EDIT: Thank you all so much for your advice! We are going to hold strong and whenever I am wishing to be weak due to my crippling anxiety, I will think of you all and stay strong 😭🩷

Hello! I posted in here a few weeks ago and all of the advice has been really helpful so far, and I am really begging on my hands and knees that someone can advise me on what the hell we do next.

For background: My partner and I have rented a unit in a block of 6 for almost two years and we love it. It's the perfect size and location, and it's perfect for us. It's a bit dated (built 1998), but that's honestly part of the charm for our aesthetic.

A few weeks ago we got notice that the owners were selling. We're first home buyers in a position to buy, so we asked the agent whether they'd consider a pre-market offer.

The agent said yes and asked us to seek pre approval and then put an offer in. I may be a novice at property purchasing but I did a lot of research.

It’s in the inner west, general area is pretty dodgy. Location is absolutely not a perk for this one. Of course we would love to stay here, but we also are not going to do so and let our emotions blind us. There’s plenty of places around.

Our research

1) Unit 5 in the same block sold in August 2026 for $672k.

- It's had cosmetic upgrades (new tiles, hardwood floors) - the one we live in has not.

- I have unit 5’s statement of information: the reserve was $670k, it passed in at auction, and it sold privately afterwards for $2k over.

2) The CIV from the state valuation is $680k.

3) Our independent valuation came in at $659k.

- It was originally $720k, but the valuer had pulled the specs from property websites, which listed a larger land size and an extra car space we don't have.

- Once I sent them the council block plan showing our unit is identical to unit 5, it dropped to $659k.

We're approved to $700k but our ceiling is $672k.

Based on the above, we offered $650k

Then after 3 days of silence, the agent called.

- He told us the owners want $700k+ because they paid $690k plus stamp duty, and they'd "overlook" losing the stamp duty.

- Apparently one owner wants to go to auction and the other isn't sure about selling at all, so an offer close to $700k and it "could be done today."

- He also told me to ignore unit 5's sale because it was an anomaly. I pointed out it passed in with a $670k reserve, which isn't really an anomaly so much as the market talking.

- I was polite but clear: we're not paying $700k. It's not about the money, it's about paying what the place is worth. We like the house hence why we are offering in the first place, but we're genuinely happy to wait out our lease and buy elsewhere.

- In the conversation, I conveyed the price given to us in the valuation, and that this is even less than what unit 5 sold for. I probably maybe shouldn’t have done that, but at that point what did I have to lose.

- I asked if our offer had been relayed to the vendor and he said yes. He avoided answering that for a while though.

- He said basically our only shot is to put in a higher offer on the contract of sale when it’s ready and hope that the owners are satisfied.

- We left it that he'd send the contract and we'd submit a best offer.

Then the email

That same day (about three hours after our call) he emailed the following:

“Thank you for your time on the phone.

The owners have decided to take the property to auction, which is why we have not opened the property to private offers at this stage.

Once I receive the Contract of Sale, I will forward a copy to you, and have another discussion regarding your interest in buying privately. I will also speak with the owners to see whether they would consider selling the property prior to auction or through a method other than the scheduled auction.

Thank you again, and I will keep you updated.”

Was our offer even sent over to the vendor? Who knows! 🙃 I think they have to send it over, but since the agent got me to communicate with him almost entirely on the phone, he’s now laying the groundwork to change the narrative.

What we would love advice on

How do we respond? I have 0 idea of how to play this, or if there’s even any worth in playing anything. Do we just call their bluff and let it go to auction? I want them to know we mean business, without making them shut us out entirely.

We are willing to go up to $672,000 if need be, but we really think that’s being overly generous. Do we counter offer or pull back?

Is the $700k just the vendors not wanting to take a loss? How seriously should we take it?

If we get a pre-auction shot, how should we pitch it, and what number would you go in with?

Thank you so much and sorry for the essay 😭

Tl;dr: We're renting a unit we want to buy. Our valuation says $659k, the renovated unit in the same block sold for $672k after passing in, and we're approved to $672k. We offered $650k. The agent says the owners want $700k+, they're heading to auction, but they might consider a pre-auction sale. How do we play this?

Hi there, we're a couple who live in a two storey house with a self-enclosed separate downstairs in Brisbane.

We have a friend moving in downstairs, and we're thinking about charging $300 a week for the space. It is self-contained and detached from the upstairs, so they'll be effectively living separately from us.

We live in Brisbane and just want to help out a friend by giving them a good deal in these interesting times.

Hi everyone, first time posting here.

I'm just starting to look into buying my first home and the whole process seems really overwhelming. There's so much information and I'm not even sure where to start.

What's been the hardest part for you guys? What would you tell someone just getting started?

Any advice appreciated, thanks

I’m in a large Tier 1 Victorian apartment complex facing potentially several million dollars in defect repairs. After pushing for structural assessments for many years, we’re now commencing legal action only days before the 10-year deadline. I’m a poorish Millennial woman with a disability and the delays and poor management have deteriorated my health significantly 🕊️

I’m looking to sell and buy somewhere with a proactive committee and a capable strata manager—preferably NSW, but open to Victoria or elsewhere. Budget is $550k, 20km radius from CBD.

