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Buying property in Sydney can be daunting, often supply is limited and competition is high for the properties that are available.

Often these properties appear to sell as soon as they hit the market, and drive emotional and fear-based reactive decisions to avoid missing out.

While most people purchase property only a handful of times in their lives, professional Buyers Agents are purchasing properties every day, and here are their insider tips:

1. Before you begin your property search, write down what your non negotiables are, and what you are willing to compromise on to stay within budget.

While choosing a house requires lots of rational thought, certain preferences, even if they are unique just to you, need to be taken into consideration.

2. Consider your short term goals as well as your long term goals.

Do you need this home to accommodate your needs and grow with you over time, or are you possibly going to lease the property out when you move on? Will this eventually be an investment property, and if so, what implications does this have on your non-negotiables list?

3. Choose the neighbourhood, not just the house.

Research your preferred suburbs. Drive to the location at different times to better understand noise, traffic and the unique character of the area.

Certain streets or even parts of the same street, can vary in property values based on a number of variables. View, planned construction, proximity to amenities, parks, beaches, noise level, sunlight, and traffic conditions, prestige, school zoning etc.

Sometimes a few streets into the next suburb may have a huge difference in price while still being close to your preferred location.

4. Buy a life, not an address.

No matter how lovely a home is, if it doesn’t suit your lifestyle it won’t make you happy. If you love to cook and your house has a tiny kitchen it may disappoint, if you love to entertain and your home doesn’t have the space for entertaining it will be frustrating in the long run.

5. Choose a floor plan, not the finishes.

Finishes such as tile, paint, countertops and appliances can be changed for less money that changing a floor-plan. It’s more important to select a home with a living space, kitchen, dining/entertaining area that is the right size and flow for you.

6. Be flexible – don’t expect perfection.

It’s nearly impossible to find a perfect house in every way. Consider what realistic changes can be made to the property, but also, come prepared with a list.

- What do I need this property to have
- What do I want this property to have
- What kinds of properties are within budget

7. Be decisive.

After inspecting properties don’t let analysis paralysis take over. Fear of making a mistake on a huge financial decision often leads to opportunities being missed.

Assess which property of the best choice available on the market, and if you still don’t feel like it’s the right time to buy, take a break from searching to refresh your mind, expand your search or adjust your expectations.

8. Don’t pay an emotional price.

Fear of missing out on properties can lead people to act on emotion and pay too much just to secure a home.

Often this comes with a financial cost of over paying of a property that is inferior.

9. Don’t try to predict the market.

The property market is always changing and unpredictable, overall trends don’t always apply all suburbs, all price brackets and all properties.

Understanding the historical performance of your suburb of comparable sales is far more indicative of your property value than broad stroke predictions.

10. If you’re frustrated at missing out on properties or can’t find what you’re looking for in the market, consider using an experienced buyer’s agent to advocate for your best interest in the searching and negotiating process.

Our experienced buyer’s agents have intimate market knowledge of suburbs all throughout Sydney, access to off-market properties that are not available to the public and will tailor a negotiation strategy to ensure you don’t overpay for your property.

Search Find invest can help up you Save time, stress and money. If you’re interested in buying property in Sydney, call 1300 132 970 for a confidential conversation.