Part 1 — Start With the Buyer

Before You Choose a Suburb, Start With You

Most property searches begin with suburb names and online listings. A better buying decision begins with a clear understanding of your needs, priorities and financial boundaries.

Before comparing properties, define what the property must achieve for you. A home buyer may prioritise lifestyle, schooling, commuting time and room for a growing family. An investor may place greater weight on rental demand, holding costs, land component and long-term marketability.

Without a clear brief, it is easy to become distracted by impressive styling, emotional reactions or properties that look appealing but do not support your underlying goals.

Define the purpose of the purchase

Start by deciding what this property needs to do. Is it a long-term family home, a stepping-stone, a lifestyle purchase, an investment or a combination of these?

The intended purpose influences almost every decision that follows—from location and property type to acceptable compromises and the amount of risk you should take.

Separate your essentials from your preferences

A useful property brief separates genuine requirements from features that would simply be nice to have.

Questions to answer before beginning your search

• ✓ Why are you purchasing this property?
• ✓ How long do you expect to own it?
• ✓ What lifestyle or financial outcome must it support?
• ✓ Which requirements are genuinely non-negotiable?
• ✓ Where are you prepared to compromise?
• ✓ What ongoing costs can you comfortably carry?
• ✓ What would make you regret the purchase?

A strong brief does not need to describe the perfect property. Its purpose is to create a reliable decision-making filter. As the search progresses, individual preferences may change, but the reasons behind the purchase should remain clear.

Part 2 — Understand the Gold Coast

Understanding the Gold Coast Property Market

The Gold Coast is not one property market. It is a collection of distinct local markets, each influenced by its location, property supply, buyer profile, lifestyle appeal and development patterns.

Conditions can differ substantially between beachfront apartments, established family suburbs, waterfront homes, emerging northern communities and acreage properties in the hinterland.

Broad market headlines can provide context, but they rarely tell you whether a particular property represents good value.

Markets operate at a local level

Two nearby suburbs can perform differently because they attract different buyers, offer different housing stock or have different levels of available supply. Even within the same suburb, values may change considerably from one street, building or waterfront position to another.

Median prices are context—not a valuation

Median house or unit prices can help illustrate the general price level and direction of a suburb. However, a median represents the midpoint of the properties sold during a particular period. It does not account for the individual qualities of the property you are considering.

Changes in the type of properties sold can also move the median without every property in the suburb increasing or decreasing by the same amount.

Read the market through evidence

Rather than relying on a single headline or automated estimate, consider several forms of evidence together:

• ✓ Recent sales of genuinely comparable properties
• ✓ Current competing listings
• ✓ Time on market and changes to asking prices
• ✓ Auction clearance and buyer competition where relevant
• ✓ The volume and quality of available stock
• ✓ Local development and future supply
• ✓ Property-specific advantages, limitations and risks

The objective is not to predict every movement in the market. It is to understand the conditions surrounding the purchase well enough to make a disciplined decision.

Part 3 — Test the Dream Against the Market

What Does Your Budget Actually Buy?

A borrowing limit tells you what may be available. It does not automatically tell you what you should spend—or what that amount will realistically secure in the Gold Coast market.

Your effective property budget must allow for the purchase price, acquisition costs, ongoing ownership expenses and any immediate work the property may require.

Begin with a comfortable financial boundary

Finance approval should be established early, but your personal comfort level matters just as much. Consider how repayments and ownership costs may affect your lifestyle if interest rates, income or personal circumstances change.

A clear upper limit also protects your decision-making when competition or emotion begins pushing the price higher.

Allow for the complete cost of buying

The purchase price is only one component of the transaction. Your overall budget may also need to accommodate:

• ✓ Transfer duty and government charges
• ✓ Legal and conveyancing costs
• ✓ Building, pest and other specialist inspections
• ✓ Loan, valuation and mortgage-related expenses
• ✓ Insurance, rates and body corporate contributions where applicable
• ✓ Moving costs, repairs and immediate improvements
• ✓ A financial buffer for unexpected expenses

Test your expectations against real properties

Once the budget is established, compare it with recent sales—not simply current asking prices. This reveals what buyers have actually secured and the compromises commonly required at your price point.

The goal is not to abandon your preferred outcome. It is to identify which compromises have the least impact on the reasons you are buying.

