If you have no experience with buying a property, you may find it difficult to know if you have done everything right. The good news is there’s no need to do it on your own. With the right team of business professionals on your side you can make the whole process go a lot more quickly and smoothly, prevent expensive mistakes and maximise the full financial benefits of making your property purchase.

So what kind of professional support might you need? Here are five business professionals that can be worth their weight in gold to every property buyer, whether you’re buying your first home, your next home or a property investment.

Building & Pest Inspector

When you’ve chosen the area that’s right for your property purchase, you should take the time to find a Building & Pest Inspector who knows the area well before you even start your property selection process. When you find a property that you’re interested in buying, having your experienced Building & Pest Inspector lined up will help you to move on it quickly and with the appropriate caution.

The word ‘caution’ is an important word to use here because not every property is as good as it looks to the untrained eye. The rule of thumb when purchasing a property is always to take a good look before you leap. Many unwary home buyers have fallen in love with what they think is the perfect home, only to find out later that it has expensive maintenance issues.

Solicitor / Conveyancer

A solicitor or conveyancer is required to attend to the legal formalities and prepare all of the documents you need to transfer a property into your name and ensure your settlement day goes smoothly. Their role is to be the champion of your legal interests during the purchase process and that’s why choosing a good one is important to your success.

First of all, your solicitor will be invaluable in helping you to understand the terms, conditions and contents of any contract that you will be required to sign. If you are intending to purchase at auction, they can explain the auction rules and conditions. If you are building a new home, or if you are purchasing off the plan from a developer, an experienced solicitor will know what you need to be careful about, what to include in the contract of sale to protect your interests and help to ensure that you end up getting exactly what you are paying for.

Accountant

A good accountant can be a huge bonus when purchasing a property, particularly if you’re a property investor but also if you’re a first home buyer or an owner occupier. That’s because understanding your own financial position is the most important part of the property purchasing process. It helps you determine your buying power, identify and plan for any potential cash-flow difficulties and ensures you understand and can cover all the expenses.

A good accountant who is experienced with property purchases will help you to maximise any tax benefits you may be entitled to receive. If you are planning to invest in property, it is a good idea to consult an accountant about what the tax benefits will be in your particular case and get advice about how to maximise them before you even begin.

Real Estate Agent/s

It’s a great idea to find out who are the best real estate agents servicing your chosen property market. Even though a real estate agent’s primary purpose is to represent a seller in a property transaction, the really good ones will also be willing to lend you their expertise in locating the right property for you – even if they don’t have it on their books right now.

As a buyer, you will not pay a real estate agent for any services they provide to you, as the seller is responsible for paying their fees. However, good real estate agents will want to meet you and keep in touch with you because you may be a prospective buyer for one of their future customer’s properties. They will take the time to discover your needs and take an interest in what kind of property you are looking for, making a note of your approximate price range and when you want to buy. When an appropriate property becomes available, they will contact you to see if you are interested. This can help you stay on top of new properties coming on to the market in the areas that are of interest you.

Mortgage & Finance Broker

There are thousands of home loan products available and finding the one that is exactly the right fit for your personal financial circumstances and goals can be a confusing process. If you approach a bank directly, they will only tell you about their own products. If you go online to do your own research on all the options, you could be there for days and still be in the dark about which finance product is the best one for you.

Some people just pick the loan with the lowest interest rate they can see and never even find out if a different type of loan product could have saved them more money in other ways.

A professional mortgage and finance broker is here to help you sort through all of these aspects of choosing a loan. Our job is to find a loan that is exactly the right fit considering your short and long-term goals, how much you can actually afford to borrow and what you need to get out of your loan in terms of features and benefits.

Consulting a mortgage and finance broker is usually free of charge. We’re even happy to have an informal chat with you if you just want to test the waters about getting a loan. Expert credit advice could make a big difference to your financial well-being both now and in the future – it’s not only about your finance needs right now.

If you need help meeting the right professionals for your property purchasing team, we’ll be happy to provide you with some referrals. As mentioned, we’re also happy to give you whatever information you may need about loan products and their uses. So please feel free to call and chat with us today.

They’re designed to get you to make a purchase quickly and deny you the opportunity to evaluate the purchase properly and compare other options.

Hard sell sales tactics often include aggressive or forceful language and usually use strong psychological pressure to convince you to buy. Sometimes it is not immediately obvious that you are being given the hard sell – the salesman will pretend to be your friend and behave as if they are helping you out!

