Banool Crescent, Mount Eliza
We partnered with James Hardie to test, on a real home, which preparation can impact the final price, and how much first impressions really count. Here's what we found in Mount Eliza, and what it cost.
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1755m² · House
Two independent agents. Two different numbers, and that's the point. One valued this home at $1.275m-$1.3m today, the other at $1.5m-$1.65m. Same house, same week, no conferring. Both agree the right preparation lifts it; they just see the starting line differently.
INDEPENDENT APPRAISALS
Two agents. Two verdicts. Both published unedited.
There's no honest valuation without a plan to get there - so we published both agents' full strategy, not just their number.
Adam Hanley & John Merchan
Licensed Real Estate Agents
Agent's appraisal
As it stands right now, we'd put this property between $1.5m and $1.65m. But we've got some strategies that could boost it by around 10%, taking it up to $1.65m to $1.8m.
Preparation to maximise
Most properties we (Impact) sell, we always recommend the general declutter, often painting touch-ups, replacing carpet if needed, any rotten timber or fascia work, and tidying up the garden beds. That's usually a $10,000 to $15,000 spend on a general basis, and it takes your property from everyday to properly presented for sale.
If you want to push to the next level, renovations come into it, retaining walls if needed, cutting back the garden walls, and looking at the actual structure of the home.
Does the main bathroom upstairs need work? The flooring, the carpets in more detail. And the facade of the property, how it feels when people first arrive.
The biggest thing when selling comes down to presentation and competition. You want to stand out.
Sale method & marketing strategy
For this property, definitely a private sale. Mount Eliza doesn't lend itself to very successful auction clearance rates, and this type of home is going to be for a unique buyer - so a private sale protects the vendor's value.
A private sale also gives us more control. We can work closely with the buyer, find out what their needs are, build that relationship and trust - and that's usually what helps us maximise the price.
The basics are the basics: photos, floor plan, brochures, drop packages. But the thing a lot of agents don't do is think about the portals. We mainly use realestate.com.au - we find that's the best portal for buyers looking in Victoria.
What we do instead is take the same spend we'd put on the other portal and shift it across to social - Facebook, Instagram and Google - targeting people searching in Black Rock, Brighton and the Bayside areas, and putting Mount Eliza properties in front of them.
Buyer profile
What a lot of agents don't do is target the feeder suburbs. We build our campaigns to target prospective buyers who are searching in Black Rock, Brighton - the Bayside areas - and put Mount Eliza properties in front of them.
Timing
Timing works around the owners. Every seller's circumstances are different, and our job is to work to their plans, not the other way around.
Insights
Here's the thing people miss: a bidder and a buyer are two different things. A bidder needs to be unconditional, with all their ducks in a row. A buyer can have a few more conditions, more time - a lot of them haven't even sold yet. So you might get one bidder at an auction, versus five or six buyers who can actually make an offer.
Darren Sadler
Director
Agent's appraisal
Going through the property, the valuation in the current market would be somewhere around $1.275 million, potentially $1.3 million.
With some work and a little bit of alteration, I think we can improve that considerably. If the owners take on board all of our recommendations, the price range should be in the vicinity of $1.5 million to $1.6 million - obviously taking into account market performance, external factors, timing to market, and how much of it the owners want to adopt.
Preparation to maximise
The strategy is really about working on the entry, creating an inviting arrival. Tidying up the driveway, re-landscaping the front yard, and moving the entry to open it up from the right-hand side of the property. So your first impression is walking through that front door and having it open up into the view in the distance.
Renovating the ensuite would be a really good idea. Stripping back the deck and the entertaining area, restaining it, creating an inviting space outside. Some of the internal paths as well.
It all comes down to creating a property that looks like it needs nothing.
Sale method & marketing strategy
The market is a little bit nervous at the moment around what's happening and all the changes. For a property like this, a deadline sale is the way to go.
