Michelle May / Buyers Agents

Michelle May / Buyers Agents Award winning Independent Buyers Agents since 2017, working in the Inner West, St George and Eastern suburbs of Sydney.

Whilst you are doing what you do, we are buying your next property.

18/09/2026

A shiny new apartment is fantastic, I get it. Just go in aware of all the costs that come with it.
A brand new building has to build up its capital works fund and admin fund from scratch, because it's a new bunch of people living together for the first time. Add a pool, a gym, a lift, and the maintenance costs climb with them. So the levies may be higher.
Does zoning affect property value? It does, and higher density living brings its own running costs too. Expect limited growth for a certain period of time.
The upside: if it's all built, there won't be any surprises and your view is safeguarded. What you buy is what you get. Weigh both sides.
Full episode, "Does Zoning Affect Property Value? Why Home Buyers Need an Investor Hat," on Buy Your Side.

18/09/2026

In my experience very few properties make money in the first five to seven years from development. It's like driving a new car off the forecourt: you've lost a couple of grand, if not more, the moment it's yours. You pay for the privilege of new or nearly new.
So look at your brief. Why are you buying? Why this area? And how long will this property suit your needs?
If the answer is under five to seven years, be careful. Whatever small growth there was can be swallowed by the costs of moving on: stamp duty on your next place (you may not get the first home buyer exemption again), moving costs, your solicitor.
Does zoning affect property value? It does, and so does buying brand new into it. Buying new that's already built has its upside: no surprises, your view is safeguarded, what you see is what you get. Just weigh the investment side as carefully as the shiny side.
Full episode, "Does Zoning Affect Property Value? Why Home Buyers Need an Investor Hat," on Buy Your Side.

17/09/2026

If the area around you keeps building the same style and type of property as yours, then whenever you sell there'll be numerous similar properties on the market at the same time.
Your buyer pool thins out. Buyers hop from your inspection to the next one and compare. There's no FOMO, because if they miss yours it's not a big deal. There's another one down the road and more coming.
They won't pay a premium either. They might pick up something cheaper with a kitchen that just needs renovating. So they set a limit and walk away if you go past it.
Does zoning affect property value? This is where it shows up: on the day you sell. Scarcity is one of the factors behind above-median capital growth, and density is what takes it away.
Full episode, "Does Zoning Affect Property Value? Why Home Buyers Need an Investor Hat," on Buy Your Side.

17/09/2026

Sydney's Eastern Suburbs just posted the biggest gap in the country between buyer budgets and seller asking prices. $1.75 million.

New Domain data out this week found Eastern Suburbs buyers searching at a median of $3.5 million, while the suburb median sits at $5.25 million.

I got asked about it for the Sydney Morning Herald, and honestly, none of it surprised me.

Half of that gap is people browsing suburbs they're not actually buying in. Who doesn't love a bit of property p**n.

The other half is real, finance-ready buyers who haven't worked out yet what their budget genuinely buys where they want to live. And on the seller side, I see the same thing constantly in reverse. A lot of vendors think their place is worth more than it is. It's always better than the neighbour's, right? Natural instinct.

As your buyer's agent, my job is closing that gap for you before it costs you the property, or the negotiation.

Comment ARTICLE and I'll send you the link to the full piece.

17/09/2026

You think you've bought on a quiet residential street. Then a big developer takes up the land next door to build a tower.
Subterranean garaging is the trend now, which means excavating several storeys into the ground. Drilling, noise, dust, traffic stops. And it takes a considerable period of time.
Does zoning affect property value? Before it touches your value, it touches your day-to-day. Then more people move in, and more properties like yours come onto the market when it's your turn to sell. The landscape of the street, and the suburb, has changed.
So before you sign, understand what the surrounding area is zoned for and what's already underway. Not only the property in front of you.
Full episode, "Does Zoning Affect Property Value? Why Home Buyers Need an Investor Hat | Buy Your Side 75," on Buy Your Side.

17/09/2026

Does zoning affect property value? Yes. And the zoning around your future home isn't fixed.
Local councils decide what can be built on a block: a house, a duplex, or apartments up to a certain height. In higher density zones like R4, that can be up to 23 metres.
Over the last year the state government has been overruling councils in areas that were low or medium density and designating them R4, because the councils weren't building enough.
That changes the desirability of your property, and its value, moving forward. So before you sign on the dotted line, even if you're buying a house, understand what the surrounding area is zoned for and what's already happening there.
Full episode, "Does Zoning Affect Property Value? Why Home Buyers Need an Investor Hat," on Buy Your Side. Link in bio.

16/09/2026

Reaching for bleach on black mould?

Jason Ratcliffe, , has seen it firsthand. Homes that look freshly cleaned but leave people wheezing within minutes of walking back in.

His point is that harsh chemical cleaners can release toxins that are almost as harmful as the mould you're trying to get rid of in the first place.

His preferred fix is an old one. White vinegar, because the acidity breaks the mould down without the harsh residue.

It's not glamorous and it doesn't smell great, but it's the version that doesn't trade one problem for another. Ventilate while you're at it, and give it time to work.

Full episode with Jason, "Is a New Build Safer Than an Older Home? The Health Risks Hiding in Sydney Homes," on Buy Your Side. Link in bio.

16/09/2026

Coughing, fatigue, low mood, and no idea why?

Jason Ratcliffe, , has seen this pattern in property after property. Poor lighting, noise, certain chemicals, damp and mould, turning up again and again in the same kinds of homes.

His point was that doctors are trained to treat the symptom in front of them, not go looking for a cause in the building. A cough gets treated as a cough.

He started asking a different question. What if the home itself is part of the picture?

It's not about diagnosing yourself. It's about knowing the environment you're buying into can affect how you feel in it, and that's worth factoring in before you sign anything.

Full episode with Jason, "Is a New Build Safer Than an Older Home? The Health Risks Hiding in Sydney Homes," on Buy Your Side. Link in bio.

15/09/2026

Is a new build safer than an older home? I sat down with Jason Ratcliffe, , and he says no, and I know that sounds backwards.

New should mean safer, right? That's certainly the story most of us have been told.

His experience says otherwise. Buyers assume modern means safe, and that confidence can mean red flags get missed before they ever move in.

He's seen clients come unstuck months after moving in. Window installations done off spec and covered up before any inspection could catch them, with the timber frame warping a year later.

From the outside it looks brand new and finished. A year later, the cracks show, and the fix falls on the new owner, not the builder.

Full episode, "Is a New Build Safer Than an Older Home? The Health Risks Hiding in Sydney Homes," on Buy Your Side. Link in bio.

15/09/2026

Seen a recently repaired patch on a property you're inspecting?

Jason Ratcliffe, , has a simple rule for this. It might be routine maintenance. It might be someone quietly patching over a bigger issue. Either way, you deserve a straight answer before you commit.

His rule is straightforward. If part of a property's clearly been fixed up, find out what the actual problem was, not only that it's been dealt with.

He also flagged older properties more broadly. Certain building materials used in the past can carry health risks if disturbed, particularly if you're planning to renovate, remove a kitchen, or change ceilings.

It's not a reason to walk away from an older property. It's a reason to get the right professional in before you start pulling anything apart, so you know exactly what you're dealing with.

Full episode, "Is a New Build Safer Than an Older Home? The Health Risks Hiding in Sydney Homes," on Buy Your Side. Link in bio.

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Enmore, NSW
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