What is a buyers’ advocate?

A Buyers Advocate (or Buyers Agent) is essentially an adviser who will assist you with all elements associated with the process of buying either a home or an investment property.

mcrae property melbourne buyers advocates header 4

Buyers’ Advocates act exclusively for you with their objective being to identify the right property and buy it at the right price. They are on your side. That “friendly real estate agent” you see at open for inspections may appear as if they have your best interests at heart but they are acting solely for, and are being paid by, the vendor.

McRae Property were one of the first Buyers Advocates in Melbourne and have a deep understanding of how the system “works” and know which levers to pull in order to get the best possible result for our clients.

Both of our principles are licensed real estate agents and qualified valuers.

Why should you use a Buyers Advocate?

Buying a house is usually the most important (and expensive) purchase you will ever make. Most people in our experience only do so every 5 – 10 years. We do it every day!

To succeed in the purchasing process you need all of the following attributes:

Persistence

A capacity to identify the right property to purchase

An understanding of prevailing market values and the capacity to provide detailed sales analysis

Ability to source properties off market

Be a capable (preferably great) negotiator

McRae Property Melbourne offer these skills plus careful attention to each clients’ requirement, irrespective of budget.

How does it work?

Buyers' advocacy isn't as complex as you might expect. For a brief overview of the process, find out more below.

The Brief

In consultation with you we prepare a detailed summary (the “brief”) outlining the characteristics of the property we are seeking to purchase including such factors as price limit, location, property style, accommodation and proximity to community services.

Property Search

In addition of course to closely monitoring what is available publicly, we have access to properties available off market or “on the quiet” via our relationships with individuals at all of the major real estate firms in Melbourne. Our connection with many of these people dates back in some instances 30 years or more. This trust, built up over a long period of time quite often results in our clients being given the first opportunity to consider a property available off market.

Property Assessment

Essentially our task is to find the best property available for sale in Melbourne that matches your requirement.

We take into account all relevant aspects of a property before even suggesting that you should conduct an inspection. Having looked at thousands of properties over the years, we understand the pitfalls to avoid and the positives to seek out.

Value Assessment

Of course it is important to find the right property but then its crucial to know what its worth.

This is where McRae Property is unique. Both of our principals have been qualified valuers for over 30 years. We analyse all relevant sales evidence and arrive at a reasoned conclusion as to the “real value” of a property. In our view, without a precise assessment of market value, the next step you take may well produce a mistake.

The Purchase

Buying a property is not just about paying more than the next person.

Strategy is quite often a key component of the buying process and twisting a situation to our advantage is something we try and do with each purchase.

This is particularly the case with private sales or off market transactions where knowing when to make an offer and for how much is often the difference between success and failure in securing a property.
We also of course represent you at auction, if so required, and will bid in a way to give you the maximum chance of success.

Testimonials

My wife and I were looking for an investment property within the inner city Melbourne area. I am currently based in Asia and have been for the past fourteen years. It was very difficult for my wife and I to find the time and to know and understand the real estate market in Melbourne after being away for such a long time.

McRae Property Services were recommended to us by a Melbourne Real Estate agent. Our initial thought was "would this be a safe and financially viable option", as we did not know these people at all. Well, we made contact from overseas and introduced ourselves, explaining what our requirements were. It all went very well from there. John and David were absolutely fantastic people to deal with. They are very honest and the thing we admired the most was that they were on top of the game and we felt that we were treated the same as if they were looking for property for their own family.

After they did all the groundwork, they narrowed down the options to approx 5 houses. Their opinions on the five options were valuable and we ended up settling on one house in Richmond. I am always sceptical when you are dealing with people you don't know and there is a lot of money on the line. But now, after settlement on our property has been finalised and we have great tenants in the property, we are extremely pleased.

- Dean, May 2018

After a couple of frustrating months going it alone I realised I needed help (lots of help!) when it came to buying my first ever home. There is a lot of information out there and I found the whole auction process to be a daunting and overwhelming experience. David and John made the impossible seem possible, but more unbelievable is that it only took you two months to achieve it, amazing effort!

John, your ability to guide me through the process, pull the deal together and stop the property going to auction was outstanding and I am still pinching myself at the result. Thank you for your professionalism, guidance, invaluable knowledge and support throughout the process, and for answering all my questions in detail and with a lot of patience.

Much of the value of your service was in the "legwork", sorting the wheat from the chaff and carefully reviewing each property I considered - not only did I receive solid information to favour a purchase, you also steered me away from properties for reasons that I would not have otherwise been aware of if I had been searching on my own. Your help really was invaluable. I would strongly recommend McRae property, I cannot speak highly enough of you, thank you so much.

- Emma, 2018

Just a quick note to say thank you to David and John of McRae Property for helping us with the purchase of our house. We can't speak highly enough of them! They "got" our brief for the house immediately and saved us a huge amount of time and energy, by ensuring we only considered properties which were "right" for us, and within our price range.

They were utterly professional and had absolute attention to detail - sending us proposed floor plans for properties we were considering and check lists with costings for any renovation works which might be needed. They liaised for contract review and building and pest inspection reports, and provided formal valuations of all the properties we seriously considered - which were "bang on" every time (and most importantly, the bank agreed!).

Above all else, they are a pleasure to deal with - we were sort of sorry to finally buy a house and no longer need them!

- Miranda & Tom, 2018

Securing our first investment property was a seamless and stress free process with McRae Property.

The team at McRae Property are consummate professionals who took care of every facet of the process including: researching and locating a property in a solid growth area, undertaking property inspections, reviewing the key documents related to the property, and bidding and securing the property at auction. They were even able to negotiate with the vendor to hold open inspections so we had a tenant ready to move in just after settlement. The McRae team kept us informed throughout the whole process, and provided realistic, sound and consistent advice.

We couldn't have been happier with the process and the way in which we were treated by McRae Property. We would highly recommend their services and intend to use them again.

- Vanessa & Sam, 2018

My recent dealings with David McRae and John Sommers from McRae Property were nothing short of first class. Their expertise in the field of real estate is obvious and this, coupled with their personal and genuine manner, made for a stress-free buying experience – particularly relevant for a first time investor.

David McRae being geared towards listening was able to understand my requirements and show only those properties fitting my set criteria which proved quite a time saver. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with following through on all commitments, delivering on all promises and helping achieve a very positive outcome.

Honest, professional and reliability are three words I'd use to describe my dealings with all staff at McRae Property and I look forward to working with them again for my next purchase.

- Rhonda, 2018

David and John from were instrumental in assisting us to purchase our investment property. Their market knowledge, industry relationships and property expertise were invaluable throughout the buying process. Engaging McRae Property enable us to purchase a fantastic property in a brilliant location for the right price.

- Tim, 2018

Working to achieve your goals.

Minimise the risk and take advantage of our expertise.