Who We Are
Welcome. We buy around 80 homes a year in Inner Melbourne for clients. We are buyer advocates or buyer agents or property finders. We can provide a specific service such as negotiate only or full services such as find, assess, value and negotiate for buyers. We only work for buyers.
What We've Bought
Over 1000 Deal Involvements.
Here is a sample of what we have bought.
Buyer Testimonial
We feel that your confident approach at auction secured the property for a great price, so we are very happy. Hi Gina, We've been enjoying reading your weekly market wraps and have been watching all the listings that have come up in recent months. We feel relieved and delighted that we purchased our house as nothing else has come close in that budget and location. Now we are looking forward to moving in. Without guidance from your...
Suzie Grant & Matt Roache Read more testimonials
Who We've Bought For
Testimonials
On the day, the agreed strategy worked perfectly and all parties were happy so can’t be bad! Hi Adam, Gina & Mal,
Just wanted to take this opportunity of expressing our heartfelt thanks to you all for assisting in the purchase of our new house. Being ‘new’ to the country, it made a big difference to us having your professional approach. Also appreciate the honesty of the conversations. On the day, the agreed strategy worked perfectly and all parties were happy so can’t be bad!
Sian & Mark Searles
hawthorn east
You helped us clarify our goals regarding purchasing the property and importantly discussed the worst-case financial scenarios. From there we could then understand the sensible price needed to buy the property. We were comfortable coming up to auction with the big decisions already made in advance. At the time of signing, it was great to have a knowledgeable party on our side to catch any errors and to oversee the various steps involved which seemed to occur at a rapid speed. Your in-depth knowledge of buying and selling property saved us thousands of dollars on the day and we are very grateful.
G Lowe
yarraville
we know that without your help we wouldn't have got the result today Hi Gina, Adam, thank you again for all your help. It still hasn't sunk in yet, but it is exactly the home we were looking for when we started out last year. We really do appreciate all the help and support over the journey, we know that without your help we wouldn't have got the result today. Please pass on our thanks and gratitude to Mal and the rest of the team. Regards Murray & Voula
Voula Harlaftis & Murray Cliffe
richmond
Overseas buyer - we think that we probably ended up paying less and, moreover, we feel better about the whole thing.
Thanks Adam,
just to reiterate what we said on the phone, we are very pleased with the process.. Sherene and I have done a "post-mortem" and we will never know what the outcome would have been had we done it on our own. However, you have provided us with more confidence and more certainty on what a reasonable process and a reasonable price was. This has removed a lot of heartache for us. Thus, we think that we probably ended up paying less and, moreover, we feel better about the whole thing. So thanks. We look forward to inviting you around for a beer.
Cheers
Andre
Sherene & Andre
hawthorn east
Thank you all for your assistance in purchasing our home in Brighton (wow, what a location!) Dear Mal & Kristen, As buyers sitting in Houston, Texas, your advice, honest feedback, support and guidance meant we were very confident spending more money that we ever have on a property as we felt we really understood what the value was better than for any of our other 10 or so purchases over the years.
I liked the way you went thru your process and highlighted the uncertainties; you pushed but accepted our decisions on what to bid. I never felt like you were rushing us, and you were patient as we determined what our real needs were.
Mal, a couple of your quotes stood out "you're following a 0.5% strategy" "you're approach will result in you buying a house no-one else wants!" I will never forget the effect these had on us. You all provided very responsive service, we went from nothing to bidding twice in relatively short time as Samantha and I firmed up our personal needs and wants. We felt like we were your only clients, such was your excellent support.
Samantha & Robert Zammit
brighton
They gave a very balanced perspective on all properties under consideration, including both negative and positive aspects We really appreciated Gina and Mal’s approach – they really took the time to understand our requirements, some quite specific to our personal situation, and always kept us informed. They gave a very balanced perspective on all properties under consideration, including both negative and positive aspects, and even when there was very little on offer reassured us that we were still heading down the right path. We were always comfortable with their approach and confident they were working in our best interests. Their strategy on the day of auction was absolutely the right one for that particular situation, and we would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone considering engaging a buyer’s advocate.
