Selling in spring time.

Spring is here and with the warming of the weather comes a rise in real estate activity.

People are happier to be out and about looking at property when the sun is shining and homes are looking their best so if you're in the market to sell your home why not look at our handy tips to getting your home primped and ready for action.

1. Give everything a good spring clean - make sure windows are sparkling and your home is clutter free.

2. This is the perfect time to spruce up the garden. Clean garden paths and outdoor entertaining areas. Mulch garden beds and mow lawns. Think about planting some annuals for spring/summer colour and appeal.

3. Talk to us about a market appraisal and free consultation where we can guide you about ways to improve the saleability of your home. Small improvements can make all the difference and mean extra dollars in your pocket. Invest an hour with us and reap the benefits.

Happy days at iRIS Property

It's been a busy day at iRIS Property. Plenty of enquiries, some fantastic new listings - watch out for upcoming newsletters to be the first to hear of these great homes on offer - and one of the most enjoyable parts of our job ... settlements !

We are heading out this afternoon to deliver keys and champagne to our excited purchasers. It's fantastic to have been able to help people secure a home, increase their wealth and security and to watch them start out on a new leg of their journey. We wish them all well and hope that they enjoy their new homes.

Another great aspect of today is knowing that our vendors, who have been caught up in the often challenging task of having a home on the market, can now bank their cheques and get moving on finding their next home, hopefully after having a well earned rest for a little while.

We thank you for trusting us to help you with these life changing transactions and look forward to working with you again soon.

iRIS Property   www.irisproperty.com.au
tel 02 45677254

Celebrating the launch of our new website !!!!

New iRIS Property Website ! We are very happy to announce the arrival of our latest website upgrade to provide an easier and more pleasant browsing experience. Just launched about an hour ago, we have added great new functionality and feature items such as mapping, clients can now access directions to a property directly from their smartphone or tablet, we have new improved image carousels,- improved ,easier and more comprehensive search functions, plus -social media share functions , and lots more detail improvements and changes ! Naturally we have retained the sleek and refined general look that we get so much great feedback about ! Jump on the new site and have a look- www.irisproperty.com.au

Straight talking

Do you value honesty ?  Would you rather someone tell you what you need to know or what you want to hear ?

At iRIS Property we take honesty seriously. There will never be any shortage of real estate agents willing to tell you what you want to hear in order to get your business. That's why we are different.

When it comes to making astute financial decisions you need to know the facts. We pride ourselves on our straight talking including giving you an accurate assessment of your property. We are proud of our ability to accurately gauge the market value of your investments and of our proven track record in getting the numbers right.

It's human nature to always hope for more. It's also difficult sometimes to hear the truth - especially when this means potentially hearing that your property may be worth less than you think or have been told.

We all know the story of getting a few agents to provide market appraisals and being amazed by the widely varying differences in values. This happens for a couple of reasons :

* Some less than honest operators are simply trying to garner your business when they know the price they have set is not achievable.
* Some simply don't have the knowlege base or skills to accurately assess your property.

When you are told that your property is worth a lot more than is realistically achievable we call this the 'feel good price". Even though it makes you happy in the short term the long term outlook isn't great. At over inflated prices you can expect your property to take longer to sell and to lose the advantage of those first few crucial weeks of interest when your property is new to the market. In the end you will almost certainly sell at the more realistic price we originally gave you.

If you want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth call us.

Putting the real back in real estate.

iRIS Property - for accuracy and integrity.


www.irisproperty.com.au

Tel : 02 45677254

Renovating for sale

When renovating for the sale of your property it is important to consider the costs and benefits of any work you plan to do. The last thing you want is to spend a lot of money which you may not be able to recoup in the sale of your property.

The aim of renovation should be to ensure that your property is well maintained and beautifully presented.  These kinds of improvements will always trump the market. Focus on freshness and street appeal rather than major works.

When deciding on the type of renovations you will do consider the following :

* Renovate to give your home a facelift - concentrate on paint, cleaning and freshening the general feel of your home.

* Consider areas which may become points of negotiation for potential purchasers and aim to minimise these eg. chipped tiles, tired kitchen or bathroom.

* Focus on key areas such as the front entrance, gardens, bathroom and kitchen.

* Ensure that you spread your renovation budget so that you can effectively distribute repairs and improvements around your property. The last thing you want is a brand new kitchen drawing attention to a tired bathroom. Improvements in one area can make others areas of your house look worse so aim to generally improve the whole property.

* Keep clours and tones neutral to appeal to the broadest number of prospective buyers.

* Make sure you make use of our skills ! Talk to us before embarking on your improvements. We can advise you on what NEEDS to be done and what is cosmetic only.  We can also help you to avoid overspending and overcapitalising on your property.

Call us today iRIS Property 02 45677254
www.irisproperty.com.au

iRIS Property - Who are we ????

iRIS Property was founded in 2007 by Martin Schoeddert and his wife and business partner, Jeanette.
Canadian born Martin studied a Bachelor of Commerce before embarking on a career in real estate in 1988.

