Dakota Peters
Inspections Officer
Avoid hidden traps and buy with confidence from interstate. Local experts Universal Buyers Agents are on your side when buying a home or property in Qld.
BUYING a property can be as stressful and emotional as it gets, but it can be all the more challenging if you’re relocating or investing from interstate.
That’s why it can help to have a local expert in your corner to make the right purchase.
Universal Buyers Agents are the local property experts for Queensland’s property market and represent a large number of interstate and international buyers.
“Interstate buyers make up a big part of you we take care of so we’ve introduced a lot of processes to help make the experience as pain-free and comfortable as possible,” founding director Darren Piper said.
“We deal with clients from right around the country, but see the most buyers from Melbourne and Sydney.”
Mr Piper said there are plenty of ways buyers can fall into hidden traps without local knowledge so it can help to have someone in your corner throughout the buying process.
“One of the biggest reasons interstate buyers engage us is the expertise you get from having a local professional on the ground, someone who can access off market property and has the right contacts in place and to streamline the process,” he said.
“There are countless stories of buyers who have made a misstep by not understanding the local market and the areas well enough.
“It can be as simple as overpaying, right through to ending up in the wrong area because they didn’t understand the distances between landmarks.
“We’ve heard stories of buyers who didn’t understand the traffic between Brisbane and the Gold Coast who came to us only months later to find a new property because they got fed up with the commute.
“Or clients who ended up in suburbs with few public transport connections or lacked the lifestyle they want only to regret it down the track.”
Universal Buyers Agents puts extra steps in place to help interstate buyers and can help source and arrange properties to inspect or even FaceTime inspections for interstate clients.
“For us its about providing the right service to make clients feel as comfortable as possible,” he said.
“Whether it’s someone relocating or someone looking for an investment in South-East Queensland we can work closely with clients to make the buying process as seamless as possible.”
Universal Buyers Agents has the largest network of off-market listings in Queensland so buyers can get access to more properties unavailable to the general public.
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s advocacy service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
AT UNIVERSAL Buyers Agents, we live and breathe property. It’s everything we do. And it comes across in our unique way of putting our clients first.
We recognise buying a property is one of the biggest and most important purchases you’ll make and want you to know we take the privilege of finding your dream property very seriously.
“One of the points of difference Universal Buyers Agents has compared to our competitors, is each buyer’s agent who works for us has a cap of how many clients they can take on,” founding director Darren Piper said.
“We choose to do that so we can provide world-class service to our clients as opposed to being too busy and doing you a disservice.
“We want to take the time to show you we care and make sure you get the right property, at the right price, every time”
Mr Piper said one of the biggest challenges in real estate – in both buying and selling – are clients who feel neglected because their agent has too much happening.
“We’re about quality, not quantity,” Mr Piper said.
“We have a tried and tested method of finding, evaluating and managing the buying process to make it as rewarding as possible for you, the buyer.
“We work closely with our clients and offer a diverse range of services so you know we’re in your corner to get the best possible outcome for you.”
Universal Buyers Agents also has access to the largest database of off-market properties in Queensland.
Their off-market database has properties with a combined value of more than $100 million for every budget and brief buyers won’t find anywhere else.
“As many as one in three sales take place off market,” he said.
“The difference between you getting your dream property and settling for second best could be getting in first and gaining access to properties before everyone else.
“That’s where our team can help give you a leg up on the competition.
Universal Buyers Agents have experts across the Sunshine State and provide a range of services to help with finding, evaluating, auction bidding or property management.
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s advocacy service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
Tips for property investors from expert buyer’s agents. Talk to Universal Buyers Agents on investment opportunities in Queensland.
INVESTING in Queensland’s property market can be a lucrative way of building equity and wealth for the future.
But Universal Buyers Agents property expert Darren Piper said it’s important to select the right real estate to suit your strategy and achieve your ideal financial return.
“What makes a good investment is a common question we’re asked,” Mr Piper said.
“But it really comes down your strategy as a buyer.
“There are some fundamentals to think about; what are the property’s vacancy rates, rental returns, average days on market, right through to what infrastructure projects are in the pipeline in the surrounding area.”
Mr Piper said one of the common traps many property investors fall into is focusing on only one feature such as rental return which may not present the best long-term value.
“Do you want to make a profit through rental return or do you want to reap the tax benefits of keeping it negatively geared?
“Are you focused on short term wins or the long term growth potential of an investment?
“Our team can sit down with you to determine which strategy might be best if you’re an entry level investor, or how additional investments might fit in with the rest of your portfolio.”
Mr Piper said one of the biggest tips he offers investors is to do their homework on projects, both government and private, which could add value to a property.
“It could be anything from transport projects, schools, hospitals, shopping centres which could elevate the value of your investment,” he said.
“It can be easy to get caught up in things like high rental returns, but it’s really about the whole picture and what your terms are to make a sound investment.”
Universal Buyers Agents has a network of local experts who track the growth and yield potential of Queensland’s property market.
Despite doomsday predictions of a downturn during COVID-19, Queensland has maintained buoyancy with property values holding steady month on month.
Queensland’s property market grew 3.77% across the board in the year to July 31, 2020 with the highest growth seen in the housing market.
“Queensland is one of the greatest locations to invest on the East Coast,” Mr Piper said.
“Where Sydney and Melbourne’s markets have priced out most investors, places such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast still have a lot of growth potential and the state is continuing to invest in infrastructure projects which continue to drive up the value of investments.”
