Whale & Co partners Dirk Jackson and Gordon Whale

Co-Founders of Whale & Co., Real Estate — l. - r. Dirk Jackson, Gordon Whale

One of the great things about being in real estate is having the chance to be involved in something that really matters in people’s lives. Not just the fact that we’re handling one of the biggest financial assets you're likely to have, but even more important, we’re closely involved in one of the biggest changes that take place in anybody’s life.

Moving from one home to another is a big event. It’s right up there with getting married, changing jobs, and having a child. And we have what we see as the privilege of working with you as you make this huge change. Really it’s a journey that starts when you first begin thinking about making a move. Then you go through several steps and stages leading to life in your new home. It gives us an amazing buzz when those we’re working with complete this big change and are really delighted with how it all works out. That’s what we see as genuine success.

Letting you have the full benefit of our experience is what we really try to do. We’ve learned an awful lot about this journey over the years, and we try to make all that knowledge available so that you can avoid the mistakes and make it through with ease.

It’s just like with anything, if you can find someone who’s got a lot of experience, and they’re willing to share it with you, the whole thing becomes a lot easier. We’re passionate about sharing our knowledge with people and empowering them to come out ahead as they buy, sell and move house. Put us to the test. Tell us about your situation and we’ll do our level best to give you every advantage of the knowledge and experience we’ve accumulated over the years. The bigger the challenge—the more we like it!

The secret of success in buying or selling

Organising and planning is the secret to success in buying, selling and moving. Even if time is limited, getting organized and having a good plan is the key. We try and encourage people and help them as much as possible to get a well organized plan in place right at the start, and then stay with them, advising and coaching, all the way through to when they settle into their new home. That’s why we created the online planning guide on this website where every step in the whole journey is explained. Of course we’re happy to work one-on-one with anybody who would like a bit of personal coaching.

We’ve been doing this for just over 10 years now and we’re really passionate about it. One of the benefits our clients have enjoyed is that the properties we’ve handled for them have on average been on the market for only 35 days before they’re sold (compared to the industry average of 50 days). And this remarkable level of performance is achieved without auctions, without public open for inspections, without costly advertising… and most importantly — at excellent prices!

As you read further you’ll find out some interesting things we do that work to your advantage, such as…

Why we stopped conducting Auctions and switched exclusively to Private Sale 

Until 2008 Whale & Co., conducted many successful auctions for sellers and achieved a consistently high clearance rate. What we discovered, however, is that auctions have some negative side effects on both buyers and sellers.

Firstly, a lot of buyers really dislike auctions and won’t even participate. That means some people, who may have been perfect for a house, aren’t even in the picture – and they might have been prepared to pay a good bit more than the person who bought it at auction!

On the other hand we’ve found that private sale still allows for competition between buyers, through the offer and counter-offer process. But buyers and sellers also have more time to think about their decisions – and this is better for everybody.

What we’ve found is that buyers who have been given all the assistance and advice they need are in a better position to make a good decision about buying, and will often pay a little bit extra just to make sure they get the house they really want. Buyers will happily pay a good price if they are absolutely certain that the house is ideal for them (within prudent financial limits, of course). And this is one of the key reasons why our clients’ properties have been sold on average in around 35 days – instead of the industry average of 50 days.

Why we prefer not to hold public open for inspections if we’re selling your home

Having just anybody walk through your house when you’re selling is not an idea most people enjoy. Not only can a crowd of people track in dirt on their shoes, which has to be cleaned up when they leave, but there is also the risk that someone may come in who could have dishonest intentions.  So instead of putting you through a public invasion of your privacy, Whale & Co., conducts inspections by appointment, with buyers who have thoughtfully considered their requirements, their capacity to fund the purchase, and their readiness to make a decision - and therefore you’d welcome giving them the opportunity to look through your home.

When buyers express interest in a house we’re selling, we’ll discuss it with them in detail and make sure we’re not wasting their time or your time by conducting an unnecessary inspection of your home. If it becomes clear through our discussion with the interested buyer that your home could quite possibly meet their requirements, we’ll then invite them to attend an “invitation only” inspection on a day and time we’ve arranged with you.

By conducting inspections this way only genuine buyers will inspect your home and not just anybody who feels like having a “sticky-beak.” Buyers who are genuinely interested appreciate this approach too, because they don’t have to fight the crowds and are also more likely to be able to receive the amount of time and assistance they’d like from the salesperson.

Why you don’t see big Whale & Co adverts in the local paper for houses to be sold 

Real estate is about the only business where firms can actually use their customers’ money to promote themselves. The seller of the house pays for most real estate advertising. While it might make us look good to have big ads in the local paper, we’ve proved that it’s absolutely not necessary to use big ads to sell a house very successfully. Just think about it: if you’re looking for a house, you’re going to look at every advert – no matter what its size – if it’s in the suburb and price range you’re interested in. And today it’s the Internet that brings most of the buyers in – and advertising on the Internet costs only a few hundred dollars!