Part 4 — Choose Location Properly

Choosing the Right Gold Coast Suburb

The right suburb is not simply the most popular or the one attracting the most attention. It is the location that best supports your priorities, budget and intended use of the property.

The Gold Coast offers beachfront, waterfront, urban, suburban and hinterland lifestyles. Each comes with different property types, price points, travel requirements, ownership considerations and buyer demand.

Begin with your daily life

A suburb should be assessed by how well it works on an ordinary day—not only how it feels during a weekend inspection.

• ✓ Where do you need to travel regularly?
• ✓ How important are schools, childcare or public transport?
• ✓ Do you want walkability or are you comfortable relying on a car?
• ✓ How close do you want to be to beaches, shops and recreational facilities?
• ✓ Would you prefer an established neighbourhood or a newer community?
• ✓ What level of traffic, tourism and activity are you comfortable with?

Look beyond the suburb name

A suburb can contain several distinct pockets. Position within the suburb may affect convenience, noise, outlook, land usability, environmental exposure and eventual resale appeal.

Understand the location-specific trade-offs

Proximity to water, bushland, steep terrain or major infrastructure may provide lifestyle benefits while introducing additional considerations. These may include insurance, maintenance, drainage, access, noise, exposure or building constraints.

These factors do not automatically make an area unsuitable. They should simply be understood and reflected in the buying decision.

Consider the future buyer

Even if you intend to hold the property for many years, consider who is likely to want it after you. Locations with broad appeal generally provide a deeper future buyer pool than those dependent on a narrow set of preferences.

The goal is not to select a suburb because everyone else wants it. It is to choose a location that works for you while retaining qualities other buyers are also likely to value.

Part 4 — Choose Location Properly

Comparing Gold Coast Suburbs

Comparing suburbs effectively requires more than placing median prices beside each other. The comparison must account for what your budget buys, how the location supports your priorities and what compromises each suburb requires.

A more expensive suburb is not automatically better, and a less expensive suburb is not automatically better value. The decision depends on the quality and suitability of the property available within your budget.

Compare the same outcome

Start by comparing properties capable of meeting the same core need. Comparing a renovated house in one suburb with an older townhouse in another may reveal your options, but it does not provide a direct comparison of location value.

Ask what each suburb delivers at the same realistic purchase budget.

Use a consistent comparison framework

Assess every shortlisted suburb against the same criteria. Give greater importance to the factors that directly support the purpose of your purchase.

• ✓ Typical property options within your budget
• ✓ Access to work, schools, transport and essential services
• ✓ Neighbourhood character and lifestyle suitability
• ✓ Available supply and depth of buyer demand
• ✓ Environmental, planning and infrastructure considerations
• ✓ Future marketability to owner-occupiers and investors
• ✓ The compromises required in each location

Recognise the cost of each compromise

Every suburb involves trade-offs. One location may provide a shorter commute but less land. Another may offer better accommodation but require more travel. A coastal location may deliver lifestyle benefits while increasing maintenance or insurance considerations.

The best choice is usually the suburb where the compromises affect your lower priorities rather than your essential needs.

Visit at different times

Inspect shortlisted areas during weekday traffic, evenings and weekends. Consider noise, parking, congestion, activity levels and how the location feels outside the scheduled inspection period.

Online research can narrow the search, but it cannot fully replace time spent experiencing the area.

Part 5 — Understand the Property

House, Townhouse, Apartment, Duplex or Acreage?

Property type affects far more than appearance. It influences maintenance, privacy, ongoing costs, renovation flexibility, rental appeal and the future buyer market.

The best option depends on what you need the property to achieve and which ownership responsibilities you are prepared to accept.

Consider the ownership experience

A property should suit the way you want to live as well as the amount of time, money and responsibility you are prepared to invest in maintaining it.

• ✓ How much outdoor space and privacy do you require?
• ✓ How much maintenance can you realistically manage?
• ✓ Do you want the ability to renovate, extend or redevelop?
• ✓ Are shared facilities and body corporate rules acceptable?
• ✓ What ongoing ownership costs can you comfortably carry?
• ✓ Which property type has the strongest future buyer pool in the chosen location?

Do not assess the residence in isolation

With apartments and townhouses, the financial and physical condition of the broader complex can be as important as the residence itself. Review body corporate records, budgets, insurance, planned works, contribution history and any ongoing disputes.

