buyers advocate geelong

Geelong – a booming regional city

We are amongst the most established and experienced property advocates in Melbourne and booming areas like Geelong and the Surf Coast.

We source the most reliable and accurate data depicting market trends, including hot spots to buy property.

With a population of 200,000 Geelong is one of the fastest growing regional cities in Australia. It has experienced a growth rate of 1-1.5% consistently over each of the past 8 years.

The Geelong region is expanding with inner precincts becoming more popular and pushing prices up regardless of what capital cities around the nation are experiencing.

Around 100,000 people are due to accommodate the growth corridors in North Geelong and West Geelong according to the Victorian Planning Authority.

There’s also been a boom in housing developments around Torquay, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale, St Leonards and Fyansford.

Why Geelong is a hot spot

Just an hours’ drive from Melbourne, Geelong is the headquarters for agencies like NDIS, TAC, Worksafe and for retailer Cotton On. It’s also home to the Geelong Football Club and Skilled Stadium.

Geelong is connected to the Bellarine Peninsula (food and wine) and Surf Coast (start of the Great Ocean Road). It’s also 30 minutes to the famous You Yangs Regional Park.

The Geelong region has:

  • a thriving city foreshore precinct
  • a busy industrial, retail and food scene
  • exceptional private and public schools
  • new and refurbished hospitals
  • close proximity to beautiful beaches
  • world class golf courses
  • minimal traffic congestion
  • art and culture
  • abundance of public and private investment
buyers advocate geelong

The market at a glance

  • Indications show the majority of suburbs and towns throughout Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast regions will double in value over the next 8-10 years.
  • Geelong suburbs like Manifold Heights have experienced incredible growth of 9.3% pa over a 10-year period, with seven other suburbs doubling their median price within the same time frame.
  • From Torquay to Lorne and Barwon Heads to Portarlington demand is high for houses, lifestyle properties and investment properties.
  • Townships such as Barwon Heads doubled its median price over a decade from $447,000 to an impressive $935,000. The median house price in Barwon Heads, according to data received over 2020, has almost reached $1,200,000.
  • You can purchase a three bedroom home in most suburbs of Geelong for under $600,000.
  • First home buyers who want to take advantage of government incentives have a lot of choice if buying below the $600,000 ceiling.

Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast are bucking the trend in the property arena and witnessing strong growth in almost all areas.

The Millers

It was late in November 2018 and we had decided to relocate to Sale. We place a deposit on the Sale house with the transaction subject to the sale of our Eltham home. The seller also had a condition that we sell our Eltham house by the end of December 2018.  Never having been involved…
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Jo Lucas

Deciding to engage Tony and Steve for my investment property search was the best thing I could have done. After a year of looking on my own and experiencing uncertainty, I was very happy to find this professional, tenacious and diligent team to select and transact my property purchase and guide me through to completion. Most importantly, I have my weekends back thanks to The Advocates. I will use them again if I can buy another investment.
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Lisa Dowd

When we finally found the property we wanted, and became quite emotional, Michael became the voice of reason, and successfully negotiated a sale on our behalf without spending a significant amount of money that we had allowed him.
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Emily & Matt

This was quite possibly the best financial decision we ever made! When we first began our search as first home buyers, we thought we knew it all. It was a long 8 months of searching, attending the wrong auctions, speaking to numerous Real Estate Agents that provided no assistance at all to us. To be perfectly honest we were naïve and needed help with this massive milestone we were wanting to achieve.
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David and Jenny Happell

We would say that in our circumstance, a buyer’s agent was essential. Michael was patient, good-humoured, understanding and knowledgeable. We are greatly indebted to him and his company.
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Martin Fry

We are certain that is was your knowledge and industry contacts that enabled us to buy the property before it came on the market – one of the many advantages of using a buyer’s advocate. We would highly recommend your services to any prospective buyer.
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Emily & Matt

