Just 5 Days After Meeting – We Purchased!
The client
A professional working couple were renting a small studio apartment to maximise their savings as they prepared to buy their first home. Their goal was to find a property they wouldn’t outgrow in the next 5–10 years — ideally something that could accommodate a future family, with the flexibility to upsize later.
We met on a Thursday evening to go over their brief. As I left, I joked, “By this time next week, you might have purchased.”
What was most important to the client
Internal living space (which varies greatly across two-bedroom apartments)
Natural light
Space for a dining table to host friends and feel comfortable
An older-style apartment to reduce the risk of unknown strata issues
A bathroom with character – they appreciated the charm of older fittings
The search
One of the things I love about this role is that I'm paid based on outcomes — not time. Whether a purchase takes 5 days, 5 weeks or 5 months, I’m focused solely on finding the right property.
In this case, the search was fast and focused.
Targeting their top three suburbs — Ashfield, Summer Hill, and Dulwich Hill — I uncovered 18 off-market opportunities in the first 48 hours. Many came close but weren’t quite right.
The Property
One listing stood out.
I called the agent first thing Friday morning — less than 12 hours after meeting the clients. It was a pre-market opportunity, with another buyer booked to inspect 30 minutes later. I jumped on my Vespa and headed straight to Ashfield.
On inspection, I knew this one ticked all the boxes. A spacious, open-plan layout with a modern kitchen, generous bedrooms, great light — and at 126 sqm, it was significantly larger than most two-bedders. It also had a large wrap around balcony with floor to ceiling windows off the living area.
One client was able to return with me for a Saturday morning inspection. While it's ideal for both buyers to view together, sometimes we need to get started on due diligence immediately.
By Saturday afternoon, I was knee-deep in a 1,400-page strata report. That might sound alarming — but volume doesn’t always equal problems. In this case, it was a small 12-unit complex. Financials were strong, AGM minutes were transparent, and insurance and fire safety were in order. The only flagged issue was potential future work to the balconies which we would factor into the price.
By Monday night, the other client had inspected the property. By then, our due diligence was complete, with only a few responses from the vendor’s solicitor pending.
The Outcome
On Tuesday morning, another party submitted an offer of $983,000. The vendor indicated they were ready to sell.
We confirmed our position with the lawyers and got ready to negotiate — aiming to secure the property while eliminating other interested buyers. (There had been 11 contracts issued following just one Saturday pre-market inspection.)
After a few rounds of offers, we secured the property for $1,060,000.
For context: just three days earlier, a smaller 82 sqm apartment at 12/7 Tintern Road, Ashfield, had sold for $1,050,000, with parking via exclusive use only. That made this a fantastic outcome in terms of value. We purchased an additional 44sqm!
Learnings
Don’t judge a strata report by its page count!
Yes, this one was 1,400 pages — but it was detailed and transparent. We had everything we needed to make an informed decision. A shorter report can just as easily conceal serious issues.
