First Home Unlocked

Buying at auction works differently to a private sale. Once the hammer falls and you're the highest bidder, the property is yours: there's no cooling off period, and you can't pull out if your finance doesn't come through. You're also bidding in public against agents and auctioneers who've done this hundreds of times, so it's no wonder so many first home buyers find auctions daunting, or avoid them altogether.Mortgage broker Jack Elliott brings buyers agents Veronica Morgan and Meighan Wells back for the final part of the Buyers Agent Series, and their message is simple: auction is just another way to buy, and good preparation keeps you in control. They explain why your finance and property checks need to be sorted before auction day, not after, and the terms you can ask the seller to change beforehand. Then they walk you through the day itself, including how to decide the most you're willing to pay before the bidding starts.If auctions are common where you're buying, or the home you love is heading to one, this episode will help you walk in prepared and bid with confidence.In this episode:🔑 How buying at auction differs from a private sale, and why the rules change from state to state🔑 Why pre-approval alone isn't enough, and why your broker should check the property before you bid🔑 Why an agent might ask for an offer before the auction, and what to find out before you make one🔑 The checks to finish before auction day, and the changes you can ask for, like a 5% deposit instead of 10%🔑 How to bid with confidence on the day, and why waiting too long to bid can cost you the propertyTimestamps00:00 - How to Buy a House at Auction in Australia03:07 - Auction vs Private Sale: No Cooling Off Period05:46 - Why Sellers Choose Auction in Sydney and Melbourne09:16 - Do You Need Pre-Approval to Bid at Auction?11:35 - Should You Make a Pre-Auction Offer?16:50 - Due Diligence Before Auction: What to Check22:00 - Can You Pay a 5% Deposit at Auction?24:02 - What Happens on Auction Day28:30 - How to Bid at Auction: Bidding Strategies30:43 - What Happens When a Property Passes In?32:41 - First Auction Tips: Watch Before You Bid35:48 - Common Auction Mistakes First Home Buyers Make40:25 - Final Tips and the First Home Buyer CourseReady to start your own first home journey? Book a Get to Know You Chat with Jack, mortgage broker and National First Home Buyer Specialist.More about Home Buyer AcademyHBA First Home Buyer CourseGet 50% off the course and access to the weekly Campfire sessions when you work with Jack as your mortgage broker: start hereHow to Price Property Like a ProfessionalHome Buyer Academy WebsiteYour First Home Buyer Guide PodcastConnect with VeronicaAuction Ready by Veronica MorganVeronica's WebsiteGood Deeds Property Buyers WebsiteVeronica's LinkedInConnect with MeighanProperty Pursuit WebsiteMeighan's LinkedInFind Out More About Alcove's Trusted Buyers AgentsAlcove Trusted Buyers Agent MapMentioned EpisodesEpisode 41: Unlocking Buyers Agents: What First Home Buyers Need to KnowEpisode 42: How to Choose a Quality First Home: A Buyers Agent's ChecklistEpisode 44: Price Guides, Off Market and Agents: How to Search for Your First HomeEpisode 45: Inspections and Due Diligence: What to Check Before You Buy Your First HomeEpisode 46: How to Make an Offer and Negotiate with Agents: A First Home Buyer's GuideWant to keep the conversation going? 👉 Join the First Home Unlocked Facebook Community📅 Book a chat with Jack for tailored support📱Follow Us on social media: Instagram, TikTok, Youtubefirsthomeunlocked.com.au