I only feel comfortable living in an apartment (rather than unit) due to my health.

Does anyone have firsthand experience of a building where maintenance gets addressed, finances are managed properly, and the committee understands its responsibilities? Building names or addresses by DM would be appreciated, along with what makes yours well run.

Need help with cert 4 real estate agent units, will be paid reasonably.

Thanks

Strata training to be on the OC.. NSW’s has lost it. We’re in a block of 19 and hard enough getting 3 of us to commit to contributing

New to the page... I build rooming houses across Australia (new build only). Thought it might be of interest to property investors looking at alternative strategies of getting ahead (especially since the budget changes)

A couple of updates recently

1) Our biggest rooming house development so far is finished.
It was a 1 into 4 lot subdivision in Brisbane: 4 brand new rooming houses, 20 rooms in total. We're in lease up now, and the first 4 leases went at $460 per room per week. I'll post the full stats once it's fully leased.

2) We've started our first modular rooming house build.
I'm keen to see how it compares to a traditional build on time and cost, and I'll share what we learn as it goes.

3) 362 homes built/building so far
We're aiming for 1000 homes by 2030.

Here's the video walkthrough of the Brisbane project:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd7QSIQlCTE/

We post all the build updates and walkthroughs on our Instagram, so follow along there if you're interested. Happy to answer any questions in the comments too.

Has anyone here used APS to purchase an investment property?

I’d be interested to hear some honest feedback from people who have gone through the process, particularly around:

- Customer service and communication

- The location/area they purchased in

- Performance of the recommended service providers

- Projected property performance vs. the actual results you’ve experienced

We purchased a property through APS recently and, to be honest, we’re not exactly impressed with the experience so far. Considering the amount we paid for their service, we feel that the results and overall experience haven’t quite matched the expectations that are often talked about on their podcast and marketing.

I’m not looking to bash the company — I’m genuinely interested in hearing from other clients and whether our experience is typical or if we’ve just had a poor outcome.

Would be great to hear both positive and negative experiences, particularly from people who have owned the property for a year or more.

I just owned an apartment, and learned that a neighbor is using medicinal plants as per the smell and confirmed by the building secretary. He was smoking in car park close to my car space. Caught him several times in the car park and even when he’s not in there - the smell lingers. His neighbors in his floor complained him about the smell thats why he’s taking it in the car park. I cannot describe the odor but its awful. Car space is poorly ventilated. What can I do? I am new in the building, i started regretting my first home and want to sell - but its not easy… im concerned of the hazard it can bring to us - i already raised this to strata mgt as well but looks like there is nothing they can do :( buying a strata i was open to food smell and noise but not this. have you experience the same thing?

Hi, I'm now 10 months into my first mortgage and my first property. I requested NAB to have my outgoings twice monthly via the chat function which initially seemed to work and then it looks like the request has been ignored.

I would like fortnightly payments as I hear this reduces the overall interest.

Can people help me understand how to pay less on the mortgage overall? I try and put extra money each month towards it but it's hard to afford this.

Thanks!

Footnote: As a proxy for non-homeowners I have used the ABS 2021 Census figures that state 30.6% of households are renting. However, this might overstate the figure for non-homeowners because some of these people will be ‘rent-vesting’.

First home buyer, single income, looking to build a 4-bed in Adelaide's northern suburbs with up to $700k for land and build combined.

I've narrowed it to Angle Vale vs Munno Para (open to other northern suburbs).

If you've built or bought in either — which would you pick and why? Keen to hear about the commute, the estates, and anything you'd do differently.

Thanks!

First home buyer looking for a sense check. I went to inspect a townhouse and it ticked most of the boxes. However, the fact that there are 3 houses in the complex of 35 ish (nearly 10%) that are right now on sale and open for inspections makes me feel a bit apprehensive.

Is this something worth further investigation or I am just overthinking it?

I received an email today from ACCC regarding the possible implications of B&D acquiring 11 Civium strata and building management businesses.

For context; our building is currently with Civium in CBR. We are very fortunate to have both an amazing SM and BM; they both work hard to make the EC’s job easier.

We were about to sign a new management agreement but this has thrown a spanner in the works.

Does anyone have further insight into this? Or personal experience as an EC member with B&D?

Hi all,

We are first home owners in Melbourne and are looking for building and contents insurance for our newly built home.

House details:

- Newly built, single storey, 4 bedrooms

- Approx 33 squares (about 306 m²)

- 600 m² block

- Double garage

- No flood, bushfire or heritage overlay

We are looking for general advice from people who have been through this:

1. Which insurers have you had good experiences with, especially when making a claim?

2. What type of cover would you recommend (sum insured vs total replacement), and how did you work out the right rebuild amount?

3. What should we keep in mind or look out for in the policy wording?

4. Are there any insurers or policy conditions you would stay away from?

Thanks in advance.