In March 2018, we secured our first property with the help of Tony and Steve at The Advocates. When it came time to sell this property and to move on to our next we knew we had to call to get their professional advice and assistance once more! At first I attempted to do my…
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Maddison Thompson

My experience with you has been one to remember, being a first home buyer not really knowing what to look for, how to do research, learning things such as flood zones and all the warning signs that come with buying a house has been fabulous. This experience has taught me a lot and given me great confidence in my now home.
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Lisa and Colin McInnes-Smith

We are busy running a small business and we had a challenge of being able to focus on property. It was hard in a volatile market to understand values and prices in various suburbs. All the advice we received was concise and accurate about what properties were and were not in our brief. We are thrilled with the outcome and enjoyed working with you guys.
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Alice

Tony and Steve were amazing throughout the search for my humble one-bedroom apartment. My search was a little different to most. I wanted a home within a 5km radius of the city, a one-bedder where there was space to be creative and plenty of natural light. “We looked at a few but North Melbourne was the winner in the end.
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Andre and Michelle

My wife and I recently purchased our first investment property using the services of The Advocates. Our experience was a completely positive one and I would recommend them to anyone of any age or any budget without reservation.
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Ryan clan

The Ryan clan are thrilled with the service you have provided to us. It is the bottom line that counts. By that very benchmark, our children are delighted with their townhouse while we are positively beaming over the acquisition of their duplex. The outcomes did not happen accidentally. We are very mindful of the great…
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Dave Thomas

My wife and I recently engaged Tony and Steve from The Advocates to help us with our first investment property purchase. Being new to the world of property investment, it was crucial for us that we were able to minimise the risk of making a poor purchasing decision.
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J & S

Buying a first home presents many challenges to those who lack experience and knowledge, or both. Sarah and I were recommended to consult a buyer’s advocate, and more specifically Tony Rindfleisch to address these gaps. Prior to engaging Tony as our advocate, we found that he was extremely patient and happy to answer any and…
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Katrina Jordan

By the time we contacted Michael we had very limited time to find a house and we were starting to become desperate to buy and therefore had began to lower our expectations. It was Michael who reminded us of our criteria and persauded us not to compromise our standards. He talked us out of purchasing an inappropriate house and encouraged us to continue with the search and restored our belief that the type of house we were looking for did exist.
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Sam & Jo

“A big thank you to The Advocates. They took all the hard work out of finding the right property and we couldn’t be happier with the result.  “They found us the perfect property in the perfect location for the right price. Every step of the process was clearly explained, and nothing was too much to…
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N & A

“Michael Ramsay from The Advocates was brought to my attention from a neighbour in Barwon Heads. She mentioned that Michael was the principal and if I needed any help with searching and or securing a house in Barwon Heads I should make contact with him. Following an initial obligation and fee free meeting we decided…
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B & D

Hi Michael and Lisa…Over the years we’ve bought and sold 4 houses with the help of The Advocates. Michael’s expertise in gauging the property market has been invaluable, giving us confidence that we were neither overpaying nor underquoting on all our properties. He’s negotiated on our behalf in auctions and private sales with positive results. His…
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Jacinta

We engaged The Advocates to seek a property in Melbourne to meet our needs. We live outside of Melbourne, so we needed to entrust Steve fully with this task. All steps of the process were extremely professional. We found Steve reliable and he had a great understanding and knowledge of the Melbourne real estate market. He only suggested properties that met our brief and was honest in his assessments of them. The Advocates found us a great property in good time.
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Tony Stewart

I have found him to be always diligent, careful, thorough and a shrewd assessor of the property market. His service is reliable, on time and reasonably priced. I have referred him to friends and family members who have also fully appreciated his service and advice.
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Clare

As a first home buyer and knowing very little about the property market, it was so important to have someone I could trust to guide me through this process. Steve and Tony were great at understanding my requirements, while also ensuring that any properties they suggested would represent strong investment in the long term. I am very happy with the outcome and would not hesitate to recommend the team at The Advocates.
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Jim and Di McDonald