With houses and acreage, understand the condition of the land, drainage, retaining structures, access, services, vegetation and external improvements.

Match the property type to the location

The same property type can perform differently across locations. Consider whether it suits the dominant buyer and tenant profile of the area, how much competing supply exists and whether its features distinguish it from similar properties.

Part 5 — Understand the Property

Buying Waterfront Property on the Gold Coast

Waterfront property can offer an exceptional Gold Coast lifestyle, but the value and usability of one waterfront position can differ substantially from another.

Water outlook, boating access, orientation, privacy and the condition of marine structures all contribute to the buying decision.

Understand the type of waterfront

Canal, river, lake and beachfront properties provide different experiences and require different investigations. Do not treat a water view as evidence that the property offers practical water access or comparable waterfront value.

If boating matters, test the access

A pontoon does not automatically mean the property will accommodate your intended vessel. Confirm the practical boating route rather than relying on the listing description.

• ✓ Available water depth and tidal variation
• ✓ Bridge height and navigational restrictions
• ✓ Travel time to the Broadwater or open water
• ✓ Pontoon dimensions, condition and capacity
• ✓ Wash, current, wind and exposure at the property
• ✓ Approvals and responsibility for marine structures

Inspect the waterfront infrastructure

Seawalls, revetment walls, pontoons, jetties and waterfront retaining structures can involve substantial repair or replacement costs. Their condition should not be assumed from appearance alone.

Where concerns exist, obtain advice from an appropriately qualified marine, structural or geotechnical professional before committing to the purchase.

Allow for exposure and ongoing costs

Salt, moisture, wind and sun exposure can accelerate deterioration of building materials, fixtures, roofing, glazing and external equipment. Maintenance expectations should form part of the ownership budget.

Insurance availability and cost should also be investigated before the contract becomes unconditional.

Part 6 — Look Beyond the Listing

Don’t Buy the Marketing Campaign

Property marketing is designed to create attention, emotion and competition. Your role as a buyer is to separate the presentation from the underlying property.

Professional photography, styling and persuasive language may highlight the property’s strengths while drawing attention away from its limitations.

Look past the photography

Wide-angle lenses, selective framing, lighting and digital enhancement can change how rooms, outlooks and outdoor areas appear online. Inspect the proportions, condition and surroundings for yourself.

• ✓ Confirm room dimensions and usable furniture placement
• ✓ Look beyond styling to the condition of permanent finishes
• ✓ Check what has been excluded from the photographs
• ✓ Assess neighbouring properties, privacy and overlooking
• ✓ Visit at different times to understand noise, traffic and light

Translate marketing language into questions

Treat the price guide carefully

An advertised price, price range or campaign strategy is not an independent valuation. Establish your own evidence-based view before deciding how much to offer.

Ask the selling agent about the vendor’s expectations, campaign activity, competing interest, offer process and preferred terms—but verify material information independently.

Inspect with a repeatable process

Emotional reactions are easier to manage when every property is assessed using the same framework. Record observations, identify unanswered questions and compare the property against your brief before discussing price.

Part 6 — Look Beyond the Listing

Property Due Diligence: Know What You’re Looking At

Due diligence is the process of confirming what you are buying, identifying material risks and understanding the likely financial consequences before becoming unconditionally committed.

No single inspection or report covers every issue. The investigations required depend on the property type, location, condition and proposed use.

Build the right investigation team

Your solicitor or conveyancer should guide the legal and contractual investigation. Building inspectors, pest inspectors and other appropriately qualified specialists may be required to assess physical or technical concerns.

Core due-diligence areas

• ✓ Contract review by your solicitor or conveyancer
• ✓ Title, easements, covenants and other registered interests
• ✓ Building and pest inspections
• ✓ Planning, zoning and development considerations
• ✓ Approval status of buildings, additions and renovations
• ✓ Flood, stormwater, bushfire, coastal and other environmental considerations
• ✓ Insurance availability and likely cost
• ✓ Body corporate records and financial position where applicable

Building and pest reports are a starting point

A general building and pest inspection can identify visible defects and areas requiring further investigation. It may not provide specialist engineering, plumbing, electrical, pool, roofing, drainage or geotechnical advice.

When a report recommends further investigation, obtain it before deciding whether the risk and likely cost are acceptable.

Investigate alterations and improvements

Extensions, decks, patios, pools, secondary accommodation, converted garages and other improvements should not be assumed to have the necessary approvals.

