The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties

👵🏼👶🏼 Old vs Young in Real Estate – Which wins?
Fresh faces or seasoned pros? Today on Real Talk Weekly, we’re breaking it down. 🎤

There’s no age barrier in this game — you can kickstart your career at 15 or 75.
✨ It’s all about the hustle, not the hair colour.

💡 Thinking of jumping into real estate after school?
No degree needed. No age limit. Just drive.
Use property management as your gateway — it's where...

🎙️ Real Talk Weekly is LIVE, legends!
It took a whole squad to get us up and running tonight — shoutout to the young guns, you're the real MVPs 🙌

Tonight’s hot topic:
💥 Sell high, buy low — is it real or just real estate myth? Let’s unpack it.

PLUS:
🏡 First home buyer update — that 5% deposit scheme?
Still not seeing the flood of buyers we expected… why?
💸 Entry-level is sitting around $620K on the North...

🎉 Offer Accepted! Now comes the scary part… signing that contract 😬

We get it — when your agent slides that paperwork across the table, your hands start to shake! But don’t stress — we’re breaking down the do’s and don’ts of signing with your real estate agent so you can move forward confidently.

💡 Pro tip: The cooling-off period is your safety net — 5 days to get checks done, chat with your solicitor, and make sure everything fee...

🚨 Thinking of firing your agent or property manager? You're not alone.⁠
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No fluff this morning – Mark Novak & I dove straight into why so many people feel stuck with the wrong agent. 😬⁠
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👉 Trust lost.⁠
👉 No results.⁠
👉 Open homes going nowhere.⁠
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💡 The truth? There is hope – and switching doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you're local or out of area, we're here to help with...

📍 Brookvale is about to GO BIG.
And your suburb could be next. 👀

Real Talk Weekly is back, and this week we’re diving into the massive 10–15 year transformation planned for Brookvale:

🏙️ 1,350+ new homes
🧱 Mixed-use zoning (residential + commercial)
🌿 7,000sqm public open space
🛍️ A brand new 5,000sqm town square
💼 900+ new local jobs

Brookvale is set to become the crown jewel of the Northern Beaches—but thi...

⚖️ UNDERQUOTING — one of the most debated topics in real estate.
It affects buyers. It affects sellers. It affects everyone in the industry.

This week on Real Talk Weekly, we’re unpacking the truth behind it all with two incredible women:
👩‍🏫 Rosie Sullivan – Australian College of Professionals (ACOP)
👩‍⚖️ Lisa Jemison – Jemison Fisher Solicitors

We dive into:
💬 What actually counts as underquoting
🧾 Why accu...

💥 Construction costs in Sydney = OUT OF CONTROL

It’s a war zone out there — tradie shortages, material price hikes, and no signs of slowing down.

🧱 Why is it so expensive to build right now?
🎯 What does that mean for property prices?
💸 And who’s REALLY footing the bill?

This week on Real Talk Weekly:
✔️ Why building a unit now costs $650K–$750K — before land or profit
✔️ Why Strata units might be the smartest buy i...

🥷💼 How to Submit a NINJA Rental Application

Low stock. High demand. If you're applying for a rental in this market, you can't be passive — you’ve got to hustle.

What would the best property manager in the world do if they were applying? Here's what we’d tell you to do:

✔️ Get everything ready before you inspect
✔️ Add some personality – you're not a robot
✔️ Be proactive (yes, follow up!)
✔️ Communica...

📍NSW Rezoning 2025 – Big Promises, Tough Reality

In 2025, over 170 NSW cities were rezoned to allow 6-storey buildings within 400m of town centres. But what does that really mean for suburbs like Dee Why?

💡 While the policy sounds transformative, many blocks just aren’t feasible to redevelop due to size, density, and cost.

🏗️ Developers are keen, but logistics say otherwise. In most cases, the numbers just don’t stack up.

Stay tuned...

🤝 TRUST Your Agent – Or Walk Away

Losing trust with your real estate agent? That’s not small. It’s everything.

