What I’ve Learned as a Buyer’s Agent in St Kilda
Mark is a fully licensed real estate agent and our lead buyer’s agent. With experience as a selling agent, property developer, and owner of Property Managers Melb, he brings a well-rounded perspective and deep industry knowledge.
Apartment Market.
St Kilda can be a good apartment market, but results are highly dependent on the individual street and building. There is a wide difference between tightly held Art Deco apartments, basic 1960s walk-ups and modern high-density developments.
I would generally favour:
- A boutique development with a limited number of apartments.
- A larger one or two-bedroom floor plan with good natural light.
- Secure parking and practical outdoor space.
- A quiet residential street within walking distance of shops, transport and the beach.
- Lower owners corporation fees without expensive facilities.
- A property with a strong land component and limited competing supply.
When buying apartments, St Kilda has many agencies using different sales methods. Unlike some home selling agents in St Kilda, no single agency—or small group of agents—dominates apartment property listings across the area.
As a result, the buying experience can vary considerably. Buyers may encounter different negotiation tactics, auction strategies and sales approaches—some of which can be questionable or designed to create urgency.
My advice is to do your homework and understand exactly what you are buying. I independently verify the information provided by selling agents and complete my own research before making any recommendations or submitting an offer.
The House / Townhouse /Unit Market
St Kilda’s house market is small, expensive and highly varied. Separate houses represent only about 5.5% of the suburb’s dwellings, with apartments accounting formost of the property supply.
This scarcity supports the long-term appeal of properties with their own land.
Real estate agents commonly choose auctions when selling houses and other property types in limited supply.
Advertised price guides can be conservative, and strong buyer competition may push the final result considerably higher.
Auction purchases are generally unconditional and operate on a buyer-beware basis, so finance approval, contract reviews, building inspections and price research should be completed before bidding.
From my experience, I generally favour a period home or low-density townhouse in a quiet residential street, away from heavy traffic, late-night activity, commission housing and street-based sex work and adult-services businesses, particularly around Grey Street, Greeves Street and parts of Fitzroy Street.
