Five years ago, David and Margaret got a knock on the door from Lodge Real Estate agent, Jo Harris. Little did they know it was the beginning of a friendship that has only grown over time.
“Jo introduced herself and left us her card,” says David. “We weren’t ready to sell at that point, so we put it on the fridge.”
Then last November, units in the newly built retirement village down the road went on sale and David and Margaret saw an opportunity to downsize. So, they turned to the card on their fridge and gave the number a call.
“Jo appraised the property for us,” David says. “The house was only 12 years old, and we’d just installed a new kitchen and ensuite. She took one look at it and said ‘this will sell’.”
And it did. At their top price—thanks to Jo’s recommendation to auction the property.
“Jo said that the condition of our property was so good that we could auction it and get the price we wanted,” says David. “Had we opened it up for offers, it was unlikely we’d get the same price.”
While auctions were something of an unknown to David and Margaret, neither of whom had ever sold at one, they trusted Jo’s expertise. “She was there for us the whole time,” says David. “When the bidding started off low I thought ‘uh oh’, but then buyers jumped in and in ten minutes it sold. It was brilliant.”
Had the bidding not reached David and Margaret’s reserve price, the property would likely have opened up to negotiations with buyers after the auction. However, any offers would likely have had conditions and wouldn’t have matched David and Margaret’s original reserve. But thanks to Jo, this didn’t happen—she knew the market would snap up their property.
With the help of Jo and the Lodge team, the settlement of their old property and the purchase of their new retirement unit was a breeze too.
“It was unbelievable,” says David. “Everything lined up. It was so easy, we were thrilled to bits.”
And when they moved in, Jo came round to visit—and David and Margaret have stayed in contact since.
“We recommended her to our son and one of our friends and she sold both their places too,” David says. “She was fantastic. I’d recommend her to anyone.”
For more information on selling a home or getting a home appraisal, contact us and one of our property experts will be in touch soon.