Property Assessment and Inspection Reports: Why they are so important?

In this issue I would like to address the importance of thorough Property Assessment and Inspection Reports .  When taking on any new Property Management whether it be a Residential Property or a Commercial Property it’s important to have your Agent do a full photographic inspection report with a detailed condition analysis and opportunities assessment.  This gives you and your Agent a starting point.  Similarly, if your Agent is doing their job right it can give you insight into the current condition of your property, projected maintenance and capital works required to move forward.

This reporting also allows an investor to gain an accurate picture of where they are and where they need to be to get the result they desire, out of their investment.

So often a property is managed by an Agent that gives no thought to giving their client an overview of the condition of their property, maintenance that may be required over the short term, medium term and long term and the financial implications for the investors of doing or not doing such maintanance.

Ask the team at Jam Property all of these questions and more.  We guarantee that our Agents are trained, experienced and ready to professionally and proactively manage your property.

Jam Property are your top Property Managers on the Sunshine Coast.  Call us today to see how we can make your Property Management experience a sweet, smooth and nurturing one.  Ph: (07) 5491 5722

New tenants: Is your agent attracting the right tenants and doing the right checks?

Screening prospective tenants is paramount when looking to secure a new Tenant.  This can make your life smooth or a complete nightmare.

Can your Agent show you their policies and procedures when it comes to the application and selection process?  Is it consistent, detailed and thorough?

The Tenant selection process all starts at the first initial contact.  The way in which your Agent conducts themselves and the procedures that they have in place will determine the kind of Tenants your Agent is attracting to their agency.

Effective communication with prospective Tenants is first and foremost.  Making sure your Agent is on time, has a process in place when setting the times for inspections and confirming attendees should be standard practice.   Setting expectations and guidelines that everyone understands right from the start, helps to avoid issues now and in the future.

Your agent should be guiding your Tenants through the application process, ensuring that the application is completed in its entirety. They need to ensure that the applicant provides proof of identity, confirms references both past and present, and completes a statement of affordability.  They must also ensure that the prospective tenant provides confirmation of income.  All of these checks should be minimum requirements and standard practise.

Ask your Agent what questions they are asking when checking references and confirming details.  By asking the right questions this can make a huge difference in the information that you receive.

We aim to get the best for our clients, providing a sweet, smooth and nurturing experience along the way.

Jam Property are your top agents on the Sunshine Coast.  For a proactive approach and solutions driven team contact Jam Property today on (07) 5491 5722.  We will get you results.

Price Conditioning: What this means and has it happened to you?

Telling a client what they want to hear with regards to price is often used in the Real Estate industry to secure a listing.  Once the listing is secured, the agent then conditions the seller down to the price they will get, which often is not what the client needs, wants or expects.  This practice not only places distrust in the minds of the clients but also can leave a property listed on the market without a result.   This in turn also leaves the client out of pocket for advertising and other expenses and a very bad taste in their mouth.  Statistics show that properties overpriced become “stale listings” and are dismissed.  Buyers are educated and generally know their market and what a property is worth.  Overpricing a property misleads people, waists time and leads to frustration for all involved.

It is in my experience that this approach rarely works.  A Real Estate transaction must benefit everyone involved and needs to be a win/win situation if you want to create long lasting relationships.

I believe that it’s important first and foremost to gain the trust of my client.  The only way to do this is to be honest about what the market is doing and the price that my client will achieve.  Yes it is possible I may lose the business first hand because it’s not what my client wants to hear , however,  in the long run the client will respect me for being honest and will come back to me when they have not achieved the result they originally wanted.

I find my clients appreciate my honesty and integrity and this creates long lasting relationships.

Its time to create change in the industry.  Let’s be honest and ethical and act with the law of service in mind.

We aim to get the best for our clients, providing a sweet, smooth and nurturing experience along the way.

Jam Property are your top agents on the Sunshine Coast.  For a proactive approach and solutions driven team contact Jam Property today on (07) 5491 5722.  We will get you results.

