Premium Assets Win. Everything Else Fights To Survive
After 35 years across commercial, industrial, retail and residential property, here’s what I know.We’ve worked on over 14,000 investor properties, I’ve spoken to renters, investors and property managers.
And the cycle?It hasn’t changed.
Let’s be clear — I’m not a Buyers Advocate or Investment Advisor.I sit where value is actually realised… presentation and maintenance.
And right now, the market is shifting.Not gradually. Decisively.
This is a season of unprecedented change in the investment landscape.And what I’m seeing, most are not ready for it.
Rising interest rates and tightening legislation, particularly in Victoria haven’t just applied pressure.
They’ve forced a decision.Stay or exit.Compete or comply.
And that decision is now visible in the product hitting the market.
17A Mitchell Street Maribyrnong
This Property was originally a primary residence that had been an investor home for around 8 years, a decision to complete a full non structural renovation before sale added many hundreds of thousands to the eventual sales price at auction.
The exit strategy is no longer passive — it’s engineered.
Investors leaving the market aren’t discounting, they are doubling down.
They’re repainting, re-flooring, redesigning — not as maintenance, but as strategy.The goal isn’t to sell. The goal is to maximiseproperty value andsales price.
And the outcome is telling:These properties aren’t being bought by other investors.
They’re being absorbed by emotional, end-user buyers —the ones willing to stretch for something that feels right.
Meanwhile, those who remain are dividing into two distinct camps.
The first is in survival mode.
Spend is minimal. Upgrades are reactive. Compliance-driven.
A door handle gets replaced — but it doesn’t need to match.
It’s not strategy. It’s maintenance.The second group is playing a very different game.
Presenting Homes Design Studios
They’re not landlords, they are asset designers. These investors are leaning in, not pulling back.
Full internal repaints.Heating and cooling throughout.
New flooring. Cohesive lighting. Designed spaces.
They’re not preparing a rental.They’re building a premium product.
Because they understand something the rest are missing:
Rental yield is no longer just a function of location —it’s a function of presentation.
The first question I get when meeting with potential home sellers is this.
“So what do you think it’s worth?”
Now this is the most natural question in the world, and for two reasons
1: They genuinly are curious and don’t know it’s current value.
2: They have a pre conceived idea and wan’t you to confirm it.
As I’m not a qualified valuer I will never answer that question with a dollar figure, but I do ask them this question.
“What do you think it’s worth and why?”. I then just listen to the owners reasoning.
Mostly and reasonably it’s based on comprable sales in and around the area, I then follow up with.
“What makes your home truly valuable and worth the price you want?”.
If you thought that most home owners have an overblown idea of the selling price of their home, my experience is the exact opposite. Most don’t realise the potential value of their home, they equate selling price as the measure of success, and that is based on these reasons.
WHAT IS STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM?
Structural Functionalism describes in part a paradigm where people become used to their surroundings and assume that other people share the same paradigm. In a practical sense when people are selling their home they imagine buyers will feel and relate to the property the way they do. But they don’t!
3 CATERGORIES OF VENDORS
I’m sharing from my experience as a Property Presensentation Strategist that has allowed me to understand how homesellers think.
60%Catergory: Contented Vendors, they are relaxed in terms of their lifestyle and how they live. Will most often present their home to market with minimal asthetic or presentation work. The paradigm is based on family and friends living an equally relaxed life and style.
The value in their home is assumed on what already exists, and sales price expectations are usually based along this paradigm.
30% Catergory:Aspirational Vendors, they are relaxed in their lifestyle but enjoy aspirational features in their homes and lifestyle. Often the homes have beautiful elements like designer furniture, lights, flooring and even meaningfully manicured gardens.
The aspirational vendor will add value and make effort to enhance the key features of their home by deep cleaning, touch ups and preliminary presentation. An intersting observation is that beautiful elements in the home take on an enhanced significance, as these homeowners really stretched to aquire and install these items in their home.
10% Catergory:Dominator Vendors, these people are the minority and place more emphasis on the future value and appeal of the home, they always ALWAYS see the property as an investment that requires the greatest possible returns. They are buyer focused only, with the history of the home seen as irrelevant.
Interestingly these vendors are not in any particular socio economic class, their paradigm is to dominate the market place they are selling in and maximise personal profit. Adding maximum value requires reimagining how the home looks and functions, lighting, colour, painting, flooring and gardens have a full presentation renovation.
To dominate the market they are selling in requires knocking out the competition and presenting a home that stands out to aspirational buyers not low bidders.
Larpent Ave Glen Waverley
Mr & Mrs P were Dominator Vendors, although cautious to begin with they quickly realised it was their responsibilty to add maximum value to their property before even appointing a sales agent.
As their Presentation Strategist we collectivily reeimagined how this home should function and look, there was no structural work it was all cosmetic, everything from lighting, colour coordination, painting, flooring, landscaping was worked on over an intense 3 week period.
This home dominated the crowded real estate market by standing out visually and emotionally, prospective buyers came from as far as The Peninsula looking to buy a dream home.
The demand was so strong a mid week auction was called 2 weeks before christmas and sold under intense competition to a buyer who lived 25kms away, they had only seen it online.
This scenario is repeated in all suburbs and areas.
High Value comes first – Price follows.
Here’s why:
1: Price is what you ask.
2: Value is what buyers see.
