from Great Neighbours.

WE WILL CORRECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you find that current personal information we hold about you is inaccurate incomplete or out-of-date please contact us immediately and we will take reasonable steps to correct it.

YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR INFORMATION

Great Neighbours will on request provide you with personal information about you which Great Neighbours holds.

This information can be accessed by contacting us (admin@greatneighbours.com.au) ensure you provide sufficent information to identify yourself and a clear statement of request.

Your request for information will be dealt with within a reasonable timeframe. A small charge may be applicable to cover the administration costs involved in providing this information to you.

WE STORE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION SECURELY

We protect any personal information that we hold from misuse and loss. We also protect it from unauthorised access modification and disclosure.

Only authorised users can access your personal information and access is only for approved purposes.

Your personal information may be stored in hard copy documents or electronically.

We maintain physical and electronic security over our paper and electronic data storage. We also maintain computer and network security for example we use firewalls (security measures for the Internet) and other systems such as user identifiers and passwords to control access to computer systems.

All our employees are bound by the highest principles of confidentiality severe breach of which is penalised by dismissal. If the personal information we collect is no longer needed for any purposes and we are not required by law to retain it we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

WEBSITE SECURITY AND PRIVACY

The Internet has enabled Great Neighbours to service some of our customers needs by electronic commerce.

We understand that you may be concerned about the confidentiality and security systems in place of the personal information we collect about you on-line. Accordingly we take reasonable steps to ensure that our on-line dealings with you are as secure and confidential as your dealings with us in person.

ANONYMITY AND PSEUDONYMITY

We agree to allow you to remain anonymous if you so desire in your dealing with us unless it is impracticable or we are required or authorised by law to deal with individuals who have identified themselves or you identify yourself. If you do not provide us with your personal information we may be unable to assist you.

DISCLOSURE TO OVERSEAS RECIPIENTS

We are unlikely to disclose your personal information to overseas recipients. Nonetheless if we disclose your personal information to overseas recipients we will do so in accordance with the Great Neighbours Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

COMPLAINTS

You may want to make a complaint because you feel that:

your privacy has been breached.

we have failed to adhere to the Great Neighbours Privacy Policy.

We have failed to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

In any of these case you should contact us by phone post or email using the details provided to lodge a complaint.

We will investigate your complaints and provided you cooperate with us we will advise you of the outcome of our investigations in writing and within a reasonable time.

CONTACT US

Should you wish to raise or discuss any matter relating to your personal information (including how it is collected or used) or the Great Neighbours Privacy Policy you may contact us at

admin@greatneighbours.com.au

For the purposes of the Great Neighbours Privacy Policy in Australia Great Neighbours refers to WRE Pty Ltd (ABN 34 104 466 416).