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s advocacy service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
The secret to finding properties before anyone else. Universal Buyers Agents three tips to finding “off market” properties.
PROSPECTIVE buyers will be all too familiar with trawling pages of realestate.com.au or Domain to find their dream property, only to be disappointed because it sold outside their budget or was snapped up quickly.
But Universal Buyers Agents founding director Darren Piper said buyers can give themselves an edge by looking outside mainstream listings.
“We always get asked how else can I source a property without relying on websites like Domain or realestate.com.au,” Mr Piper said.
“We often hear of buyers who have become burnt out in their search because they are competing with everyone else.
“But there are three ways you can get a leg up on the competition and find homes not available to the general public.”
This is where a vendor wants to sell but may not want to commit to the marketing spend to go through the process of advertising online, or they may be extremely private and want to keep the details of the sale discreet.
Most buyers won’t have access to off-market listings, but our buyer’s agents have access to our UBA database, the largest source of off-market listings in Queensland.
Pre-market opportunities can be found by contacting local real estate agents directly, one by one or to engage a buyer’s agent who can connect you to opportunities in their network.
This is when the vendor is planning on going to the market by there may be a week or two window where they are preparing photography or floor plans which you can take advantage of and view first.
This is when the property has hit the market, often in the last two years, but hasn’t sold. It could have been for a variety of reasons; the agent may not have been the right person for the job, the seller’s circumstances may have changed or they put a tenant in the property. The good thing is you know they have intent to sell and a buyer’s agent can track the seller down and negotiate a sale.
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s advocacy service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
Common buying mistakes and how to make the right decisions for your property purchase.
WHETHER you’re buying a dream home or an investment property there’s a chance you could be making the same mistake many buyers have been making for decades; falling in love.
While a property purchase can trigger some big feelings, Universal Buyers Agent property expert Darren Piper warns “too many emotions could cost you.”
“Working in the real estate industry, we see it all the time, the way the buyers’ eyes light up, the spring in their step or the audible gushing over a property they’ve fallen in love with,” Mr Piper said.
“Just like in life, sometimes falling in love can cloud your judgment and you might end up overlooking flaws or paying too much.
While falling in love is understandable, Mr Piper said it should be avoided or at the very least buyer’s should engage a third party expert, such as a buyer’s agent, for a more level headed decision.
“Listening to your heart rather than your head is a common mistake,” he said.
“It may mean you don’t negotiate as hard because of you’re afraid of losing the property, over extending your budget or overlooking issues which could cost you down the line.”
Mr Piper encourages buyers to be realistic about what they can afford, pick a spending limit and stick to it.
He also recommends buyers do their homework on the surrounding area, not just the property itself, to identify any developments, major public works projects or neighbourhood issues.
“We also recommend bringing in building inspectors early to identify issues and have them costed up so you know what you’re up for, rather than downplaying flaws and finding out that slanted deck you thought was a minor hiccup could be a $200,000 fix.”
If you still can’t help but get a little too excited about a property, Mr Piper recommends calling in a third party to do a thorough evaluation and due diligence.
“If you’re emotionally invested you may not approach a negotiation in the right way,” he said.
“That’s when using a buyer’s agent can be great, we can come in free from emotion and negotiate hard on your behalf so you get the right property at the right price and don’t overpay out of desperation.”
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s advocacy service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
Find your dream property faster, for a better price, and less stress with the help of a Buyer’s Agent
A GOOD buyer’s agent can save time, money, and stress, but are they worth the money?
“It’s a common question we’re asked,” Universal Buyers Agent property expert Brad Weston.
“Why use a buyer’s agent?
“Saving time is a big factor, most buyers don’t have the time to attend endless open homes every Saturday, trawl real estate websites and talk one on one with agents.
“We also have access to a huge database of opportunities unavailable to the general public, giving buyers an edge on the competition.”
Universal Buyers Agents has one of the largest databases of “off-market” properties in Queensland.
Off-market properties are homes or units which are not listed online either because the seller wishes to keep the details of the sale private or because they are not ready to invest in marketing costs to advertise online.
Mr Weston said as many as one in three sales take place off-market, so buyers who fail to look at alternative sources may struggle to find their dream property.
“We have a lot of opportunities through our network of agents,” he said.
“We’re constantly leveraging the relationships we have in the market to update our off-market opportunities and connect buyers with the best properties for their brief.”
He said using a buyer’s agent will also eliminate the stress of buying property, streamline the process and could save thousands in negotiations.
“We take the stress out of the deal, from the start all the way through to settlement,” he said.
“It’s a real turnkey operation.
“We’re not emotionally invested so we can go in hard and negotiate the best price for you.
“We can also use our network of partners to make sure the proper checks are done to identify any issues and ensure you’re not overpaying.”
Issues such as building defects, flooding and developments nearby could cost buyers in the long term.
“It really pays to have someone in your corner,” Mr Weston said.
“Buying a property can be the most exciting or stressful thing you ever do. We make sure the process is as simple and enjoyable as possible.”
Universal Buyers Agents offers an experienced and professional buyer’s agent service for those looking to buy a home or property. Contact us now to find out more information.
Inspections Officer
Property Manager
Business Development Manager
Buyers Agent
Searcher and Sourcer
Searcher and Sourcer – Team Piper
Client Concierge
Associate
Buyers Agent