Further, he kept us fully informed at each step along the way whilst we remained in Queensland, making the whole exercise stress-free; and we got near enough to our asking price in a falling and somewhat uncertain market, an excellent outcome. We have now had Michael work for us as both a buyer’s and seller’s agent, and have no hesitation in recommending him in either capacity. We will certainly use him again should we ever decide to purchase in Melbourne or nearby.
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A & A, Brunswick

Incredibly happy with our experience with The Advocates! We engaged Michael to assist us with buying a property on the Bellarine Peninsula during the Melbourne lockdown so we had the added challenge of being unable to view the property ourselves in person. Michael went above and beyond in giving us full confidence in our purchase; answering all…

JM

“Tony and Steve were recommended to us by a friend who had recently used them. Whilst we had used a Buyers Agent before, we had never used a Vendor Agent. We were delighted with the result! Tony researched the best real estate agents in the area and negotiated a very good commission rate on our…
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S Joyner

I could not be happier with the service and advice I received from The Advocates over the last 7 years or so. The whole process really nailed home the worth of using an advocate in the process.
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Lyn

I recently purchased a very nice property, found for me by The Advocates. I was extremely impressed by their professional approach and with the service I received. Their knowledge of the property market and their understanding of my exact requirements meant that I never visited a house I didn’t like. The fact that they are such nice guys was great, but their skills meant I saved $88,000 on what I was prepared to spend.
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David and Alison Bartels

After many weekends looking for our first investment property with no result, David and I sought assistance from The Advocates. Wow! This turned out to be the best decision we could have made. The team at ‘The Advocates’ are so down to earth and have an impeccable work ethic. Our first meeting with Steve and Tony was very informative and we could see that they both genuinely cared about us as their clients.
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Gary

You predicted what the reserve price would be – and you were right – even though it was more than the advertised price. We were concerned about how the auction would work out. Being such a large investment we wanted to have an expert who had done it before and knew the tricks that could happen and the psychology behind it.
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Sonia Reid

I have no hesitation in recommending Tony and Steve to both prospective buyers and sellers. They are extremely professional in their dealings but combine that with a personal touch which is very appealing at what is often a stressful time.
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Danny

Initially, the purchase of my first home looked to be both an exciting and truly daunting process. Feeling like a very small fish in a big pond, I contacted Tony from The Advocates who, from our first phone call to the final congratulations, ensured that the entire process was as enjoyable, understandable, and successful as…

Bo & Rachel

I can highly recommend engaging The Advocates to help purchase your property.  I always felt very safe in Michael’s hands, as he communicated so well and provided thorough detail on the houses I was interested in. He really understood what was important for our family and he cared about securing us the right home to…
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Jess Forrest

Tony and Steve were invaluable in helping me to find the perfect property. We faced many unexpected challenges, but Tony and Steve remained optimistic, diligent and professional. I’m very happy with the result and highly recommend The Advocates.
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Ryan

”The prospect of engaging with a competitive property market and searching for the right property at a good price left me feeling quite daunted. I sought help from Tony after he was highly recommended to me. Tony did not disappoint. At all times he has been easy to communicate with, professional and thorough. I always…
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J & D McDonald

The upshot was that Michael engaged an auctioneer / sales company with intimate knowledge of the area, vetted the proposal the agent made re advertising, sales process and all the other things we are not good at, attended the auction for us, negotiated a final price post-auction, recommended a conveyancer as well as someone to sell unwanted furniture and chattels, advised us on presentation, and did it all without costing us any more commission than if we had appointed a sales agent ourselves.
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Evan

After an extended property search, my partner and I found a lovely house in Flemington that ticked all of the boxes. The quoted range was within our budget, but we felt strongly that if it went to auction there was a high chance we would be outbid. Our best chance was to convince the vendor…
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Melissa

