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Ian Barnes

Three quarters of a billion dollars in local sales across 25 years, earned through professionalism, trust, integrity and a genuine commitment to every client.

29/10/2026

📊 An X-Ray of the Market

Six weeks ago, there were 7,565 properties for sale in Perth and around 600 properties selling each week.

Put simply, that meant roughly one weekly sale for every 12 or 13 properties available.

Fast-forward six weeks.

There are now 8,971 properties for sale, while weekly sales are still sitting at around 610.

That means there is now roughly:

One weekly sale for every 15 properties available.

Put another way, there are now about 17% more properties competing for each weekly sale than there were just six weeks ago.

That’s a fairly significant change in a very short period of time.

And perhaps more important than the number itself is the trend.

Buyers can see it.

They can feel it.

And they’re saying so.

They’re seeing more signs, more choice and properties taking longer to sell.

The buyers haven’t disappeared.

They just have more choice.

And that means sellers need to be more conscious than ever of price, presentation, condition and strategy.

The most useful question probably isn’t:

“What was the market worth six months ago?”

It’s:

“Where is the market today?”

Because that’s the market we actually have to make decisions in.

❤️ That’s where I come in.

26/10/2026

🎯 Set High Standards. Deliver Even Higher.

Real estate is a business built on hope.

For homeowners, hope for a great price and a successful sale.

For buyers, hope for a new lifestyle, a seamless move and a lifetime of happy memories.

That's powerful stuff.

And it deserves more than big promises.

After 25 years in real estate, I've learned that optimism and honesty aren't opposites.

Especially in a changing market.

Homeowners deserve ambition, backed by realistic advice.

Buyers deserve genuine attention, not just another sales pitch.

And both deserve an agent willing to go the extra mile.

The Sunday inspection. The difficult conversation. The opportunity others overlook.

Those little one percenters.

Because hope might bring people to the table.

But it's what happens afterwards that really counts.

❤️ I get it.

22/10/2026

🧭 Before You Move, Orientate the Map

A long time ago, when I was in the Air Force Cadets, we’d sometimes be picked up by helicopter from RAAF Base Pearce and dropped somewhere in Walyunga National Park.

The first thing we didn’t do was start marching.

First, we had to orientate the map.

Work out where we were.

Then establish where we needed to get to, how much time we had, and the best route to take.

Property decisions in an uncertain market are much the same.

There are things we simply don’t know.

We don’t know exactly how long the current adjustment will last, where values ultimately settle, or what interest rates will do next.

But there are things we do know.

WA continues to grow. There is still underlying demand for housing. Properties are still selling every week. Our economy remains fundamentally strong.

And some things don’t change.

Presentation matters.
Price positioning matters.
Marketing matters.
Buyer follow-up matters.
Written offers matter.

And ultimately, a sale still only happens when a willing buyer meets a willing seller.

Once you know where you are, the next questions become much easier:

Where are you trying to get to?
Why are you moving?
And by when?

You don’t need to predict every twist and turn in the market.

But you do need to know where you are today, where you want to get to, and the terrain in between.

❤️ That’s where I come in.

15/10/2026

🎯 What’s the Real Question?

A buyer recently asked a very familiar question:
“How serious is the seller?”

Then floated a verbal offer roughly 35% below the asking price.
Fair enough. Buyers are entitled to negotiate.

But it raised another question:
How serious is the buyer?

Because having the money to buy doesn’t always mean someone is actually ready to buy.

A serious buyer is usually:
- financially ready to act
- clear on where they want to buy
- realistic about current market value
- working to a genuine timeframe
- prepared to act when the right property appears

One of the first questions I often ask is:
“How soon do you want to be moved?”

That answer tells you a lot.

Over the years, I’ve broadly seen three types of buyers:

The bargain hunter
More focused on the deal than the property.

The typical buyer
Likes the home, but also wants to feel they are paying fair market value.

The heart buyer
Buying the street, the school zone, the backyard, the lifestyle and the future memories attached to the home.

Ultimately, every seller is looking for the same thing:

A willing buyer who is ready, realistic and able to act.

Because a sale still only happens when a willing buyer meets a willing seller.

And not every offer tells you what your property is worth.

Sometimes it simply tells you where that buyer is in their journey.

❤️ That’s where I come in.

12/10/2026

✈️ Doing a Doolittle

In WWII, Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle needed his B-25 bombers to fly further than they were designed to.

America needed a morale-boosting strike against Japan following Pearl Harbor.

His solution?

Strip away everything unnecessary.

Even the tail guns. Replaced with painted broomsticks!

The mission dictated the decisions.

After 25 years in real estate, I'm doing something similar.

No agency to run. No chasing every shiny object.

Plenty of petrol in the tank, but fewer distractions.

More time to focus on you as a home seller.

Before discussing price, let's establish the mission.

Why are you selling?

Where are you going?

When do you need to be there?

Then we work backwards.

Destination. Timeline. Strategy.

Every decision serving your objective.