The purpose of advertising is to let people know that your house is for sale. Internet advertising does that very well. Local paper advertising can also get that message out, but the size of the local paper advert isn’t going to determine how many people get that message, or how much they pay for your house. As long as they know it’s on the market, they’ll come and have a look at it.

Therefore, we believe that big local paper adverts are not the best use of your money. We use just the essential amount of advertising and nothing else. Doing this has saved our clients hundreds, even thousands – up to $10,000 or even more!

The special protection we offer you when you sign up with us to sell your home

What happens if you engage an agent to sell your home—and they’re not delivering what they promised?

Usually most agents will ask you to sign a fixed 60, 90 or 120-day Exclusive Authority contract when you appoint them to sell your home. This means that you’ll be legally bound to pay the agent the specified sales commission, if your home sells within the period of this Authority, even if they didn’t perform their task to your satisfaction.

Under this arrangement you’re stuck with the agent you signed the Authority with, even if you don’t get the service you expected. You won’t be able to appoint a different agent to work for you until the full 60, 90 or 120 days have run out – and that could put you in a bind.  In other words, under the standard Authority terms, you’re “locked-in” and at the mercy of the agent. You have very little or no control.

The Authority you sign with Whale & Co., however, contains the following clause:

“The Exclusive Authority period will commence on the date this Authority is signed and continue until the property is sold. The Vendor has the right to terminate this Authority at any time prior to the property being sold by giving written notice to the agent. In the event that the Vendor terminates this Authority the vendor agrees to reimburse the agent within 7 days for any advertising costs the agent has expended on the vendor’s behalf.”

This means you still retain complete control over the sale of your home. You’re not “locked-in” – and that’s the way it should be!

So if you intend to sign an Authority with an agent other than Whale & Co., you may wish to consult your solicitor and arrange for the above termination clause to be inserted in the agreement. This clause should not be a problem to an agent with integrity, because they’ll understand you can’t be expected to give someone else freedom to do virtually as they please with the sale of such a major asset as your home. If an agent objects to this, you might want to reconsider, and perhaps look for another agent.

Why we’ll go to great lengths to help you prepare your home for sale

There are certain key principles that apply when selling a house. Practical experience has given us a thorough understanding of the real motivations buyers have. This puts us in a position to address their needs in the way we consult with you about the preparation and presentation of your house. In this way, buyers are not only more favourably attracted to your house, they will in fact defend their desire to purchase it with every dollar they can muster to make sure they get it!

So it’s very important for encouraging prospective buyers that the presentation of your house makes them feel good. Surprisingly, it is not a case of trying to be all things to all people – which is impossible in any case. It is just a matter of ensuring that your house is presented at its best advantage.

We provide all the advice you need and the free services of our in-house stylist to see you through all the necessary preparation you may need to do.

Why our sales team is paid by salary and not by commission

When we started out, our sales people were paid by commission when a house was sold. One portion of the commission was paid to the salesperson who listed the house for sale and another portion to the salesperson who assisted the buyer to purchase it. (Sometimes this was the same salesperson, but not always.)

The truth is, however, that “8 out to 10” houses will virtually sell themselves, at a price around market value, without the firm having to do much more than advertise it and hold open for inspections. Therefore, it was far more profitable for a salesperson to list a property, more or less forget about doing much to sell it, and pour all their time and effort into chasing the next listing.

Why? For the individual selling agent paid by commission, the fact that a property sells for $20,000 more or less, didn’t make a big difference to their share of the commission (an extra $44 or thereabouts). Whereas if they listed another property, at say a value of $750,000, they had the opportunity to earn a listing commission of approximately $3,600. So, instead of spending time trying to get another $20,000 for your home, which would earn them just $44 extra, their incentive was to concentrate on getting another listing, which could give them a significantly better return on their time.

We realized that the financial incentive for a salesperson relying on commissions for their livelihood came from listing property – not selling it for the best price! From a commission agent’s point of view, any price would do, and the quicker they could get rid of the property, the sooner they could get onto securing the next listing. But this was clearly not our objective. Instead we wanted to empower our team to provide the quality of service necessary to ensure the best selling price.

For these reasons, the Whale & Co., sales team are not paid commission, they are paid salaries based on their skill and proficiency at delivering customer service according to our company’s high standards. And the result is that our buyers and sellers are happier with the help they get to achieve their goals. This is one of the reasons our average “days on market” with the houses we sell has been around 35 days.

The Partners

Dirk Jackson and Gordon Whale have an association that goes back more than 15 years. As business partners since 2001, both bring particular skills and experience to the company.

Dirk has over 35 years business development experience that has included 15 years in the USA. His key interest is continuous improvement in customer service.

Gordon has more than 15 years experience in real estate in Melbourne and in that time has assisted many people to achieve a successful move from one home to another.

Together they have built a company around the important principle of going the extra mile – something that is shared and practiced by all the members of our team.

The following quotation expresses very well a key principle that Whale & Co., is thoroughly committed to.

“The customer is at the centre, not the firm. In a modern economy, the man or woman who buys a product is the hub of the commercial universe, so that it is the firm which must revolve around the customer and not vice versa.”   – R. J. Keith