Hi there I have the original Renovation Toolbox for sale.  In as new condition.  Anyone interested please email me with an offer.  Was $695 new.

Thanks,

A tenants responsibility is to return the house in the same order bar general wear & tear is it not?  As a tenant I certainly wouldnt be happy about having to pay out $400 excess however isnt that just my bad luck (as a tenant?)  And as a landlord I would not be happy about my near new carpets being compromised by a patch. 

Having said that what is also important is to keep a good relationship between tenant & landlord (particularly if landlord has good tenants) therefore as a landlord that would come into the equation in coming to a decision.  Perhaps even splitting the cost of the excess maybe?? for example.  I'm also thinking that as a tenant I cannont take out general building insurance (with a lower excess) therefore have no control over the fact of the high excess which is a real bummer.

One of those difficult situations all round.

All the best.

Hi Leanne, I recently sold our house ourselves in tasmania. It sold after just 2 adds in the local paper – Sat classifieds. There were alot of houses on the market at the time, with seemingly quite a few buyers however they weren’t selling fast (like the previous few years) people were taking their time to decide. So after 2 weeks needless to say we were very happy and we got a good fair price we were happy with. The way I looked at it was that we could price it competitively to match the market but had an extra potential $9k (agents fee) to negotiate with. If an agent sold it there was no guarantee that they would get the asking price then we would have to negotiate down anyway except then have to pay the $9K as well! You need to do your homework in your area to a) see where people are advertising and of course as it is an investment property that may be a little diff from if it was a home (know your market) b) go to open homes to have a look at similar properties in the area to /get several agents to give their opinion then after doing your research you can arrive at a fair price.

When you look at how much you save ($5-$10K) then it’s worth the time. I was little uncomfortable and nervous taking first few calls but had a list of questions to sift through so I wasn’t just showing everyone thru and after a few times got the hang of it. Also Neil Jenman puts out a sml booklet that one of the agents gave me (I told them I was most likely going to sell it myself but just looking at the options) it was about selling & buying without agents and had the questions you can ask. Was very helpful.

As I said know your market (and it may or may not just be other investors!) then market your property accordingly. Do up a flier with all the extra details that add value to the property but often is not considered at first glance (ie new heat pump, wiring, insulation etc).

Also they say the first few weeks is the most hot time in selling – many make the mistake of not adjusting their tactics,price etc after the property hasn’t sold in 4 weeks etc. then property can go stale. Adjust while the interest is still there, get feedback etc.

All the best. I’m looking forward to doing the same again. tho it’s not of course for everyone.