Don't rely too much on relatives: Tips for expat Australian property buyers
Australian expats often rely heavily on their Australian-based relatives – from second cousins to mothers-in-law – to help select properties to buy. In many cases, expats first identify potential buys on the internet and then ask their relatives to inspect the properties.
The general, but hardly unanimous, view among property specialists is that there is nothing wrong with asking relatives to inspect properties, however expats shouldn’t overly rely on their opinions when deciding whether to buy.
Shayne Harris of Savills Australia has found that parents, for instance, tend to really enjoy inspecting properties and representing their expat children. “They are obviously proud of their kids and pleased to be on the ground looking after them.”
But Harris says that some expats “rely on relatives having some sort of intuitive sense about what they like”, and this can lead to disappointment.
Rich Harvey, managing director of Sydney buyers’ agent propertybuyer, warns that the task of inspecting properties and making recommendations can place relatives under stress. “You are putting a lot of pressure on them to do a professional job that they may not be skilled at,” says.
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