Approval concerns may affect safety, insurance, finance, future renovation plans and resale. Ask your legal adviser what searches and evidence are appropriate.

Apartments and community-title properties

Review more than the apartment itself. Body corporate records may reveal planned expenditure, recurring defects, insurance issues, disputes, contribution increases or major building works.

Where significant issues appear, further legal, financial, building or engineering advice may be appropriate.

Part 7 — Understand Value

What Is This Property Actually Worth?

A property’s asking price reflects the vendor’s campaign. Its value must be assessed using relevant market evidence and the individual qualities of the property.

Begin with comparable sales

The strongest evidence usually comes from recent sales of properties that a typical buyer would view as genuine alternatives.

A comparable sale does not need to be identical, but the differences must be understood and reasonably accounted for.

• ✓ Location, street position and surrounding environment
• ✓ Land size, shape, elevation and usability
• ✓ Property type, accommodation and floor plan
• ✓ Condition, renovation quality and immediate work required
• ✓ Views, waterfront position, privacy and orientation
• ✓ Parking, access, external improvements and special features
• ✓ Sale date and changes in market conditions

Quality matters more than quantity

A long list of loosely related sales can create false confidence. A smaller group of genuinely comparable transactions often provides a stronger foundation for assessing value.

Use automated estimates as a guide

Automated property estimates and suburb-level statistics can provide useful context. However, they may not fully recognise renovations, defects, views, position, layout, land usability or other property-specific factors.

They should support the assessment—not replace comparable sales analysis and physical inspection.

Establish a value range

Property value is rarely a perfectly precise number. Establish a reasonable evidence-based range, then decide where the property sits within that range based on its strengths, limitations and current competition.

Your final limit may also be influenced by how well the property meets your brief and the quality of available alternatives. That does not change the evidence—it informs your buying decision.

Part 8 — Buying the Property

Building the Right Offer

A property offer is more than a price. It is a complete proposal made up of price, conditions, deposit, settlement timing and the buyer’s ability to proceed.

The strongest offer is not always the highest. A vendor may prefer an offer that provides greater certainty or better aligns with their circumstances.

Prepare before making the offer

Before discussing terms, complete enough investigation to understand the property, establish a value range and identify the protections you require.

• ✓ Confirm your comfortable price limit
• ✓ Clarify finance readiness and lender requirements
• ✓ Obtain legal advice about the contract and proposed conditions
• ✓ Decide which terms are essential and where you can be flexible
• ✓ Understand the vendor’s preferred timing and priorities

The components of an offer

Protect what matters. Flex what doesn’t.

Removing an important condition simply to make an offer more appealing may expose you to unacceptable risk. At the same time, insisting on terms that provide little real protection can unnecessarily weaken the offer.

Your solicitor or conveyancer should advise you on the meaning and effect of the proposed contract terms.

Present the offer clearly

A clear written offer demonstrates that you are organised and ready to proceed. Include the full proposed terms and make it easy for the selling agent to present the offer accurately to the vendor.

Avoid revealing unnecessary information about your maximum budget or emotional attachment to the property.

Part 8 — Buying the Property

Negotiating in Different Selling Situations

The right negotiation strategy depends on the selling process, the level of competition, the vendor’s priorities and the quality of information available.

There is no single script that works for every property. The strategy must adapt without losing sight of the evidence and your predetermined limit.

Private-treaty negotiation

A private-treaty sale may allow offers and counteroffers to move between the buyer and vendor over time. This can provide an opportunity to gather information and negotiate both price and terms.

Before increasing an offer, understand what has changed. A counteroffer does not automatically mean the property is worth more.

Multiple-offer situations

Where several buyers are competing, you may be asked to submit your best offer by a deadline. You may not receive another opportunity to improve it.

Decide on the price and terms you can accept if successful—and can live with if another buyer is chosen.

Offers before auction

A vendor may consider selling before auction if the offer provides sufficient price and certainty. An early offer generally needs to be credible enough to justify ending the campaign.

Before submitting it, clarify whether the vendor is genuinely open to selling and whether the offer may trigger competition from other interested buyers.