Then it's a targeted strategy - realestate.com.au plus social, running a campaign into the South Eastern suburbs and to locals looking to stay in the area.
Buyer profile
A lot of the time it'll be local Mount Eliza residents looking for an upgrade. It could also be people moving down from the South Eastern suburbs.
The buyer demographic is going to be either a younger couple looking to start a family, or a young family - looking to get into the local schools, and potentially with a job they can commute to the city for.
Timing
Timing is going to be really important. We're heading into a state election, and there's a lot of controversy around it. I think there'll be some nervousness heading into November. So October and November might be a period to see off. You'd either hit the market a little earlier in the year, or wait for quarter one next year.
If the current Labor government stays in power, people might be nervous about where property prices go. And on the flip side, if there's another government in play, how will confidence be affected on the other side of the election?
Insights
There's something unique about the Mornington Peninsula: there are always people making a sea change.
So it doesn't really matter what the market is doing - the climate, interest rates - there are always people looking from Melbourne, from the north or the south-eastern suburbs, wanting to move down and make that change.
And most of those people aren't relying on a mortgage. They're selling in the city, maybe for a little less than they wanted, but they're moving down the Peninsula without that mortgage pressure on their purchase - and usually with money left over to put into what they want to do.
Fine Print: The appraisals, valuation estimates and recommendations shown here are the independent professional opinions of the individual licensed real estate agents named, given in their own capacity. They are not the opinions, advice, recommendations or endorsement of James Hardie™, which is a paid promotional partner of this experiment only. Estimates are indicative only, are not formal valuations, and are not a guarantee or promise of any sale price or price increase. Property values depend on many factors and can go down as well as up.
Every recommendation you've just heard has been priced. No guesswork, nothing hidden - the full picture.
SEE YOUR VERSION
This was Mount Eliza. What's your home worth?
Selling is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll make, and most people only get one shot at it. Most owners never see what their home could really be worth until an agent's standing in their lounge room. We'll build your number privately, before anyone's involved.
Inside your free SellSmart account:
Your AI Home Maximisation report - what to do, what it costs, and what it returns.
Your digital twin - see your home before and after.
Two independent agent appraisals, by video - remain anonymous until you're ready.
Itemised costs from real local trades - 3 quotes in 24 - 48 hrs.
FULL TRANSPARENCY
The cost - itemised, nothing hidden
Every dollar, every trade, every day. This is what it actually costs to transform a facade.
| CATEGORY | DETAILS | COST |
|---|---|---|
| James Hardie | James Hardie Linea™ 180 Weatherboards (4200mm) Every board, screw and tube of sealant on that facade – excluding labour. | $7,500 |
| Hardie™ Install | Based on a straightforward installation, they have allowed for: 2 Carpenters across 5 days. | $6,800 |
| Painting | All internals 2 coats, walls, ceilings ,and woodwork and new Hardie Facade. | $7,000 – $9,000 |
| Staging | Full home styling for sale. | $4,000 – $5,000 |
| TOTAL | | $25,300 – $28,300 |
Two independent agents. Two different numbers, and that's the point. One valued this home at $1.275m-$1.3m today, the other at $1.5m-$1.65m. Same house, same week, no conferring. Both agree the right preparation lifts it; they just see the starting line differently.
Every cost except the cladding materials and install is a range, because we took multiple quotes from real local trades, not one fixed price. The range is the spread between them. The cladding figure is the itemised bill of materials at trade pricing, materials only. These are the numbers for this home - yours will differ.
THE METHOD
Selling for more, made simple.
Three free tools to see your real numbers before you sell - get clarity before you commit.
The real cost of selling
Fees, marketing, styling, legals - your true net before you decide a thing.
What your home’s worth
Anonymous appraisals from independent local agents. No details shared.
What’s possible for your home
Your digital twin and maximisation report - see the uplift before you lift a finger.
THE EXPERIMENT
Other reveals in this series
10 properties. 10 facade upgrades. 20 independent agent appraisals. All published.
