Melissa - The Advocates

“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 opportunities I would’ve never been able to organise myself. And I didn’t lose every weekend to property inspections! You treated my happiness and satisfaction as paramount, and never made me feel bad about changing my mind or being uncertain. I will miss having the opportunity to talk with you each week. Thank you for helping with the biggest financial decision I have ever made. “

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 own market and agent research and found it to be extremely overwhelming.

Commission rates, advertising schedules were all very different and the energy off an agent wanting your listing is much more full on then the energy you receive when looking to purchase.

We met with Tony and instantly we felt at ease and we knew we were back in safe hands and could have open and frank conversations as he always had our best interest at heart.

He was able to introduce us to an agent that we completely missed and one that we connected with extremely well and again felt comfort.

Throughout the entire process Tony was there and when it came to the nitty gritty’s and ensuring our interest was at the fore front he always had our back and we felt in control and that we were making the decisions.

We achieved a fantastic result which will help us secure our next property, we couldn’t have done this without Tony.

It was truly fantastic being able to work together again to achieve our goals.

Thank you Tony.

Emily & Matt

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 all of our questions. More importantly he provided us with the confidence that engaging a buyers advocate was a good decision. Once engaged, Tony conducted his business efficiently and professionally at every stage of the property purchase, which we both regard very highly. Of note, was his ability to strategically negotiate.

Whilst we did not utilise Tony to his full capacity for this purchase, we would be more than likely to fully engage him in future investments, and similarly to recommend his services to family and friends.

J & S

“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 behalf. He kept us informed of progress throughout the sales campaign and was a great sounding board for us as the auction got closer. In the end we achieved a sale at a price that we were very happy with.”

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 in the sale or purchase of a house before we happily set off to the local auctioneer to proceed with the sale of our home. It can’t be too difficult as lots of people do it every weekend.

Things were happening and everything seemed to be in order but we were starting to cool after our initial rush of excitement. Meanwhile there were suggestions in the local press that the property market might be a bit overheated. In order to gauge the market we started attending local auctions. One such auction we attended not one bid was forthcoming from the attending crowd. Whether this was due to the market or other factors we didn’t know but is was enough to make us stop and think what we were letting ourselves in for. Perhaps we needed some advice. We subsequently contacted our financial adviser with the result that he put us touch with The Advocates.

Following a phone call to The Advocates, Michael and Tony met with us and explained how they could assist us in selling our house. The good news was that it would not cost us anything as their fee would come from the auctioneer’s. Michael or Tony attended at every weekly open house and followed up with the interested buyers.

The house was scheduled to go to auction a week before Christmas. At about this time the papers forecasted that the Sydney/Melbourne property markets may be about to fall. This caused all sorts of doubts to race through our mind. What have we done, are we doing the right thing, should we wait until the market improves before selling. We were becoming unsettled with doubts of what to do. A subsequent visit and some straight talk from Michael strengthened our backbone and we resolved to continue. A week or two later Tony was able to negotiate an agreeable offer from one of the attendees at the weekly inspections. The house was subsequently withdraw from auction and the rest as they say, is history.

Without Michael’s and Tony’s guidance and knowledge of the property market we shudder to think what might have been. There were times when we had our doubts but The Advocates kept our spirits up and our eyes on the ball for which we are thankful. And the best part, the final price, through their efforts was higher than that initially quoted by the auctioneer prior to the price fall.

A job well done, and all thanks to Michael and Tony.

All the best for the future guys.

The Millers

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 effort which Andrew in particular contributed in scouring the marketplace, highlighting properties at different points of the spectrum, allowing us to better formulate our own ideas by exposing us to the range of what was available and when moving through the stages where purchases were effected. It has been a pleasure doing business with you!

Ryan clan

”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 felt I could trust Tony to act in my best interests and have been impressed by his consistently high standards. After only a short period I have found a suitable property and Tony successfully negotiated the purchase for me against four other prospective buyers. Many thanks Tony!’’

Ryan

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 help in readying our properties for sale enabled us to achieve a positive result in relatively poor market conditions on more than one occasion.
We would not hesitate to recommend The Advocates for all your property needs.
Thanks to you both.

B & D

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 to sell before auction, but we knew that it would be very difficult to convince the agent to do so. We contacted Michael on the recommendation of a family friend; and brought him on to help us devise a strategy and handle the negotiations. Through Michael’s knowledge of the market, existing relationship with the agent, and expert negotiating skill, we were ultimately successful and are now living happily in the perfect home, purchased at a great price. Throughout the process Michael was incredibly helpful, providing great advice and going out of his way fit in-person meetings around our busy work schedules. We’re absolutely certain that we wouldn’t be living in our new home without Michael’s help, and we’d thoroughly recommend his services.

Kind regards,

Evan

Melissa

“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 to engage his services. We found Michael to be knowledgeable of the property and prices in Barwon Heads and the people that live in the township. I felt at ease to contact him any time of the day.

Michael alerted us to an off-market property that fitted our brief perfectly. Our first attempt at securing the property stalled as the expectations of the vendor were too optimistic. The property then moved to an Expressions of Interest campaign. Purchasing under these conditions is not for the faint hearted. We found Michael to be calm throughout the process and strategized the negotiations based on his research and experience in the area. Michael was well aware that we wished to purchase the property but were not desperate for it. This was all taken into consideration.

I found Michael to be diligent, responsive and generous with his time and well versed on the local market. I understand the benefits of utilising the services of a Buyers Advocate, especially when you are from out of town.

I would engage Michael again should the need arise and have no hesitation in recommending his services.”

N & A