Sarah & Ian McLeod
hampton
Not being based in Melbourne meant that I absolutely needed to trust someone on the ground, and Adam was fantastic in this regard, saving me considerable stress. You really took the time to understand our needs and kept me focussed and patient. As a result of this, we have bought a house that we are truly delighted with.
Craig Jeffrey Carr
moonee ponds
We truly appreciate the way you managed the negotiation and purchase strategy with the real estate agents. Dear Guy, After 4 years overseas it was good to be able to rely on the services of James Buyers to provide a balanced view of the tangible and intangible aspects of purchasing a family home in the Melbourne market. The rating system and review process certainly managed to provide increased clarity to our search and allowed us to narrow the potential targets.
Heather & Chris Davis
We are under no illusion that we could not have achieved that outcome without your guidance, expertise and in fact complete control of the process. Adam and Mal,
A short note to thank you both very much for our very successful outcome. Sally and I are both very pleased with the outcome of the purchase of 10 Weybridge St in Surrey Hills. We are under no illusion that we could not have achieved that outcome without your guidance, expertise and in fact complete control of the process. We have been very impressed with the manner in which you have addressed each of the homes we have considered and we have definitely enjoyed a level of comfort that we would otherwise not have experienced. A huge thank you to Mal for your approaches to the negotiations and bidding in the action moments at each of the auction at Barloa and the negotiations for Weybridge. They were very impressive. An even bigger thank you to Adam for the professional and supportive manner in which he has dealt with us over the last few months as our key contact, in particular his responsiveness and his gentle but firm guidance when needed. We were really very impressed. We look forward to sharing a glass of wine to celebrate.
Lastly, thank you for your gift which we received today, it was greatly appreciated. We would have no hesitation in recommending you to our friends, family and acquaintances and would be more than happy for you to publish this email as a testimony on your website.
Sally & Peter McKelvie
surrey hills
Thank you for your consistent service, thorough research and honest advice over the last 15 months. Dear Mal, Kristen, Adam and Gina,
Thank you for your consistent service, thorough research and honest advice over the last 15 months.
We are thrilled with our new home, happy with the price we paid and, thanks to your team, the whole process of buying the home was relatively stress free!
Right from the start, we were very comfortable working with you and appreciated your “up front” and professional approach.
Our only frustration has been the modest supply of homes on the market that fitted with our ideal, but I’m pretty sure, even though you have a huge influence in the real estate game, even you can’t influence that!
Thanks also for the lovely flowers.
Narelle and Nick
Nick and Narelle
malvern
Buyer Testimonial
We would like to confirm our overall happiness and pleasure in your efforts and success in not only finding, purchasing and outbidding a bunch of enthusiastic buyers for our new house in Surrey Hills.You were able to get us into an ideal home within two months of employing your company. We had been the under-bidder on at least five occasions. It was so pleasing to not only obtain our property within our maximum elected price range but to als...
Ken & Janine Franklin Read more testimonials
Why Use Us
Hello at James Buyer Advocates we buy homes, mainly $1m and above, in Inner Melbourne for clients only.
Why Use a James Buyer Advocate is a question we are often asked.
Or you can read the following;
Here are 6 reasons why buyers engage us to buy homes for them.
- We're In the Market on a daily basis and we have been for decades.
- Last year we rated 2000 homes; reported on 1200 auctions but we only bought 80 homes for clients. We’re picky and you should be too!
- Day in and day out we are there at the coalface. You can see proof of that in our market news auction reports, our results, our testimonials, our ratings and the number of homes we have bought.
- You may have seen us in our orange jackets and hats at opens and auctions.. We usually cover 50 a week and have been doing so well into our second decade - that’s a lot of data on tap for our clients.
- Good decisions. Our perfect clients – the ones we want to work for and those that seem to engage us – are buyers who want to make good decisions
- Buyers that want to achieve good long term emotional and financial outcomes.
- Being an architect, Adam can explain that there are big differences between good and bad homes.
- Home Match system. We have a unique system that puts you in control of comparing all your options.
- We open doors for you to access off markets, over priced homes that can be better negotiated, left field and pre market properties - before and post auction homes.
- Anybody can find a home on the internet but do they understand if it is any good and if it is the best one for you?
