Mate there are a lot of agents down there and several who could do the job better…as an agent myself i am so sorry you're not being treated better…give us all a bad name!!!!! you could try some of the toowoomba agents too…there is some good ones there and even though Warwick is an hour away – Many rural buyers go to toowoomba (being the major regional centre) to start their search and then look out from there (I work Brisbane but used to live up there).

good luck with it

HI dengon…

you have more than just a few issues to consider with this one. obviously the first relates to the zoning and allowable Gross Floor Area of the site in question…some councils allow a higher GFA if close to major arterials and railways. On a 1200 block in Brisbane where I am you could get 6 decent size townhouses (100m2) or more if near in the right spot where the GFA increases to 60-70% depending on lcoation. Saying that, if you’re talking 4-5 homes then you obviously can get some very large townhouses which leads to questions about the quality of fit and finish. a large townhouse should be well fitted out (stone benches, s/steel appliance, luxury fittings in wet areas, aircon or heating, downlighting, automation?? and the like) and hence is in a completely different price bracket.

Second relates to your statement about subdividing…by subdividing i take it you mean you intend that all your townhouses will be on separate title with no common property??? this can be a valuable selling point – particularly where related to very large t/houses however creates a lot of headaches in the planning stages as not only do you need to apply for the subdivision, but each property will need to satisfy council requirements individually and therefore you cant get away with shared services etc…(this may be council dependent).

The easiest way to figure out your answer (though still not simple) is to work out your sale price (or rental yields if you’re keeping them) by comparing to others in the area…if selling, four can be better than five if they are the right size and spec level for the area and therefore can get a much higher price. However, if the area is not right for large high spec property then 5 smaller low spec will more than likely give you a better price as if done right as its not a great deal more materials-wise to construct. Similar story if your hanging onto them…your gross weekly rent and projected capital growth will help. I do suggest you think about engaging a quantity surveyor preconstruction to help with the figures (if you haven’t already).

If you’re going to body corp them, then 5 will be cheaper overall as the costs of maintaining and insurances are split among more propertiesand this may be tax advantageous??? – but talk to depreciation specialist and tax agents for that sort of advice.

i haven’t re-read all this to see if it makes sense but i hope it helps somewhat …

cheers
turtle[biggrin]

Hi guys…

i understand the hatred of agents in general, but they’re not all like that. I am an agent in Brisbane and find conduct like this reprehensible…it annoys me on daily basis with some of the behaviour that i see other agents engaging in but that doesn’t mean that I or my colleagues at our agency behave like that.

Outside of misrepresenting the property by posting old photos, it just goes to show how unprofessional and straight out lazy that particular agent is. its similar to the agents who use rpdata photos or similar on their listings on realestate.com etc – sheer laziness!!!!![grrr]

So yes, i would lodge a complaint about the agent to the Real Estate Institute in that State and the Office of Fair Trading or similar State body.

But again folks, please don’t pidgeon hole all agents just because there are some dodgy ones out their…we’re not all bad!!!! [thumbsupanim] and some of us actually revel in doing our jobs to the best of our ability!!!!! at least it means we can lie straight in bed at night!!

cheers[biggrin]

Hi,

i am an agent in Brisbane…what you are saying is true, many agents operate as independent business that “sub-contracts” to the agency…and therefore tend to flog their own listings.

one way around this is to look at their website or go to the agency and get the “properties for sale book” that they should have out on display – it enables you to see some of their properties without even having to talk to an agent.

the best way is just to ask the agent – most agents are not as smart as they think they are and you can see pretty easily if they are telling you porky’s!!!!

our agency does the “caravan” spoken about above…once a week we all get togetther and look at each others properties so we know what we have on the books…we share the commissions between the listing and selling agents (if different) so that the aim is to sell as many properties as an agency instead of being individuals and fighting against each other – the goal is to be the best agency in the area – you cant do that when you’re trying to beat the other agents in your office.

dont be scared to ask the agents how they operate…if they refuse to tell you ask them what they are hiding or run away!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers
Turtle

Hi,

there is a Urologist in Brisbane named Dr Winkle…I am led to believe his motto is “if you have a problem with your twinkle come and see Dr Winkle”

I used to work for Police Communications – they answer the triple zero police related calls put through from Telstra and handle the despatching of cars etc…one of the guys in the radio room was a part time DJ and goes by the nickname of “Nil”. A female sergeant didn’t him using name [grrr] and gave him a hard time so to get her back he changed his name by deed poll to “Nil Omega Zero” – he now signs everything as “000” [thumbsupanim]

great thread
Turtle