“Tony, you were an invaluable guide through my buying journey. Without you, I would not have ended up with such a valuable asset (if one at all) that exceeds all my needs. Even though it was not an easy road for us, you and your team of conveyancers and building inspectors were always there, able to act on good…
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Jodie

Tony has been a tremendous help with the search for my first home.  He is very patient, knowledgeable and negotiated the best price ever for my new place. Throughout the process, Tony remained professional and communicated with me every step of the way, and it all went smoothly.  I am very grateful that I found…
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Victoria

I would like to thank you enormously for your huge efforts and assistance in making this happen for me. This has been quite an experience for me (and probably for you too) and I am well aware that I would never have succeeded in this if I had not had you in my corner.
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Stuart Hickman

Your service was very professional and well presented on the day of the auction. The main reason we went down this path was that we had been looking for houses for over six months, auction after auction. After looking at 10 properties and deciding on two we thought why not give ourselves the best chance possible, thus why we contacted you, the professional. We were new to the auction game so figured you would have all the tricks to secure the property for us.
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Jess & Daniel

Buying the perfect investment property can be a daunting task. Especially when you are a young couple who have average knowledge about the market and process involved. With the help of Tony from The Advocates, he has saved us a great deal of time, confusion, frustration and not to mention stress.
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Vanessa Burgemeestre and Tony Gale

If you’re time poor, not property savvy, don’t understand return on yields on investing in the property market or just don’t know where to start, we would highly recommend Tony and Steve Rindfleisch from The Advocates. They are your go-to advisors. For a small investment to use their professional services, your return and outcome is huge. We have used them a number of times and they are worth their weight in gold.
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The Soller Family, Randwick NSW

Being Sydney based and looking to buy a house in Melbourne was never going to be easy at the best of times.  In the middle of the Covid restrictions it would have been impossible without the help of Michael.  Throughout the process, during a very heated market, Michael’s advice and counsel was thoughtful and balanced.…
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Alex

We were keen to buy an investment property but didn’t know where to start – with busy jobs and three small kids, finding the time to house-hunt was near impossible. Handing that job over to Tony and Steve was fantastic. They helped us with everything from start to finish. First, identifying exactly what we wanted, then commencing the search in the areas we had initially identified but also widening the search beyond those areas, which was ultimately a great move.
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David and Tanya Fitzgerald

The Advocates were outstanding! The level of service and attention to detail was first class. Tony and Steve really took the time to listen to our needs and as a result were able to present high-class properties that we were interested in to us from day one. In the end, it was their persistence that found us our new home and we will be forever grateful.
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A & F, Whittlesea

This was our first time using a property advocate to purchase an investment property. We could not be happier with the result. Tony does an amazing job of keeping you informed and sending detailed reports of every property that he inspects. It has been a pleasure working with Tony on this journey from start to…
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Nicki Van Veen

We were spinning in property circles before we engaged Tony – we had been searching for months, changing our strategy a few times along the way without success. As soon as we engaged Tony, we were back on the right track. He helped us clarify our strategy and refocus on what was important to us.
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Emma

This is the second property that I have successfully purchased with the assistance of The Advocates. Tony, Michael and the team know the market well and are well equipped (and connected) to match properties to buyer requirements. They are prompt and honest in their communications and did not waste my time with properties that did not meet my criteria.
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Gary & Milena

We are delighted with the outcome achieved through the services of The Advocates. We found Steve & Tony to be excellent communicators, particularly good listeners and professional in their dealings. Based on our experience, we are happy to recommend their services to anyone considering buying or selling property.
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Emma

We were ecstatic, but our purchase has proved to be far better than we expected. Only 15 months later, in June 2015, the two-bedroom apartment above ours sold for $590,000 – $175,000 more than the price we paid the previous year.
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Jaq & Jon

We are two busy young professionals who attempted to buy our first home during a pandemic and the subsequent property boom. We are so glad we had Tony and Michael to help us. They took the time to truly understand our needs and give us clarity around what to look for. Throughout the search, Tony…