Patented Home Ratings system. When we first developed this all those years ago – some people thought it was quirky. It’s a scientific and independent way of expert assessing all homes and in fact, with 600,000 visits per year to our ratings site, James Home Ratings has become the industry standard.
- James Home Ratings allows you, the client, to be fully informed about all aspects of the property; not just the advertised aspects.
- Only our clients get full use of this powerful tool that can give indicative advice with regards to:
- Price
- Growth to market
- Bidder Strength
- Good homes from bad homes
- James Control Price. Here we use a double-check value system that gives you the real range of what a home could be worth – this is a lot more reliable than an agent quote and allows you to fully prepare to negotiate
- It’s critical not to overpay on an uninformed basis.
- It’s critical to know what level you may need to get to under certain circumstances.
- Our Negotiation skills – this is more than our unique James Negotiation Block tool – it is our people
- Years of experience of knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.
- When to bid at auction and when to not.
- Our agent relationships, number of homes bought (over a 1000) and our daily market intel means you always remain in control of your decisions through the negotiation process.
- We understand the real risks v the real rewards during the negotiation process.
In summary, engaging a James Buyer Advocate is about lowering stress and saving money and protecting your privacy (eg. make an unsuccessful offer and you are an open book on the next deal) but it’s also a lot more than that.
Engaging a highly trained James Buyer Advocate is about making the first good decision in a solid process.
At our first meeting we can tailor a way for you to buy a better home for a better price through a scientific and proven architect and advocate process.
Contact us on +613 9804 3133 during business hours.
Some extra reading
Let’s talk extreme personal pressure?
We provide that buffer – no-one needs to know who you are until you sign the contract for sale.
Will you zig when the right thing is to zag? We provide a barrier for that sometimes excruciating pressure and, whether or not you thrive under pressure,everybody can benefit from the sanctuary of time that we can give you. When others are trying to invade your time and space we can be the difference between a good decision and bad decision.
Do you understand how clouded many deals are with smoke and mirrors? While you are looking at your reflection someone else is doing to you what you needed to do to them? We won’t let that happen.
Sure, anybody can bid at auction – but even in good markets it’s still less than 1 in 3 that are bought under the hammer and then the most common Bidder number is – yep – One - You. You are bidding all by yourself.
Not sure what we are talking about – it’s another one of the unknown knowns – for instance, a vendor lays out a trail in deciding who to use in selling that home – along the way there are casualties – if you can find those casualties then you can gain valuable insights into the vendor’s disposition and dreams.
When negotiating you should only be concerned about two others; the vendor and the highest other bidder – if you know “stuff” then that is an advantage to you.
We recently completed a four-month off-market private sale negotiation of a Bayside home with an asking price of $3.5 million for under $2.8 million. On that saving of $700,000 our fee was less than $60,000.
Our biggest saving was negotiating a $31 million asking price down to just over $12 million in 2006. We can show you the address and the reference – we were hired by the government - to negotiate the deal.
Our longest negotiation was 14 months in 2007 and our shortest between meeting a client and buying their new home was 3 hours.
Our boardroom auction strategies have secured homes at $2m, at $4m, at $8 million –when other buyers were convinced they had it. We had the same money.
Our edge is trust, our relationships, our experience and our objectivity.
And we can talk can’t we, sorry!
But we can also listen and understand your needs.
If you would like to talk to us about buying a better home for a better price through a scientific and proven architect and advocate process then please contact us – we are keen to hear what you want.
Phone and ask for Simone, Jacqui or Elle on +613 9804 3133
Good Luck.
Buyer Testimonial
It was Pauline's first conversation with Gina on Monday night that helped convince us that buying so quickly was actually possible Hi Gina and Mal, We just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for helping us to buy yesterday. We couldn't have managed it without you and we were very impressed with your research, support and of course, work at the auction itself. The week was full of different emotions for us and you both helped us ma...
Pauline Lee James Harris Read more testimonials
Melbourne's Best $M+ Locations
A list of what we buy can be found here.
Boroondara - Inner East of Melbourne
Now you are looking at the big blocks, big homes and big prices.
