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Property investing may look easy but things aren’t always what they seem. Buying investment properties require a huge sum of money you simply can’t afford to waste and legal processes which may be too complex for you to deal with on your own. What can make things more confusing is that you may get conflicting advice.

If you have been considering buying a home, this question may have been one of the first to come to mind. While you can always choose to conduct the research, selection and purchasing on your own, it may not always be the best option. This is especially true if it’s your first time purchasing property.

I attended, bid and secured a property for my client this weekend in a prestigious inner bay side suburb of Melbourne. There were approximately 100 people attending and 3 bidders in total. While happy with the outcome for my client, I felt for the other bidders, and those that were knocked out as soon as I presented my first bid at $2.1 million. I knew from the time I appraised it that it wasn’t worth less than $2.4 million and it wasn’t a surprise to me when the property was declared for sale at $2.425 million. I secured it for my client at $2.605 million.

You will have seen this weekend’s auction clearance rates record. Melbourne’s clearance rate jumped from 69.2 percent last weekend to 79 percent this weekend. This is also a reflection of it being the first major auction weekend post the January holiday period. With interest rates still low, first home buyers, investors and up-graders in the market, now appears as good a time as any to buy property. Especially in the lead up to the Easter period late April.

I had a conversation with an acquaintance recently about her challenging financial position, and her strong desire to buy a home for herself on a limited budget. She was disheartened until I casually mentioned a concept for her to consider, which gave her hope for the future and inspired her re a positive outcome.

The challenge with buying property in a rising market is to keep pace with the market and to and adjust your buying strategy accordingly, and if necessary, quickly. It’s not helped by the fact that in Victoria, when selling agents recommend the auction method to their vendors, the campaign inevitably starts off with either no disclosed price or bait pricing. This is where the campaign pricing starts low and then increases each week according to ‘buyer’ feedback.

Risk is the extent to which you are willing to expose yourself to loss. As individuals, when it comes to money, some of us may be more or less conservative than others. Risk profiles can range between conservative, cautious, prudent, assertive and aggressive.