Martin specialises in rural and residential properties and has extensive knowledge of the Hawkesbury and surrounding areas. He is always happy to provide advice and assistance.

Martin and Jeanette founded iRIS Property with the aim of providing fantastic service and getting great results for their clients and have achieved that goal. Many of their clients are people who have bought or sold with them in the past who wouldn't think of dealing with any other agent.

Steven Body of Kurrajong Heights " Martin has helped us with all of our property transactions - if you want someone who will answer your questions honestly, give you reliable information you need to make good choices and get results then iRIS is it "

"We understand what a responsibility it is to look after people's largest assets " Martin Schoeddert - "We aim to help you maximise sales results and returns on your investments"

iRIS Property also provides property management services so can help you find the perfect investment property and then take care of the tenancy details for you.

Martin says that developing open and professional relationships with his clients is what he loves most about his job. Add to that his passion for sharing knowledge and helping people achieve their financial goals and you have the perfect agent.

Contact iRIS Property - 02 45677254   info@irisproperty.com.au   www.irisproperty.com.au

Tax tips for property investors

The end of the financial year looms near and it's time to start thinking about getting the most out of your investment property. 
There are many things you may be able to claim so get those receipts organised and check out some of the ways you can minimise tax this year. 


You may be able to claim  :


• Advertising for a tenant
• Body Corporate fees
• Council rates
• Depreciation on plant and equipment
• Interest on a loan to purchase the property
• Insurance
• Land tax
• Property agents’ fees
• Repairs and maintenance (fully deductible)
• Capital works deductions/special building write-off
• Stationery, postage and telephone
• Travel expenses
• Water rates


Speak to your tax agent or accountant for more information. 

The basics of auctions

When to consider selling by auction

* Sale by auction is often the best way to go for unique and unusual properties.

* It is a great method of marketing generating a competitive interest around your property.

* This form of sale allows the selling price to be dictated by the market rather than by setting a cap or figure for sale which is useful when there are few comparable properties in your area.

*It's helpful for people who want a good chance of selling their home on a given day for at least the minimum price you have determined with your agent.

How it works

Once you have decided to go to auction we can guide you through the whole process.
The process of  marketing your property is similar to other sale types in that we will contact potential buyers, devise an advertising campaign and arrange open homes for people to inspect your property.

The date for auction is set and advertised and the minimum sale price (reserve) is determined near the end of the marketing campaign. You are always protected by the reserve price.

On auction day Martin and your auctioneer will guide you through the process. The relevant documentation is displayed for potential purchasers and the ground rules for the auction are set eg, acceptable bid increments.

The auctioneer will ask for a starting bid and once the reserve is met the property is said to be 'on the market' and the highest bidder on the day is the purchaser. If the reserve is not met during the auction we still have the opportunity to sell under auction conditions until midnight of that same day.

The purchaser is required to pay a 10% deposit on the fall of the hammerand sign the contract.   Settlement generally occurs 42 days later or as negotiated between the parties.

For more information about auctions or selling your property call us at iRIS Property 02 45677254.

I was talking to a friend the other day who lives in Sydney. I felt struck when he said that he didn't really notice autumn and winter living in the city. Sure it was colder but the scenery didn't really change all that much. He was up for the weekend and was loving the colour display of the Hawkesbury region where gardens are showing off their red, yellow and orange beauty at this time of year.

Quite the opposite of the usual notion that real estate slows in winter, this time of year is one of the most stunning times to visit the Hawkesbury and we have some incredibly beautiful properties to show you.

The gardens are truly beautiful and homes are warmed by fires. This is the Hawkesbury at it's homeliest and most cosy, comforting time. The apple season is in full swing with the Bells Line of Road acting like a farmers market for fresh produce and home baked goodies all the way to the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens which are not to be missed for an autumn and winter display.


Check out our website for some amazing properties

www.irisproperty.com.au/



and the Hawkesbury What's On guide for your next visit


www.hawkesburyaustralia.com.au/information/default.asp

A simple buyers guide

1. Speak with a mortgage broker/bank/financial institution to determine the most appropriate loan type for you and to gauge your borrowing capacity.

2. Make a short list of the suburbs or areas you are interested in and do some basic research about average price houses for these areas and to assess services such as shops, schools and transport- we can help you with this.

3. Get to know your agent - we like to know about you too - the better we understand your needs such as family size, transport and schooling requirements the better we are able to find the right property for you and your family.

4. When you find a property that you are interested in it's time to bring in solicitors and arrange pest and building inspections. This gives you the information you need to make an informed decision about the offer you would like to make to the vendor.

5. When your offer has been accepted it is time to sign the contract for sale and pay your 10% deposit which is held in trust until the sale is finalised.

6. At this point the solicitors, conveyancers or agent arranges exchange of the signed contracts and settlement usually takes place 6 weeks later.

At iRIS Property we have years of experience in helping people find the home they want. Call us today to see how we can help you.