Because selling a property isn't only about achieving a price.

It's about getting you where you want to go.

Mission. Timing. Strategy. In that order.

❤️ I get it.

08/10/2026

🔥 Time for Some Zero-Based Thinking?

The market keeps moving.

Buyer sentiment has changed. Stock levels are higher. Interest rates have risen again.

And some decisions that looked perfectly reasonable three or six months ago may deserve another look today.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the original advice was wrong.

It may simply mean the market has moved.

Zero-based thinking asks one simple question:

If we were starting again today, knowing what we know now, would we make the same decisions?

Same price strategy?
Same presentation?
Same marketing?
Same expectations around timing and offers?
Sometimes the answer will be yes.

Sometimes it won’t.

And sometimes a property doesn’t need a completely different plan. It just needs a fresh set of eyes and a willingness to put the existing strategy under the blowtorch.

Perhaps you’ve already had an appraisal this year. Perhaps you’ve checked an online valuation. Perhaps you’ve simply been following the sales around you.

All useful information.

But in a market that has moved quickly, a fresh perspective can be worthwhile.

I’m genuinely happy to be your first opinion, second opinion or third opinion.

❤️ That’s where I come in.

05/10/2026

📡 PING
“Give me a ping, Vasily. One. Ping. Only.”

Captain Ramius. Soviet submarine captain.

I love The Hunt for Red October.
Ramius uses a ping to locate and understand what’s around him.

After 25 years in real estate, I’ve learned to listen for pings too.

An enquiry.
Ping.

Meaningful questions at a home open.
Ping.

A private viewing.
Ping.

A second look.
Ping.

An offer.
Ping.

But silence communicates too.

Calls unanswered. Texts ignored. Emails unanswered.

Missing in action.

That’s a signal too.

My job isn’t simply to report activity.

It’s to interpret what the market is telling us.

Then bring you into the loop.

Here are the signals I’m seeing.
Here’s what I believe they mean.
Here’s what I recommend we do next.

Better information. Better decisions.

❤️ I get it.

01/10/2026

🧭 Focus on the Why, Not Just the Price

The market is changing.

Interest rates are up. Listings are rising. Buyers have more choice.
But if you’re thinking of selling, the most useful question may not be:

“What could I have got six months ago?”
Markets move in cycles.
Life keeps moving in real time.
The better question is:

Why were you thinking of selling in the first place?
To downsize?
Reduce debt?
Move closer to family?
Retire?
Buy the next home?
Simplify life?

Because if you are buying and selling in the same market, much of the movement can be offset.

The sale price matters.

But so does the purchase price.
So does the changeover.
So does your timing.

And so does what you want your life to look like next.

Sometimes the better question isn’t:

“Am I getting the highest price I could ever have achieved?”
It’s:

“Does this move still make sense for me now?”

❤️ That’s where I come in.

28/09/2026

🍷 Their Pinot

When buyers walk through your home, there’s a moment I’m watching for.

They stop inspecting and start imagining.

“Will Susie’s bed fit?”
“Which wall would we put the TV on?”
“Could we move in by Christmas?”

I call that “talking past the sale.”

They’re discussing things that only matter after they’ve bought the property.

That’s why making your home less personal matters.

The family photos. The 87 fridge magnets. The trophy collection.

Nothing wrong with any of them. But you don’t want buyers feeling like they’re imposing on someone else’s space.

At a home open, my role is less salesperson, more gracious host.

A guest is careful. A guest doesn’t fully relax.

I want buyers to feel at home.

Because when they’re mentally sitting on their couch, in their home, enjoying their Pinot...

They’re no longer visiting yours.

❤️ I get it.

24/09/2026

🏆 Game Day Changes Everything

Saturday is a big day for Perth, played out on the biggest stage of all at the MCG.

I’m an Eagles supporter, so I’m not suddenly pretending to bleed purple. But I’ve got plenty of loyal, long-suffering Dockers supporters among my friends and family, and for their sake I’ll be hoping the local team gets the job done.

Because game day changes everything.

You can prepare all year, study the opposition, analyse the stats and convince yourself this is your year.

But from the opening bounce to the final siren, you still have to respond to the game that is actually being played.

Real estate is much the same.

Before launch, we can have the appraisal, comparable sales, online algorithms, agent opinions, pricing strategy, presentation strategy, marketing plan, the price you hope to achieve and the amount you may need from the sale.

All important.

But still pre-game theory.

Game day starts when the property meets the real market.

That means live exposure online, real buyers through the property, genuine feedback and, most importantly, written offers.

What you want, what you need and what the market is prepared to pay can be three different numbers.

Good strategy starts by understanding all three.

👉 That’s where I come in.

And to all the Dockers supporters out there, enjoy the game. Go Freo.

Address

21 Kearns Crescent
Applecross, WA
6153

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://www.majesticcentral.com.au/consultant/15/ian-barnes, https://hihello.com/p/98eaf432-8530-43c7-a519-84bef829b9cb

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