So how do you avoid being pushed into a purchase by a hard selling salesperson? Here are five tips to help you come out on top.

1. Learn to say no.

Saying no is surprisingly difficult for some people. We’re all brought up to be polite and delivering a flat no can seem rude. The hard sell practitioner is fully aware of this and uses your good manners to their advantage to create an opportunity to make their sales pitch. Always be polite, but be firm when saying no or they will continue to pester you until you buy something.

Learning to say no to such people is vitally important. Make the word ‘no’ your default response until you are sure you have all the facts and are in a position to make an informed and considered decision.

2. Beware of people bearing gifts.

Another common tactic, and one that is frequently used by property sellers and developers, is to reinforce your natural tendency to avoid saying no by giving you a ‘free’ gift. They know a gift will make you feel more obligated to say yes because we are all conditioned to reciprocate when given a gift.

For example, time share companies will often offer you a ‘free’ weekend away in return for attending their seminar, then try and pressure you into buying while you’re there. Or a property developer may offer you a ‘free’ furniture voucher to get you to attend an open house, then pressure you into signing a contract on the spot.

Always remember that when you accept a gift that is described as ‘free’, you are placed under absolutely no obligation to make a purchase or return the favour. Say no firmly and take your ‘free’ gift home without feeling guilty about it.

3. Keep your emotions in check.

High pressure sales tactics also take advantage of your negative emotions. They play on feelings such as fear, greed, vanity, guilt, ambition, frustration, anxiety and even loneliness. Gratification of any of these emotions is a strong motivator and makes us very susceptible to impulsive purchasing decisions that we may regret later.

When making any large purchase, it is important to be able to put your emotions aside and think logically and practically. Before you even consider looking at a home or car to purchase, protect the integrity of your decision making process by working out a budget and a buying strategy. Avoid impulse purchases by giving yourself a cooling off period when you can take the time to sit down and calmly consider the pros and cons.

4. See the bigger picture.

When emotions are running high and you’re under pressure to make a decision, it is a good idea to step back and take a wider view of the situation. Resist your impulse to purchase by taking a few deep breaths and asking yourself “What will happen if I don’t make the decision to purchase right now?”

After a few minutes have passed, more sensible considerations will come to the fore. Such as can you afford it? Does it meet your needs? Will it give you the return on your investment that the salesman has promised? Are you paying the right price? Could you get a better price by waiting and negotiating a bit more? These are the bigger picture questions that need to be answered before you make your decision to buy.

5. Do your own research.

Every property developer, real estate agent and car salesman will tell you their deal is fantastic, that buying their product is a ‘no-brainer’. They may even show you data or statistics to back up what they say. Never trust the word of a hard sell salesperson, always verify the facts for yourself. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

When making any large purchase, particularly a property, the importance of conducting your own thorough research cannot be overstated. It may be time-consuming, but it is not difficult to go online and check you’re paying the right price, how likely it is that the investment will appreciate in value and what are the likely rental yields. If you are buying off the plan, or from a developer, always take the time to verify the value of the property on completion and hire an expert to help you if necessary. Do not take the developer’s word for it.

Remember, the objective of the hard sell salesperson is to make you buy now in order to take away your opportunity to consider things properly and perhaps decide not to make the purchase. The harder the sell, the more reason you have to go away and carefully research their offer.

Talk to a professional finance broker today.

One of the ways unscrupulous salespeople make their money is by selling you expensive finance. No matter how attractive the offer or how insistent the salesperson, you should never sign up for finance on the spot. It is very easy to be distracted by the price of that great car or perfect house and forget to be diligent about your financing deal – this is a major mistake that could end up costing you a lot more than you think.

Finance contracts can often have restrictive terms, unfavourable interest rates and hefty exit fees. Car dealership finance for example, is notorious for failing to take into consideration your complete financial circumstances, so you could end up with financial hardship or may actually find yourself unable to make your car repayments. This could be disastrous for your credit rating and leave you struggling to get any kind of finance in the future.

No matter the urgency, always take the time to talk with a mortgage or finance broker about your finance needs. We will help you to determine exactly how much you can afford to borrow and make sure you obtain the most favourable interest rate and finance product available for you and your needs, taking into consideration your personal financial circumstances and goals. Call us today.