Identity Fraud! Is your agent being diligent?

Identity fraud is a very serious problem in the Australian community with more and more cases arising in connection with real estate transactions each and every day.

Does your Agent have in-house processes to ensure that you are not targeted with a case of fraud?

With fraudsters becoming more and more savvy, it’s important now, more than ever that your Agent is aware of the risks and has standard policies in place to avoid cases of fraud.

At Jam we ensure that proof of identity is provided in transactions involving tenants leasing properties, owners leasing out their properties, buyers purchasing and sellers selling their property.

Also any change of details for our clients such as contact details or bank account details must be put in writing before any changes are made.

Tenants requiring keys to enter their property if they have lost their keys or locked themselves out are required to provide proof of identity prior to access being granted.

Our policies are ever evolving to ensure that we remain ahead in the fight against identify fraud.

We aim to get the best for our clients, providing a sweet, smooth and nurturing experience.

Jam Property are your top agents on the Sunshine Coast.  For a proactive approach and solutions driven team contact Jam Property today on (07) 5491 5722.  We will get you results.

Pool Safety, are you compliant?

We met with Rowan Howard from Pool Safety Inspections last week and he explained a little about pool safety obligations for property owners with Pools.  Below he summarises the important factors we should be aware of.

Stage 1 of Queensland’s new pool safety laws was introduced on 1 December 2009 and applied to new residential pools. Stage 2, began on 1 December 2010 and mostly affected existing swimming pools.

• There is now 1 pool safety standard, the Queensland Development Code Mandatory Part 3.4 (PDF, 1.3MB), that replaces 11 different pool safety standards.

• a pool safety certificate, issued by a licensed pool safety inspector, is required when selling, buying or leasing a property with a pool (pool safety certificates are valid for one year for a shared pool and two years for a non-shared pool)
• the pool safety standard applies to all pools associated with houses, units, hotels, motels, backpacker hostels, caravan parks, mobile van parks and other forms of short-term accommodation
• all swimming pools had to be included on the state-based pool safety register by 4 November 2011
• safety barriers are mandatory for all portable pools and spas deeper than 300 millimeters.

Pool owners have until 30 November 2015 to comply with the new pool safety standards, or earlier if their property is sold or leased before then.

If you are selling a property with a non-shared pool such as pools for houses or townhouses or units with their own pool or spa, you must have either:

• a pool safety certificate, obtained before settlement of a contract.
• a notice of no pool safety certificate—form 36 (PDF, 60KB) issued before contract and before settlement advising the buyer that a certificate must be obtained within 90 days of settlement.

If you are leasing your property, a pool safety certificate must be obtained before entering into the lease.

The pool owner is generally the owner of the land. The owner of the property is responsible for ensuring their pool safety barrier is compliant.

Check List

• Pool gates - must swing away from the pool, self-close and self-latch from any position. Latches are to be 1.5 metres in height above finished ground level and 1.4m in height from the top of the highest lowest horizontal member. The gate must be able to self-close from any position, including from resting on the latch.
• Gate hinges – where gate hinges are greater than 10mm in diameter and closer than 900mm apart, from top of hinge to top of hinge, ensure a hinge safety cap is fitted to the lower hinge to eliminate it as a foothold.
• Pool fences - make sure the pool fence is 1.2 metres high with a non-climbable portion of 900mm on the outside of the fence. Where horizontal members are on the inside of the barrier (the pool side), they may be closer than 900mm apart provided the gaps between vertical members do not exceed 10mm. Gaps throughout the fence cannot exceed 100mm, including from the bottom of the fence to the finished ground level. Ensure all fixings are secure and in place.
• Dividing fences - if your pool fence is also a dividing fence make sure that it is a minimum of 1.8 metres high and non-climbable from the outside or from the top 900mm on the inside. Optionally make sure your fence is a minimum of 1.2 metres in height, non-climbable on your neighbour’s side and the clearance between horizontal members of the fence is 900mm as above.
• Structural rigidity of components – Ensure all footings and fixings are tight and can withstand impact without deflection or breakage. Ensure no broken welds or fixings in vertical members and that vertical members do not deflect under reasonable pressure to create gaps greater than 100mm.
• Branches - trim back any branches within 900mm of the fence that a child could use to climb over the fence. This would include any form of foliage that has forked sections and is of a thickness greater than your little finger as a general rule.
• Climbable objects - A climbable object has a toehold or ledge greater than 10mm. Shield or remove climbable objects within 900mm of the outside of pool fence. Remove climbable objects such as plant pots or pool equipment within 300mm of the inside of the pool fence. This includes items such as bolts, taps, hose holders or joints in brick and block work.
• Windows – install permanently fixed security screens to windows that open into the pool area or ensure windows are not capable of being opened more than 100mm.
• Doors - ensure no doors open from the house into the pool area. The pool must be fenced separately from the house.
• Resuscitation sign - make sure your resuscitation sign is clearly visible from the pool area, contains information on how to resuscitate children and infants and has a compression-ventilation ratio of 30:2 (30 compressions followed by 2 ventilations).