Match the strategy to the situation

Control the information you provide

• ✓ Communicate the complete offer clearly and in writing
• ✓ Demonstrate readiness without revealing your maximum budget
• ✓ Ask what matters to the vendor besides price
• ✓ Do not allow artificial urgency to replace proper investigation
• ✓ Keep every increase deliberate and connected to your strategy

Negotiation should improve your chance of securing the property on acceptable terms. It should not persuade you to accept a price or risk that no longer supports your objectives.

Part 8 — Buying the Property

Buying at Auction on the Gold Coast

Auction compresses the buying decision into a fast, public and emotionally charged process. Preparation must be completed before bidding begins.

Source: Queensland Government — Cooling-off period

Complete your preparation before auction day

Do not wait until after bidding to investigate the contract, property or finance. Obtain professional advice early enough to resolve concerns and decide whether the property remains suitable.

• ✓ Have the contract reviewed by your solicitor or conveyancer
• ✓ Complete building, pest and other relevant investigations
• ✓ Confirm your finance position and lender requirements
• ✓ Establish an evidence-based value range
• ✓ Confirm bidder registration and deposit requirements
• ✓ Set a firm maximum bid before the auction begins

Understand the auction stages

Use a disciplined bidding strategy

Decide who will bid, where they will stand and how bids will be communicated. Bid clearly enough to be recognised while retaining control over the pace and size of each increase.

Avoid interpreting another bidder’s behaviour as evidence of value. Their budget, motivation and analysis may be entirely different from yours.

Know when to stop

The final stages of an auction can create pressure to make “just one more bid.” Small increases can accumulate quickly and move the purchase beyond the limit established during a calmer assessment.

If bidding exceeds your limit, stop. The disappointment of missing the property does not justify accepting an unsuitable financial outcome.

Part 9 — When Emotion Enters the Purchase

When You Fall in Love With a Property

Emotional connection is a legitimate part of buying a home. The risk begins when attachment changes how you interpret the evidence, price or property limitations.

A property can feel right and still require disciplined assessment. Emotion should help you recognise what you value—not decide what the property is worth.

Recognise the common emotional triggers

Return to the original brief

When attachment begins influencing the decision, revisit the requirements established before the search began.

• ✓ Does the property satisfy the genuine non-negotiables?
• ✓ Are the compromises consistent with your lower priorities?
• ✓ Have all material risks been properly investigated?
• ✓ Is the proposed price supported by comparable evidence?
• ✓ Would you make the same decision without competing buyers?
• ✓ Will the financial commitment remain comfortable after settlement?

Conduct a pre-purchase reality check

Imagine that you already own the property and the excitement has passed. Consider the ongoing repayments, commute, maintenance, defects, compromises and work required.

If those realities remain acceptable, the emotional connection may support the purchase. If they are being minimised or ignored, pause and reassess.

Keep the walk-away point intact

Establish the maximum price and acceptable terms before negotiation or bidding begins. Do not increase that limit solely because another buyer remains interested.

Walking away from an unsuitable price is not losing the property. It is protecting the strategy.

Part 9 — When Emotion Enters the Purchase

The Biggest Mistakes Gold Coast Property Buyers Make

Most costly buying mistakes do not begin at settlement. They begin earlier—when expectations, investigation, value or negotiation are not handled with enough discipline.

Recognising these patterns makes it easier to avoid them.

Replace urgency with a repeatable process

A structured buying process creates checkpoints before emotion or competition becomes strongest.

• ✓ Return to the original brief
• ✓ Assess the property using consistent criteria
• ✓ Investigate material concerns before committing
• ✓ Establish value independently of the campaign
• ✓ Set the price and risk limits in advance

Part 10 — Buying From Interstate

Buying Gold Coast Property From Interstate

Buying from interstate is achievable, but distance increases the importance of reliable local information, consistent inspection and disciplined decision-making.

Online listings can show the property. They rarely provide a complete understanding of the street, surrounding development, noise, access, topography or local buyer demand.

Build local context before selecting properties

The Gold Coast contains many distinct local markets. Suburbs that appear close on a map may offer different lifestyles, property types, travel conditions and ownership considerations.

Begin by understanding the broader area, then narrow the search to specific neighbourhoods, streets and property types.

Do not rely on the listing alone

When you cannot attend personally, arrange an inspection that follows your brief rather than the marketing campaign.

