All I want for Christmas is some clarity

DEAREST Santa Claus,

I have been a very good boy this year; I have helped sell many homes across the land and shared my stories and tips with the good folk of Australia.

I’ve eaten all of my greens, always refused the second portion of hot chips, sometimes take the stairs when a lift is easily available and watched, may not have completely understood fully, some sport!

In the forthcoming year I promise to continue my work of supporting the real estate consumer, increasing my participation in that social media thing and maintaining my profile and desirability with ladies of a certain age, all without a single complaint. I will even endeavour to submit my weekly newspaper columns to my editor not quite so many days late each week.

On the basis of what I believe has been my good behaviour this year and genuine intention to continue in that vein I wondered if it was at all possible to please review my ‘gift list’ with a very favourable eye?

And what a jolly twinkly, sparkly little eye you have Santa Sir!

All I want for Christmas is... ONE PROPERTY LAW FOR ALL OUR STATES We may be a big country but we are a tiny population. Imagine the clarity for all buyers and sellers if one law applied to all.

The lack of confusion, the simplicity and the ease with which we could all buy and sell our homes.

So buying an investment property or holiday home interstate or buying your first home away from your home state, or just the lifestyle family home relocation all could be such a more pleasurable scenario. GET RICH QUICK/BE A PROPERTY MILLIONAIRE SEMINARS Nothing wrong with an informative, educational seminar, but too often companies spring up, experts with rather questionable claims to success entice us to learn more FREE yet continue to upsell their educational products or housing options at quite often great loss to those who succumb.

I would like these events policed maybe even have to be licensed to protect their attendees. Every other aspect of the industry is, yet this slips through the net and the losses can be large for some. AGENTS AND SELLERS TO WORK TOGETHER Yes it sounds rather obvious. However the most common complaint from consumers is the lack of communication from some agents, but then the seller admits they haven’t said anything either!

You guys need to work together for success. When this occurs is when I see the top sale results. SELLERS BE REALISTIC Yes it still happens despite the absolute avalanche of data.

Some of you potential home sellers still believe, despite the obvious facts, despite numerous experts’ advice and despite the lack of sale you still think some one will be gullible enough to pay considerably more than market value, I don’t know why – you wouldn’t! So while sometimes we can get more than expected, market conditions have to be exactly right, as does your timing and buyer’s motivation; all of this is a pretty rare combination. So waiting for this occurrence could be an elongated or futile exercise. PRICING POLICY FREEDOM Stop the price controlling across our markets, allow market freedom not dictating pricing strategy by law and we do that in some states right now!

This is a totally unacceptable conduct in a free market place, quote too high as a seller runs the risk of buyers ignoring your home, quote too low and offers come rolling in way below your expectation, but you may be very keen to sell and want to do that, it should be your choice.

As for the state now that has banned not only quoting prices but also banned agents from discussing prices with buyers for all auction listings; the state in question should be ashamed of itself.

If the US and UK and other leading real estate markets of the world know this control is madness what’s next, controlling stocks and shares, yes think about it!