Apart from some Bayside suburbs this covers Melbourne most expensive areas. You have the freeway, leafy green wide streets, an incredible tram network, many diverse religious and non religious private schools; parks and some of Melbourne best shopping strips.
The East is a lovely place to be and there are also many smaller quaint period homes - they are not cheap - nothing is - but they have stood the test of time. These Victorian and Edwardian cottages are great first homes for the children, "almost last homes" for downsizers and we often recommend these as solid to investors.
Bit of Trivia - even though our first office was in Brighton we have bought more $2M+ homes in this area than Bayside.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Kew (fair amount off market as well), Hawthorn (fair amount off market as well), Balwyn, Canterbury (fair amount off market as well), Surrey Hills
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Drive around the Sackville St area (bigger money) Kew - Elgin St area (smaller money) Hawthorn and have a coffee at Osso's at 80 Burwood rd Hawthorn.
2. Then go up Power St for a drive around Linda, Chrystobel, Kinkora Roads for (bigger money) Hawthorn and get some chocolates from Haig's - 715 Glenferrie Road - big shopping strip.
3. For Canterbury go to Maling Road (really lovely shopping strip that takes you back in time) and Browns has the best coffee, although a couple of doors up is another great chocolate shop serving coffee. Maling Road to the North is one lot of Canterbury. Another part to get a feel of Canterbury is the go towards the CBD along Canterbury Road from Balwyn Road and drive north up and down roads between Canterbury and Mont Albert. You need to have multiple millions to be buying anything in these areas.
4. Surrey Hills at its best is away from the CBD along Canterbury Road until you get to Union Road. Turn left at Union, (coffee at the purple cookbook shop on the left first) over the railway line and then take any street for the next ten streets on the left. These are great streets in Surrey Hills.
Stonnington - East of Melbourne
Now you are looking at the big blocks, big homes and big prices.
Apart from some Bayside suburbs this covers Melbourne most expensive areas. You have the freeway, leafy green wide streets, an incredible tram network, many diverse religious and non religious private schools; parks and some of Melbourne best shopping strips.
This is Establishment Melbourne having some of Melbourne's earliest developments (mid to late 1800's). However it is also New Melbourne because many of its larger blocks have been turned into multi million dollar townhouses and low rise apartment set ups. There are many jokes about lawyers (almost as many as about buying and selling agents) however in these areas they have done a good job keeping many developments in line with the surrounding neighbourhood character.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Toorak (fair amount off market as well), Armadale (fair amount off market as well), Malvern (fair amount off market as well), Malvern East (fair amount off market as well), Glen Iris
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Toorak - let us show you but if you want a quiet lunch - try The Rose Gallery - Rose St Armadale - just off Beatty Ave - Hawksburn Railway Station - its quirky.
2. Malvern, Armadale - If you must be seen and we must then Oska Whytes (best sandwiches) on High St (nth side) couple of doors up from Kooyong Rd corner. Malvern and Armadale and what it is; can been seen by driving north, south, east and west for about a kilometer from here. You need to have a few million to a lot to buy in this area - even the single fronted cottages are well over a million.
3. Malvern East - Central Park - Wattletree and Burke Road corner is the lead into the Gasgoine Estate - take a footy and have a kick in the park and then drive around area surrounded by Wattletree, Tooronga, Waverley, Darling, Malvern Roads. We like having a bruschetta and coffee at Neills in Burke Road next to Central Park.
Port Phillip - Inner Bayside Melbourne
For a completely unbiased view on living by Port Phillip Bay don't read this because we love it here and we have the "blinkers" on when it comes to how good life is.
6 months of the year swimming (longer if you are an iceberger). Rail transport that is safe and regular and an abundance of quirky restaurants, shopping strips and interesting places.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Port Melbourne, Albert Park and South Melbourne, Middle Park, St Kilda, Elwood
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Port Melbourne - Café Zest - interesting breakky and lunch menus. 55 Beach St Port Melbourne. Watch the Ferries come in. Get a feeling for the High Rise and then compare to Docklands - at this stage we think Port Melbourne has more going for it. Traditionally a lot cheaper than neighbouring Albert Park - no longer the case.
