In a word, many!
As a licenced real estate agent, I have access to property data portals (both APM PriceFinder and CoreLogic RP Data). Put simply, if the information is available, I have access to it!
The sort of information I can uncover for my clients includes:
Sales data: how often has the property sold? Is it currently for sale? Has it been difficult to sell in the past?
How does the rent compare with the value of the property (rental yield) and with the median rental yield for the suburb?
Rental history: what did it previously rent for, how long do the tenants tend to stay? Is it vacant for long periods of time between tenants? Does the rent always need to be discounted so that they can get a tenant? Is the rent able to be increased over time, suggesting that this is a home that the landlords continue to invest in and improve on
History of renovations
How old those online photos really are
The floor plan
Size and aspect
Whether it's likely to be sold soon, or whether it is purely an investment property
Nearby developments / DAs
The rental and sales history for the block
Why does this matter?
If you've ever signed your lease only to find out shortly after that the landlord is going to sell;
If you've ever moved into this freshly-painted unit only to find after a couple of weeks your belongings are covered in mould;
If you've ever moved in, chatted with your fellow resident tenants and found that you're paying way more rent than them;
If you've ever moved in and shortly after, returned home one night to see that the house next door has been bulldozed and a new apartment block is to go up in its place
Then this information matters to you!
Melissa Maimann is a licenced real estate agent, buyer's agent and rental search / relocation agent in Sydney. She saves tenants time and frustration by offering an affordable service that finds and secures the best rental properties quickly, easily and efficiently. If you need a Licenced Real Estate Agent to find your next rental home for you, don't hesitate to make contact.