If buyers don’t see the value, they won’t pay the higher price.
So before engaging a real estate agent and setting a sales price, you need to create, enhance, and value – through presentation, condition, and emotional appeal. that’s how you dominate the competition and get the price you want.
Remember: “You are selling in competition not isolation”
Free Pre-Sale Property Audit: If you’re considering selling your home we offer a preliminary audit that looks at your homes presentation credentials. We help you take the guess work out of what it takes to maximise the value and sales price of your home.
In my 30+ years in the property selling and presentation business I’ve noticed a repeating pattern that occurs when couples look at homes, interestingly this is true for homebuyers and in a diminished capacity when people select a property to rent.
The key decision making processes occur, seemingly at odds with each other but suprisingly insync.
9 Key Decisions for Homebuyers
1: THE DECISION TO BUY BEGINS LOGICALLY BUT THE TRANSACTION IS EMOTIONAL
Typically those seeking to purchase a home wether their first or multiple times begins with securing finances, in essence their maximum borrowing capacity is discovered and comfort level with weekly payments is settled.
The house hunt begins with a list of features the home must have and the area it’s in.
However the first inspection of a prospective home has an indelibble emotional impact, it either has a lasting positive or negative emotion. Well presented homes draw buyers in with a flood of positive emotions, the decision to buy is often cemented in this phase.
2:LOGIC HAS A FORMULA
Logic is most important, it sets out the key requirments for the home, i.e. the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, kitchen, land size etc.
It also researches socioeconomic areas, including amenties such as schools, medical facilities, shopping centres, places of worship, transport and sporting facilities.
3: THE DECISION TO BUY A PARTICULAR HOME IS EMOTION JUSTIFIED BY LOGIC
Over the many years of selling homes or preparing vendors homes for sale I can guarantee that success is predicated on winning the hearts and imagination of homebuyers.
The key word in dialogue is FEEL, when you feel excited, you feel at peace, you feel you belong, you then feel you’re making the right financial decison to buy this home.
Money is logical but investing your life’s work ahead begins with emotion.
4: WHAT YOU SEE AND FEEL IS 9/10ths OF THE BUYING PROCESS
Fashion retailers are at the forefront of property, fashion presentation and sales. My wife was looking at dresses for an upcoming wedding. I noticed that the higher the fashion retailer the better presented the shops were, including colours, lighting and ambience.
After going in and out of many retailers our confidence to invest in clothing was heightened by the quality fashion houses, we wern’t just buying clothes, we were investing in relationships and trust factor with staff. This was enhanced because the little things were done right.
Both my wife and I were emotionally engaged but calm, the quality of the garments and service was on point, I was prepared to invest more because my confidence was high.
Buying an exceptionally presented and finished home illicites the same sensibilities, what we see and feel is 9/10ths of the buying process.
5: A WELL PRESENTED HOME TRIGGERS THE IMAGINATION
A homebuyer who is engaged with the home imagines living there. They imagine their family and friends coming over and significant life events.
6: BUYING FUTURE MEMORIES
The ability to imagine is the gift humanity inherits.
So what is Buying Future Memories anyway?
As we strategise how and design how a home looks, we think about colours, lighting, texture, cleanliness and feel. Our goal is for homebuyers being able to visualise their furniture, pictures, paintings and lifestyle fitting into this home.
When you can imagine your belongings here you then imagine your life, in essence your future memories are being created in front of you. The mind is now imprinted with an emotion and memory that hasn’t happened yet.
This is your forever home.
7: CREATE AN ENVIROMENT YOU CAN IMAGINE LIVING IN
It is estimated that only 10% of homebuyers can visualise the potential home. That means 90% are not going to be able to look past the dirt, clutter and imperfections. homesgain.com
With those startling facts we help vendors create a truly beautiful enviroment that homebuyers can imagine their life in. When comparing similiar homes you’ll become aware of the contrast, it’s easier to buy a turn key property than one you have to organise all the trades and services yourself.
8: A POSITIVE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
Buying homes is highly emotional, it is heightened when you’re flooded with postive feelings.
FOMOFear Of Missing Out is a term most are familiar with, you’ll know you’ve found the right home when the thought of not living there causes fear in your heart and mind.
My experience is that homebuyers know almost instantly wether the home is right for them.
9: A BUYING EXPERIENCE
So what is a buying experience?
10 Larpent Ave Glen Waverley
A buying experience is where logic and emotion combine, you are ready to commit to investing your hard earned money, work and energy over the decades to own this home, I call it Scary-Good.
The 9 Key Buying Decisions I’ve shared are in essence a summary of my 30+ years experience with homebuyers and vendors, rememember you aren’t alone on this journey and know it’s normal to feel the intencity of emotions and thoughts that you do.
Always seek advice from proffesionals it is the best way forward.
PETER KARAOGLANIS
Principal Presentation Strategist at Presenting Homes Australia
With 30+ years in property including Sales and Marketing managment at Landmark Homes and National Builders.
Peter has appeared as a guest on various TV shows, national and international podcasts and contibuted to numerous articles and blogs.
Peter’s expertise is planning presentation renovations for homeowners, vendors and builders alike. He works hand in hand with real estate agents to design, transform properties for a sales campaign.
If you’re a homeowner, homebuyer, investor or sales agent looking to transform a property then ask for..
peterkaraoglanis 