2. Albert Park - Go to Bridport St - south side on the weekend is packed with the go set. However the highlights are Andrews Hamburgers (round the corner from the Hocking Stuart office) and Jocks Ice Cream - go the Turkish delight - which is on Victoria Avenue (an extension of Bridport St running down towards the sea)
3. Middle Park - Go to Armstrong St food store and take a good walk in all directions - everything any good is over a million and most home are period. We have bought a lot of home over the years in Middle and Albert Park.
4. Going South along the Bay try Fitzroy St and Acland Streets St. Kilda - if you don't like it here forget these suburbs and also Elwood but hey what is wrong with you. Only joking - these suburbs are "alternative".
Actually all these above suburbs are more orientated towards younger couple and probably no kids. But they are great places to spend your 20 and 30's in or as we are increasingly finding your later years after the children have left home.
Bayside - South East Melbourne
For a completely unbiased view on Bayside living don't read this because we love it here and we have the "blinkers" on when it comes to how good life is.
6 months of the year swimming (longer if you are an iceberger). Rail transport that is safe and regular and an abundance of quirky restaurants, shopping strips and interesting places.
Can't afford the big money of Brighton or inner Bayside then you really have to look at Black Rock, Beaumaris, Mentone, Parkdale, Mordialloc.
Cycle "nuts" will love Beach Road and we often take our families fishing on the little putt putt boats out from Mordialloc pier. Black Rock is home of the best golf courses in Melbourne - make that Australia - actually the world. Beaumaris has a few transport issues but has really come on in recent times
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham, Black Rock, Beaumaris
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Brighton - One of Melbourne's Jewels. Pricey - yep but that is because there are lot of people wanting to get in and only a few wanting to leave. Try Pod or Italy on the Bay in Bay St for great coffee or even a quick meal at Vivace - all near the railway line. Something a bit more upmarket then Church St and you have some classy alternatives at either end. Down the beach end anybody who is anybody has to be seen latteing at the Pantry or for a great formal atmosphere try Vera's near the railway line (but you will have to book for dinner) Finally next to Brighton Beach Railway Station is our favourite comfort food coffee shop - BLOSSOM and VINE on South Road.
2. Hampton and Sandringham - Brown Cow at the southern end of the Hampton Street Shops and Limoncello in the middle of the Sandringham shops serve the best coffee in these areas.
3. Black Rock - Balcombe Road shopping strips.
4. Beaumaris - The Concourse Shopping Strips.
5. Mentone - A lot of really good cheaper units around Mentone.
6. Parkdale and Mordialloc - We really like lunch at Windows on the Bay. Take the kids out on one of the putt putt boats or walk along Mordialloc pier.
Glen Eira - South East of Melbourne
These are real family suburbs with areas such as Caulfield and Elsternwick having strong Jewish influence and Bentleigh, Ormond and McKinnon being regarded almost as cheerleaders for preservation of Calfornian Bungalows (style of house).
Good sized blocks, good schools (public Mckinnon Secondary College as well as many private such as Caulfield Grammar). Being slightly cheaper than neighouring Brighton and Malvern has seen strong demand for family homes resulting in major infrastructure improvements to such an extent that house demand now regularly (each weekend) sees houses over a $1million in all these suburbs.
A quick comment on Carnegie and Murrumbeena - if you can't afford Malvern then buy in these suburbs and be patient and enjoy the shopping and other amenities that are already there because these suburbs are fast becoming like Malvern East, Glen Iris.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Caulfield, Elsternwick, St Kilda East and Balaclava, Ormond, Bentleigh, McKinnon, Carnegie, Murrumbeena.
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. If you are a bit quirky like a lot of us then try Balaclava shopping strip either side of the railway bridge on Carlisle St. Too many great little bistros to name but the "Whole in the Wall" coffee shop one back on the corner of Nelson and Balaclava serves great coffee. Lots of single fronted workers cottages either side of Carlisle St. Lower end budgets.
2. Elsternwick and Caulfield is best checked out via a long walk along Glenhuntly Road perhaps starting at the Classic cinema near the railway and working your way east for as much as a couple of kilometers.
