Samantha Harris - A Fresh Approach to Real Estate

Foreword

I’ve being toying with writing a blog about real estate for a while, mainly because so many people talk about real estate; but at the same time, most people are afraid to approach an agent to ask questions in case they are then entered into a mysterious ‘database’ where you may get harassed for years to come. That’s where this blog comes in, I know my generation in particular, we hate asking for help; we prefer to go to Dr. Google first. The problem with Dr. Google is, it’s hard to get the right answers when you don’t know what questions to ask. I see people make horrible mistakes because they didn’t know what questions to ask. I’ve recently been re-reading Napoleon Hill’s famous book ‘Think and Grow Rich’, and the biggest thing that stuck out to me is, what’s the point of having information but not sharing it? The real estate industry is one of the most talked about subjects, but the information isn’t freely available to everyone. So I’ve come up with a solution to try & lift the lid if you will on real estate.

I am a real estate agent based on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia; this blog is based off my experiences & is aimed towards people looking at purchasing or selling in NSW, Australia. Some of the information does transfer interstate & even internationally, however please bear in mind that each state & country does have different legislations governing our industry.

About me & some history

I’m a residential real estate agent on the Central Coast, NSW. Growing up, my mother was one of the top real estate agents in Hong Kong, being awarded Top Salesperson of the year on numerous occasions. So my interest in Real Estate actually started really young.

I grew up in Hong Kong, one of the busiest metropolitan cities in the world. We lived in a little island called Discovery Bay, at the time, the island had 5328 properties in comparison there were 26 real estate agencies & over 200 real estate agents. So as you can imagine, if was a very cut throat place to work in real estate, where only the best of the best can survive.

I spent my childhood growing up watching mum negotiate with buyers, talking to owners, showing properties & just getting the deal together. The market was so crazy in fact, I remember one night mum negotiated a deal at 1am in the morning, she then had to race out to the main Hong Kong island to get contracts signed by the buyer at 3am & then race back to the airport to sign the contract with the owners at 5am before he took off for his flight. Such were the ways of Hong Kong, only those willing to work; got the work.

One of the most typical stories that summarises how Hong Kong real estate works is the story of how we sold our home in Hong Kong. Our property wasn’t even on the market; we were comfortable & happy there. But one night at 10pm, an agent knocked on our door & asked Dad if her buyers could inspect the property. Dad left all matters of real estate up to mum, so he just assumed ‘Belinda must have put the property on the market.’ He opened the door & allowed them through; my sister & I were in bed asleep at the time. The agent came back to dad & said ‘my client wants your property, how much do you want for it?’ Dad only then realised the property was in fact not on the market, he kindly told the agent to call mum. Our home was sold at 1am the next morning, my sister & I slept through the whole thing! We woke up to be told we had to start packing & find a new home. Such is the way of Hong Kong. The main difference I have found with Hong Kong & Australia in regards to real estate, in Hong Kong there is little to no emotion invested in real estate; Real Estate is a way to a means, whether that is to have a roof over your head or as an investment. Mum used to have buyers calling her with a specific unit that they wanted; only because the unit number & facing was good Fung Shui, they may never even see the property. But in Australia, people carry a lot of emotion towards their properties, and I say property because we’re not just talking home owners, but investors as well. That’s why you often hear people talk about how stressful selling & buying is.

My dream would be to shake up the industry. Our industry has a bad name attached to it, but most of us are lovely, kind & inspirational people. I’m here to bridge the gap, to show transparency, & most of all to help you achieve your property goals.

I’m writing this blog to hopefully help make your real estate journey a little less stressful by answering questions you might have & helping you along the way. I find that many of my clients when they first come to me are often quite nervous & stressed, through explaining to them the way buying & selling works, you see them slowly relax & I am happy to report that a majority of my clients have experienced a stress free selling & buying experience, and the key here is communication & understanding the process.

Disclaimer:

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this weblog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.

Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I’m completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – so keep it polite, please.