Is now a good time to buy? It's the question Jack's hearing most from first home buyers right now. With headlines about falling property prices, negative equity and interest rates everywhere, sellers are sitting tight, and pre-approved buyers are struggling to find anything worth buying.Mortgage brokers Jack Elliott and Chris Bates cut through the noise to explain what's really going on: why so few properties are for sale this spring, what falling prices actually mean for you, and why trying to time the bottom of the market is riskier than it sounds. Then Jack shares four simple checks to help you work out whether now is the right time for you to buy.Whether you're actively searching, still getting your finances in order, or waiting to see what the market does, this episode will help you make the call based on your situation, not the headlines.In this episode:🔑 Why so few properties are for sale right now, and who's still selling🔑 Why the "prices are falling" headline is an average, and how to check what's happening where you're buying🔑 Why nobody can pick the bottom of the market, and how waiting can mean missing out when confidence returns🔑 Four checks to know if you're ready to buy🔑 How buffers, a practised repayment and the right cover protect you from being forced to sell in a downturn Timestamps00:00 - Is Now a Good Time to Buy Your First Home?02:07 - Why So Few Properties Are for Sale Right Now02:46 - Who's Selling in a Down Property Market?04:15 - How Spring and Autumn Property Seasons Work06:01 - Why It's OK to Be Fussy About Asset Quality06:59 - What to Expect From Spring Property Listings09:47 - What Falling House Prices Really Mean13:00 - Property as an Asset Class and Negative Equity15:25 - Should You Wait for Prices to Fall?18:10 - Checklist 1: Your Goals and Vision21:21 - Checklist 2: Your Finance Strategy22:17 - Checklist 3: Buffers and Protecting Yourself25:05 - Checklist 4: Quality Property and Due Diligence27:34 - Final Thoughts: Asset Quality in a DownturnReady to start your own first home journey? Book a Get to Know You Chat with Jack, mortgage broker and National First Home Buyer Specialist.Free ResourcesGoals and Vision WorkbookBuyer's Agent MapMentioned EpisodesEpisode 1: Unlocking Your Goals and VisionEpisode 6: Unlocking Asset QualityEpisode 39: Unlocking the Real Risk of Buying with a 5% Deposit and How to Protect YourselfEpisode 41: Unlocking Buyers Agents: What First Home Buyers Need to KnowEpisode 42: How to Choose a Quality First Home: A Buyers Agent's ChecklistEpisode 45: Inspections and Due Diligence: What to Check Before You Buy Your First HomeWant to keep the conversation going? 👉 Join the First Home Unlocked Facebook Community📅 Book a chat with Jack for tailored support📱Follow Us on social media: Instagram, TikTok, Youtubefirsthomeunlocked.com.au

Making an offer is where a lot of first home buyers get stuck. How do you make an offer? How much do you offer? What do you say to the agent? Nobody explains the process, and once you're in it, things move quickly and the pressure builds.In this episode, Jack sits down with buyers agents Veronica Morgan and Meighan Wells to walk through the offer process for a private sale, from preparation through to negotiation. They cover what to have sorted first, including why your conveyancer needs to see the contract before you offer rather than after, and when an offer actually becomes binding, because it's not the moment the agent says yes. Veronica and Meighan also break down everything an offer contains beyond the price, from the deposit and settlement terms to inclusions, and how a lower offer with the right terms can beat a higher one. And they get into how agents run a negotiation, the questions to ask along the way, and what to say when you're asked whether you can go higher.Whether you're making an offer this weekend, still working out what you can afford, or somewhere in between, understanding the process is what helps you make confident decisions when you start offering and negotiating.In this episode:🔑 What to have organised before you make an offer🔑 The questions to ask an agent about their offer process🔑 When an offer actually becomes binding, and why it changes state to state🔑 What makes up an offer beyond the price🔑 When an unconditional offer makes sense, and the finance risks to check with your broker🔑 What to say when an agent asks if you can go higherTimestamps00:00 - How to Make an Offer in a Private Sale02:42 - What to Organise Before You Make an Offer06:54 - How to Choose a Conveyancer or Solicitor11:50 - What to Ask a Real Estate Agent Before Offering15:55 - When Does an Offer Become Binding?22:10 - How Much Deposit Do You Need to Pay?25:05 - Unconditional Offers and the Finance Risks30:07 - What's Included When You Buy a Property?34:38 - Real Estate Agent Tactics and How to Respond37:24 - How to Talk to an Agent During a Negotiation41:15 - How to Work Out What a Property Is Worth42:45 - Why an Offer Is Never Just a NumberReady to start your own first home journey? Book a Get to Know You Chat with Jack, mortgage broker and National First Home Buyer Specialist.More about Home Buyer Academy Home Buyer Academy First Home Buyer Course Your First Home Buyer Guide PodcastFirst Home Unlocked listeners get 50% off the First Home Buyer Course and access to the weekly Campfire sessions when they work with Jack as their mortgage broker.Connect with Veronica Good Deeds Property Buyers Veronica's LinkedInConnect with Meighan Property Pursuit Meighan's LinkedInMentioned EpisodesEpisode 45: Inspections and Due Diligence: What to Check Before You Buy Your First HomeWant to keep the conversation going?👉 Join the First Home Unlocked Facebook Community📅 Book a chat with Jack for tailored support📱 Follow us on social media: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube firsthomeunlocked.com.au