3. Go East far enough and you will run into Carnegie and Murrumbeena. We think the Koornang Roads shops have not quite caught up with the sophistication of the area - but here you can find good 600-800sq m blocks with some quality homes built in the 30's and 40's. Sure many under a million need work but if you do it well then you will join the many homes over a million.
4. Bentleigh, Ormond and McKinnon is best understood by coffee at quite a few places in Centre Road and then drive up and down the streets running of Centre Road between say the railway line and Nepean Highway.
North of the City of Melbourne
If you want to see the full range of smaller North Melbourne Property We Buy period homes in cosmopolitan and alternative inner Melbourne then you must look at Carlton and Fitzroy (5 mins to city). Want the Mediterranean influence? Then have a look at Brunswick and surrounds. Still want to be north and near the Airport and in a grander period and new home - think Essendon.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Essendon
Moonee Ponds
Carlton
Fitzroy
Brunswick
Parkville (fair amount off market as well)
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. We love Rathdowne St shops in Carlton - back in time.
2. Brunswick St Fitzroy anywhere but try Marios - near corner of Johnston St..
3. Take a walk around the Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy
4. For Essendon and Moonee Ponds we suggest you go with somebody who knows the areas or give us a ring.
North East of Melbourne
We love buying homes in Fairfield, Ivanhoe and Alphington and till 5 years ago we could buy them at very good value.
The world however has woken up to these suburbs that lie along the Yarra river and have beautiful period homes interspersed with some "groovy" townhouse developments. We are often asked is this a couple or a family area - truth is - its both and that is what makes it lovely to live here.
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Fairfield, Ivanhoe, Alphington, Clifton Hill
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Station St Fairfield - near the pedestrian lights are 3 or 4 places. Walk around the streets to the West or left hand side of your directory page.
2. In Upper Heidelberg Road Ivanhoe there is this great coffee shop near the traffic lights on the east side - very classy presentation. Take a car from here and go for a drive south and east to get a feel on the area.
Melbourne Peninsulas
Great Places to live in that we have bought recently
Sorrento (fair amount off market as well), Portsea (fair amount off market as well), Torquay, Queenscliff
Best Places to have coffee and get a feel of life here
1. Best way to get a feel about all these places is to take a trip from Melbourne - about an 1 to 1.5 hours down to Sorrento and then onto Portsea. Back to Sorrento and take the car ferry (runs hourly) across to Queenscliff and then the fast improving Torquay. Make it a full day trip.
2. We have bought many fantastic holiday homes in these areas - and most have had a view. However please note holiday homes can provide great happiness but they can also be financial disasters. The market in these areas is flat for a lot longer than the Melbourne markets and while the agents will tell you of all the "whopper" sales they won't tell you about the hundreds that don't sell. By all means buy the lifestyle but lets buy it smart.
3. We are happy to send you a detailed email that outlines what you need to look for in a great holiday home and how you should negotiate and buy in a "flukey" price market.
Buyer Testimonial
Thank you for your consistent service, thorough research and honest advice over the last 15 months. Dear Mal, Kristen, Adam and Gina, Thank you for your consistent service, thorough research and honest advice over the last 15 months. We are thrilled with our new home, happy with the price we paid and, thanks to your team, the whole process of buying the home was relatively stress free! Right from the start, we were very comfortable wo...
Nick and Narelle Read more testimonials
Engage a James Buyer Advocate
Phone: You can phone our office on (+613) 9804 3133.
Email: You can email us at enquiry@james.net.au.
SMS: Send us a text let us know what you are looking for.
Clarity Form: You can fill out a James Clarity Form and press send.
Overseas or Interstate: No problem - email, conference calls, skype etc. Let us know you time zone and availability for a return phone call or email.
Clarity of outcome, needs and options are the important starting point in home ownership. Filling out this “Your Needs” form is a no obligation way to start your investigation.
Buyer Testimonial
Mal James provided a property advisory service of a high professional standard. The 'Property Report' was very useful and detailed a broad range of issues and market information on the house we eventually bought. We found Mal's input into sales negotiations particularly valuable and it was most reassuring to have his expertise in this area 'on hand' at the time of auction. We would recommend the services of Mal James to anyone looking for a ...
Kevin & Judy Mullen Read more testimonials