✅ Frequent updates
✅ Ethical action
✅ Proven local track record

If those are missing, it’s time to ask: do I trust this person with my biggest asset?

🔑 Trust isn’t just a buzzword in real estate—it’s the foundation.

#RealEstateTips #TrustYourAgent #PropertyAdvice #RealTalk #NorthernBeaches #LisaTheWoodpecker #Communic...

💡 What do real estate agents buy — with their own money?

We asked Mark Novak (30+ years in the game) what he looks for when investing himself. His answers might surprise you 👇

🏢 Pattern #1 – Small but steady:
“Easy to finance, easy to rent, easy to keep. Small bites, regular bites.”

💰 Pattern #2 – When they zig, we zag:
Agents often go for the unloved ones — high-strata, off-the-plan, or overlooked stock — because that’s w...

⏱️ Floppy response times — the silent deal killer in real estate.

40% of buyers never hear back from an agent after enquiring.
Let that sink in. 😬

In 2025, no one’s waiting 72 hours for a callback. You can order an Uber in 3 minutes — why should your property enquiry take 3 days?

Here’s what should be standard 👇
⚡ Email response: within 10 mins
📞 Missed calls: returned within 1 hour
📷 Photography turnaround: 24–48 ...

🧾 LAND TAX: the hidden holding cost.
We all cheer price growth… then the land tax bill lands.
Key takeaways from Ep. 1525:
• Threshold: ~$1.075m (NSW).
• Rate: ~1.6% above the threshold.
• Examples: freestanding site LV ~$1.71m ≈ ~$27k/yr; strata unit LV ~$185k ≈ ~$2.9k/yr (if over threshold); larger block LV ~$2.85m ≈ ~$45.6k/yr.
• Strategy: strata can massively dilute land value; always check the Valuer G...

🏛️ Heritage in property: blessing or burden?

From facades in the city to iconic Harry Seidler homes on the beaches — heritage can inspire, but it can also restrict.

✅ The good:

• Preserves history, architecture & culture
• Adds unique character & value when respected

⚠️ The challenges:

• Expensive restorations (even paint colours are regulated)
• Heritage controls can extend inside the home, not just the façade
• Even rocks and...

🎉 1st of October = Christmas morning for first home buyers 🏡

From today, you can buy with just a 5% deposit (up to $1.5M) thanks to the new federal scheme. The gov’t covers the remaining 15% normally required for mortgage insurance ✅

💰 Why it matters:

• No $20–40K lender’s mortgage insurance 💸
• Entry costs drop from ~$300K to ~$100K on a $1.2M unit
• More buyers entering = more competition

📈 Expect:
✔️ Sub-$1.5M properties t...

🏡✨ The Aussie dream is changing. Land sizes are shrinking, prices are rising, and buyers are getting smarter. From micro-lots near the beach to lifestyle acreages, it’s all about location + design.

👉 Did you know? On just 250sqm in Wooriwood, you can still build a 4–5 bedroom home with a double garage, study, and backyard. And they’re selling for $1.3–$1.5M!

Now, we’ve got something exciting: a corner block in North Curl Curl, minu...

💌 Junk mail or valuable info?
Let’s talk about DL flyers. Some people hate them. Some people love them. One lady told us to stop stuffing her letterbox. Another bolted into our open home asking: “Where’s that list? I love it!”

The truth? Flyers have been around since the early 1900s — and they’re not going anywhere. What matters is what’s inside:
✔️ Actual sale prices
✔️ Growth from past sales
✔️ Photos of the build...

💡 YIELD — the most powerful word in commercial property.

Here’s the crash course ⬇️
📊 Yield = annual rent ÷ property value.
👉 Gross yield = rent before expenses.
👉 Net yield = rent after outgoings (council, strata, land tax etc).
👉 Triple net = tenant covers everything.

Why it matters:

• In residential, yield is rarely the focus — buyers chase capital growth.
• In commercial, yield can literally make (or lose) you ...