Most first home buyers walk into an open home already at a disadvantage. The styling is there to make you feel something, the agent is warm, and everything on show has been prepared by people who do this professionally. That's not a failure of judgement, it's a sales process working exactly as intended. What happens between that first inspection and signing a contract is where the real work sits, and it's the part almost nobody explains.Jack is joined again by buyers agents Veronica Morgan and Meighan Wells to walk through the checks that happen once you've found a property you're serious about. They cover what to assess at an inspection beyond the presentation, why a second look reveals things the first one never will, and what a building and pest inspection actually covers. They also get into the due diligence that has nothing to do with the building itself, from council approvals and zoning to what could be built behind your back fence, and the strata report checks that come with buying an apartment or townhouse.Whether you're already spending your Saturdays at open homes or still working out where to start, this is the stage where the right questions save you the most money.In this episode:🔑 What to actually assess at an inspection once you look past the styling🔑 What a building and pest inspection covers, and what it doesn't🔑 Why the agent's report may not be working in your interest🔑 The council, zoning and strata report checks that go beyond the property itself🔑 How to weigh up what comes back and decide whether to proceed or walk awayTimestamps00:00 - What to Check Before You Buy a Property 05:36 - How to Look Past the Styling at an Open Home 08:27 - What to Check at an Open Home 11:43 - What Is a Building and Pest Inspection? 15:09 - Why the Agent's Building Report Isn't Enough 20:26 - When Should You Book a Building and Pest? 23:24 - How to Check Council Records and Zoning 27:11 - What to Check Before Buying an Apartment 31:37 - Should You Proceed or Walk Away? 35:42 - When Not to Walk Away From a Property 38:20 - Where to Find Veronica and Meighan Ready to start your own first home journey? Book a Get to Know You Chat with Jack, mortgage broker and National First Home Buyer Specialist.More about Home Buyer AcademyHBA First Home Buyer Course (Access for discounted price if you work with Jack as your mortgage broker - start here)Home Buyer Academy WebsiteHow to Price a Property Mini CourseYour First Home Buyer Guide PodcastConnect with VeronicaVeronica Morgan WebsiteGood Deeds Property BuyersVeronica's LinkedInConnect with MeighanProperty Pursuit WebsiteMeighan's LinkedInWant to keep the conversation going? 👉 Join the First Home Unlocked Facebook Community 📅 Book a chat with Jack for tailored support 📱 Follow us on social media: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube firsthomeunlocked.com.au

You open the apps, set up a few alerts, and start going to inspections. A few months in, nothing is working, everything sells for well above what the guide said, and you're starting to wonder how anyone is affording it. Veronica Morgan and Meighan Wells see this constantly, and they say the frustration is almost always because of a search that was set up the wrong way from day one.In this episode, Jack sits down with Veronica and Meighan to work through the search phase properly. We talk about pressure testing your non-negotiables against what your budget will actually deliver, why the same feature can be a deal breaker in one suburb and negotiable in the next, and what separates a genuine off-market property from a pre-market one. Veronica and Meighan also explain why agents almost universally quote low, how to build your own view of what a property is worth using comparable sales, and how to work with selling agents so you become the buyer they call first.Whether you're inspecting every weekend, still working out where your budget actually stretches to, or just getting your head around how the process works, this episode will change how you approach your search.In this episode:🔑 What to sort out before you start looking, and why it saves months🔑 How to pressure test your non-negotiables against what your budget will actually buy🔑 The difference between off-market and pre-market, and why neither guarantees a good deal🔑 How to read a price guide, and why agents quote low on purpose🔑 How to build a relationship with a selling agent so you become the first callTimestamps00:00 - Why Most Property Searches Go Wrong03:34 - Non-Negotiables vs What Your Budget Will Buy07:00 - How to Set Up Your Property Search09:50 - Which Property Search Websites to Use12:02 - Off-Market vs Pre-Market Property Explained16:20 - Is an Off-Market Property a Good Deal?17:48 - How to Read a Price Guide and Why It's Low23:45 - How to Use Comparable Sales to Value a Property28:48 - How to Deal With Real Estate Agents32:25 - Mistakes First Home Buyers Make With Agents35:38 - Home Buyer Academy Course and Campfire SessionsReady to start your own first home journey? Book a Get to Know You Chat with Jack, mortgage broker and National First Home Buyer Specialist.Free ResourcesDownload the Goals and Vision WorkbookMore about Home Buyer AcademyHBA First Home Buyer Course (Access for discounted price if you work with Jack as your mortgage broker - start here) Home Buyer Academy Website Your First Home Buyer Guide PodcastConnect with Veronica Veronica's Website Good Deeds Property Buyers Veronica's LinkedInConnect with Meighan Property Pursuit Website Meighan's LinkedInMentioned Episodes Episode 1: Unlocking Your Goals and VisionEpisode 41: Unlocking Buyers Agents: What First Home Buyers Need to KnowEpisode 42: How to Choose a Quality First Home: A Buyers Agent's ChecklistWant to keep the conversation going?👉 Join the First Home Unlocked Facebook Community📅 Book a chat with Jack for tailored support📱 Follow us on social media: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube firsthomeunlocked.com.au