rasi

Member
Aug 26, 2010
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6
Myself and my husband are trying to buy a house in Bali. We have emailed and called numerous agents and companies and they just don't do anything to follow up. We get answers such as 'we will get back to you' or just totally ignored emails. Even 'reputable' companies such as Ray White or L.J. Hooker have promised to get back to us with info and photos but never did.

It is very frustrating as we are serious about buying a house. Compared to the agents in Australia who hound you if you show the slightest bit of interest in property!

So can anyone recommend a company/agent?

(My husband is Indonesian so there is no problem with us owning the property, well him anyways :D )
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
3,592
342
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Which part of Bali are you interested in?

I think one problem is that internet is expensive and slow here and some agents probably only want to deal with people who are actually in Bali.
 

sakumabali

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2010
1,056
185
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Hi Rasi, welcome to the forum! Maybe you could give some more details? Desired Location, size of the land, style, budget, how many bedrooms f.e.?

I don´t know where your dreamhouse & location might be but I know that some agents are more and more frustrated with all those mails & phone calls in which 90 % want a freehold Villa in Seminyak close to the beach and of course for a cheap price...
 

rasi

Member
Aug 26, 2010
86
0
6
Oh sorry, more info :)

We want to live: Kerobokan/Jimbaran/Canggu, or anything nearby/in between...our budget is around $130, 000 AUD give or take :) Freehold of course with 3 bedroom and Western bathroom as the essentials.

When we find one online we email the agent asking details and if still available and thats when we get ignored...

But I see the point if the internet is slow they might not be bothered, I didn't think of that! My husband has called a few and some ads are written wrong, agents using cheap mobile providers so we cant hear properly, or they say they will email details and dont...

I guess we might have to wait until we are next there...
 

ronb

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2007
2,241
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Ubud, Bali
.....
When we find one online we email the agent asking details and if still available and thats when we get ignored...

But I see the point if the internet is slow they might not be bothered, I didn't think of that! My husband has called a few and some ads are written wrong, agents using cheap mobile providers so we cant hear properly, or they say they will email details and dont...

I would guess that they get lots of email enquiries, and that few progress to sales - so maybe they give them low priority. If that is true, then I agree it is not very professional. But then think about it - no one would really buy without coming here and looking - so the agent maybe thinks its OK to wait till you are physically here.

But what could you do to make progress? I would use the phone more to get past this email thing. If they promise to email something and don't - ring again.

Then, you are right, you will make more progress when you are here
 

sakumabali

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2010
1,056
185
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130.000 A$ is around 1 billion Rupiah right? The cheaper houses are always gone very fast - rich Balinese and Indonesian buy it straight away - for rent, so it is not easy to find a GOOD house in Kerobokan, Canggu area for 1M. I made the same experience in the past: ask for more info re a cheap house and I didn´t get any feedback, some month ago I send a mail for a client who was interested in a 10 Million $ plot, I had a VERY POLITE reply after 15 minutes!

Bali provides a laidback feeling, most of the bigger realestate guys are just looking for the big deals / fishes! So they have more time to chill / surf / relax....for a 1M villa they might get only just 50 million rupiah commission (5%) just something over 5 grands...that´s probably the reason they made too much money in the past (sinister)...
 

zoyra

Member
Jun 24, 2010
204
0
16
Bali
professional real estate agents

130.000 A$ is around 1 billion Rupiah right? The cheaper houses are always gone very fast - rich Balinese and Indonesian buy it straight away - for rent, so it is not easy to find a GOOD house in Kerobokan, Canggu area for 1M. I made the same experience in the past: ask for more info re a cheap house and I didn´t get any feedback, some month ago I send a mail for a client who was interested in a 10 Million $ plot, I had a VERY POLITE reply after 15 minutes!

Bali provides a laidback feeling, most of the bigger realestate guys are just looking for the big deals / fishes! So they have more time to chill / surf / relax....for a 1M villa they might get only just 50 million rupiah commission (5%) just something over 5 grands...that´s probably the reason they made too much money in the past (sinister)...

Hi Rasi,
I can totally understand your frustration, as I have made the same experience when we were looking for a property to rent in Bali. Totally agree with Sakumabali. The majority of the real estate agents in Bali are not very professional at all (not their fault maybe, I am assuming there is no training given on customer service..). They look at the price, and if they think it's not high enough for them (apparently business is good here - so it's not the 'tenant's market'), they just ignore the client. I would advise you the same, come to Bali, spend a few weeks here and check the market. By the way, at the end we found a great place through our driver. Since your husband is Indonesian, communication is not a problem.

Just want to share my thoughts.
 

gtrken

Active Member
Nov 4, 2007
384
160
43
66
Perth W Australia
Congratulations Charles, you win this weeks
" Raising it from the Dead " post.
This one was only 12 years old. You will have to try harder to keep the title though :)
Anyway, enjoy your time strolling ( not trolling) through this labyrinth called the forum

Cheers
Still looking for that Markit jadeness
Ken
 
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