Fraud, fairytales and a dose of reality about the market

Thinking of telling the bank “a few white lies” to get the mortgage you want? 

We need to talk.

Convinced your bargain basement property is out there despite all evidence to the contrary? 

We need to talk. 

Because I’ll tell you the truth, which is not necessarily what you want to hear, but it will save you a lot of pain, heartache, money and even keep you out of jail. 

Let’s be clear that lying to your lender is fraud, not just a slight bending of the rules. If you bump your income up, doctor payslips, and bank statements, you can end up in serious hot water. 

So, I was shocked to read a Finder survey that showed one in eight people falsified details during the home-buying process, with 4 per cent of Australians lying about their income, 4 per cent lying about their debt, and 9 per cent lying about their savings.

This is madness! 

Putting the fraud question to one side for a moment, you are setting yourself up to fail when you land yourself with a debt you have no real hope of repaying - without eating baked beans for dinner most nights. 

The biggest person you’re lying to is yourself by gaming the system this way. Buyers creating a false reality around their situation and the market is one of the biggest problems I see with people’s property-buying journey. 

It’s a fairytale land where people rarely live happily ever after because their expectations don’t match the real world. 

Buyers often come to me because they can’t find the answer they are looking for. They can’t find the size of property they want in the area they love for a bargain price. 

Reality check: that property probably doesn’t exist. 

My job is to work with you to maximise your resources and match up with the best possible property. I can’t - and won’t - take you on as a client if you don’t trust my expertise. 

Yes, I’m here to guide you through the home-buying process. I will find off-market opportunities, walk you through the pros and cons of a property, negotiate, bid, and all of those things. 

But my most important role is keeping you focused on the reality of the market and not the fairytale. 

Need a dose of reality with your property search? My team and I are always willing to guide you through Sydney’s markets to help you make excellent property-buying decisions.