• ✓ Request an uninterrupted video walkthrough
• ✓ Inspect storage, outlook, privacy and room proportions
• ✓ View the street, neighbouring properties and nearby development
• ✓ Listen for traffic, aircraft, construction and neighbourhood noise
• ✓ Check access, elevation, drainage and land usability
• ✓ Return to anything unclear before deciding to proceed

Create a reliable local team

Establish a remote decision process

Agree in advance on how properties will be shortlisted, inspected and assessed. Keep the same evidence, due-diligence and valuation standards you would use if attending personally.

Clear communication becomes especially important when offers, contract reviews and specialist inspections must be coordinated within short campaign timeframes.

Plan beyond settlement

If you will not occupy the property immediately, arrange insurance, security, utilities, property management and any required repairs before settlement.

Part 11 — The Decision

How Do You Know When You’ve Found the Right Property?

The right property is rarely perfect. It is the property that satisfies the important requirements, contains acceptable compromises and can be purchased on terms supported by the evidence.

Confidence comes from completing the process—not from eliminating every uncertainty.

Apply the five-part decision test

Distinguish acceptable compromises from structural problems

Cosmetic finishes, paint colours or replaceable fixtures may be relatively easy to change. Poor location, unusable land, major structural risk or an unsuitable layout may be more difficult or impossible to correct.

• ✓ Can the compromise be changed?
• ✓ What will it realistically cost to change?
• ✓ Will it affect daily life or only personal preference?
• ✓ Could it restrict finance, insurance or resale?
• ✓ Is the compromise reflected in the proposed price?

Avoid waiting for certainty that does not exist

No property decision comes with a guarantee about future market conditions or personal circumstances. Excessive hesitation can become another form of emotional decision-making.

Once the property has passed the brief, investigation, value and financial tests, the remaining decision is whether the known compromises are acceptable.

Be prepared to proceed—or walk away

A strong decision process should support either outcome. If the property passes the framework, act decisively. If it fails an essential test, walking away protects the purpose of the search.

Part 12 — Empire’s Approach

The Property Buying Framework

A successful property purchase is rarely the result of one inspection, one report or one negotiation tactic. It comes from applying a consistent process from the initial brief through to the final decision.

The Empire Property Buying Framework brings the essential stages together so each decision builds on the work completed before it.

The framework is not strictly linear

New information may require an earlier decision to be revisited. A building issue may change the value assessment. A suburb comparison may reveal that the original brief needs refinement. Finance changes may alter the viable property type.

Revisiting an earlier step is not a failure. It is how a disciplined process responds to better information.

Keep evidence and emotion in the right roles

• ✓ The brief defines what the property must achieve
• ✓ Investigation establishes what you are actually buying
• ✓ Comparable evidence supports the value assessment
• ✓ Strategy determines how the property should be pursued
• ✓ Emotion helps determine whether the outcome is personally meaningful

Part 12 — Empire’s Approach

Build Your Personalised Property Buying Blueprint

Your property-buying blueprint converts broad preferences into a practical decision tool. It defines what you are trying to achieve, where you can compromise and how each property will be assessed.

Complete the blueprint before becoming attached to a particular listing. Update it only when new information genuinely changes your priorities or circumstances.

Turn the blueprint into a property scorecard

Assess each shortlisted property against the same questions. This creates a consistent comparison and makes it easier to identify where emotion is influencing the result.

• ✓Does it satisfy every genuine non-negotiable?
• ✓Which preferences does it provide?
• ✓What compromises are required?
• ✓What risks or future costs have been identified?
• ✓Is the location suitable at street and property level?
• ✓Is the proposed price supported by the evidence?

Refine the brief without chasing the market

Your blueprint may evolve as you learn what the budget realistically buys. Adjusting a preference is different from abandoning an essential requirement because a campaign feels urgent.

Every change should have a clear reason and improve the overall buying strategy.

Part 13 — When You Want Representation

Buying Independently vs Using a Buyer’s Agent

Some buyers have the time, market knowledge and confidence to manage the property-buying process independently. Others prefer professional representation throughout the search, assessment and negotiation.

The right approach depends on your experience, availability, location and the complexity of the purchase.

When professional representation may help

You may benefit from professional support if you are buying from interstate, cannot inspect consistently, have limited time, are unfamiliar with the local market or want independent assistance assessing value and negotiating.

• ✓Who will personally manage your search?
• ✓How are properties assessed and valued?
• ✓How are conflicts of interest identified and managed?
• ✓What services, fees and engagement terms apply?