More information is available at the below web address

http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/construction/BuildingPlumbing/PoolSafety/Pages/default.aspx

To contact Rowan Howard from Pool Safety Inspections call 1300 283 894 or 0411 292 392 or email: info@poolsafetyinspections.com.au 

Jam Property are your top agents on the Sunshine Coast.  For a proactive approach and solutions driven team contact Jam Property today on             (07) 5491 5722 we will get you results.

We love rewarding our clients!

They say ‘One of the greatest forms of flattery is clients referring clients to your business’

As our way of saying thank you and showing our gratitude and appreciation we reward every person who refers clients to use us that results in new business with a $50.00 gift voucher of your choice.  Whether you refer a new property to manage or a property to sell we want to say a huge thank you with a gift voucher, when the referral results in a new leased management or a sale.

So keep spreading the word and the Jam, because Jam Property is creating positive change in the Real Estate industry and clients are loving the experience.

For more information and conditions on our referral rewards please contact the team at Jam today.

Jam Property are your top agents on the Sunshine Coast.  For a proactive approach and solutions driven team contact Jam Property today on             (07) 5491 5722 we will get you results.

 

 

*Conditions Apply

7 things to watch out for when engaging a Property Manager…

1. Beware of Agents that aren’t prepared at your initial appointment.  You want your Agent to be ready and organized with all the information you require and thorough answers to your questions.  If they come without a presentation kit and information, start to worry.
2. Choose a Property Manager that is your area specialist.   Your Agent must know current rental vacancy rates and current rental rates for their area.  They should know what’s available and coming up and the estimated time your property would take to lease.
3. Agents that offer low fees or happily discount with ease are to be avoided.  These Agents don’t have the ability to professionally and proactively manage your property at a discounted rate.  They are unable provide training and systems for their teams.  Usually their staff are overloaded with work to reduce wages so that they can offer you a discounted rate.  This affects the management of your valuable asset.
4. You’re Agent must have a thorough understanding and knowledge of relevant legislation rules and guidelines, as well as other legislation that must be abided by, in order to maintain a fair and professional relationship with your tenant?  Quiz your prospective agents, do they know the answers?
5. Ask about the tenant selection process, how does your agent process their applications, ask to see an application and detailed explanation of the processes.
6. How long has the agent been in Property Management, what is their experience level and what training have they undertaken.  If you are looking for a professional agent, look for an agent that does frequent training and updating of their skills, and has a proven ability in their field.
7. Does your agent understand the processes to successfully terminate a tenancy and recover possession of your property without the need to go to court? Does your agent know the correct procedure, notices and time frames?  How much experience have they had with QCAT – Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal?

Ask the team at Jam Property all of these questions and more, we guarantee that our Agents are trained, experienced and ready to professionally and proactively manage your property.

Jam Property are your top Property Managers on the Sunshine Coast.  Call us today to see how we can make your Property Management experience a sweet, smooth and nurturing one.  Ph: (07) 5491 5722