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In a market riddled with fear and fortune telling, founded property advice is priceless. We caught up with Fiona Landreth, Northern Beaches' most trusted Buyer's Advocate and Property Life Coach. With almost 20 years experience under her belt, she is an excellent resource that could save you more than money.

What is your advice regarding the current hysteria surrounding interest rates? My view is that we should stop the hysteria concerning unbalanced property and interest rate markets. Despite house prices on the Northern Beaches falling between 15-20 percent since the Reserve Bank started its latest round of rate rises, most homeowners are sitting on huge tax-free gains over the past decade. Interest rates are coming off very low settings, and even if all the predicted rate rises come through, it will only get us back to where we were pre-pandemic.

As soon as consumer confidence picks up and it will, once people realise that inflation has peaked and that further increases in interest rates are unnecessary, we will see a shift in the market as buyers re-enter the market and vendors feel comfortable putting their properties up for sale. Prices will slowly pick up and the media will start telling good news stories rather than chasing headlines with scare tactics.

While it may feel counter intuitive to buy in a correcting market, history has repeatedly proven it to be a safe time to invest.

Are there any hidden gems or untapped areas left in the Northern Beaches? There certainly are ‘hidden gems’ and great buying opportunities popping up!

I’ve recently seen more properties being sold ‘off-market,’ which means they are not advertised on the Internet or in newspapers. Many of these properties are in areas with good growth prospects, such as Frenchs Forest.

The suburb has solid growth prospects due to the finalisation of The Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy, which is a 20-year plan consisting of a new town centre, high school, 2,000 dwellings and a superior transportation network. The emerging health and education precinct is set to create 2,000 new jobs in the area. Construction on some of these projects should begin next year and other parts closer to 2025.

How do you help manage your client's expectations from their budget? It is important for homebuyers to be realistic about their expectations. We work with our clients to develop a tailored property brief that ensures their wish-list and must-haves are properly profiled before beginning the search. Once we have a clear understanding of what our clients need from a home, we can begin searching for properties within their budget that fit all of their criteria.

There is so much talk about when it is ‘a good time to sell’. Is there such a thing? There really is no right time to sell. It comes down to your individual circumstances, the type of property you have and the local market conditions. The property market moves in a cycle - prices rise, fall, stabilise and then rise again and so on. Understanding what stage of the property cycle your suburb is in can help you determine if it is a good time to sell your property. Though the market may seem uncertain, remember that it’s all relative and the market does not stop. There will always be homes listed and buyers out there looking to purchase a home. Additionally, upgrading your home in this current market can be

beneficial because you might get a little less for your current property, but you’ll save even more on the more extensive property you’re buying. No matter what condition your local property market is in, it’s crucial that you do your research and know what properties are selling for and what demand is currently like for homes similar to yours. Also consider if you are sitting on your heels waiting for market conditions to change, you run the risk of missing out on your dream home.

What does it mean to sell a property ‘off-market’? Off-market transactions are a method of sale that have benefits for both buyers and sellers. For vendors, it provides the ability to sell quickly, avoid a long sales cycle, and invest in less expensive advertising. Off-market transactions may also allow sellers to maintain their privacy by avoiding sticky-beak neighbours and unqualified buyers traipsing through their property. For buyers, off-market transactions can provide a more intimate experience with fewer competitors while still providing suitable options.

If you are thinking of selling, buying or investing, give Fiona a call for expert advice and access to off-market opportunities. •

Fiona Landreth, Buyers Advocate // 0411 950 291 // E: hello@fionalandreth.com.au INSTA: @fiona_landreth_buyers_advocate // www.fionalandreth.com.au