We Asked Shaun From Short Stack For Real Estate Advice Since He’s Now A Realtor

Everything is cyclical – from film to fashion to makeup to music – everything comes and goes, then comes back ’round again.

So when the resurgence of emo kicked off a few months back, I just knew it was only a matter of time before our favourite eyeliner-clad artists and bands made a comeback, including those three big-haired boys from the Central Coast.

And like clockwork, Short Stack announced a tour that’s had an unprecedented amount of pre-sales, prompting them to roll out subsequent tour dates – thus proving that the spirit of emo is alive and well in 2020.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8f7_jChpvB/

But any kind of return always begs the question: Where the bloody hell have they been all these years?

To answer this, I caught up with frontman Shaun Diviney who is now a husband, father and, wouldn’t ya bloody know it, an established real estate agent.

Have a go at his super-sleek and profesh profile below:

swaaanky!

This might seem like a wildly unexpected move but it turns out Shaun and his bandmates, Andy Clemmensen and Bradie Webb, have been real estate connoisseurs for a while now.

Yep, while they were sway swaying to songs about contagious princesses, they were also dipping their Docs in the real estate pond.

“We all bought our first properties in our early 20s,” Shaun recounts. “Then towards the end of the band, my interest increased and I got into it.”

He admits that it’s “a bit of a departure” from his former career but it’s “more of a natural progression than it seemed from the outside.”

Although trading his microphone for the property market was an easy-as transition for him, his past life has come back to haunt him at least once or twice.

“I went to this beautiful million dollar home, right near the beach, and they had a kid in school,” he recalled.

“So I was doing the ’rounds, inspecting the place, and I saw that she had a poster of us on her wall. I was like, ‘Get me the hell out of here.’”

Considering my knowledge of real estate is close to zero (I’ve lived in the same rental apartment for three years ‘coz the process of moving / buying scares the living shite out of me), I thought I’d ask my former, hell, CURRENT AND FOREVER idol for some real estate advice.

P.TV: What’s the #1 mistake people make when inspecting to buy?

SHAUN: A lot of people wait for a certain property to come up, when more often than not, everything is gonna be good. The market sort of does the heavy lifting itself. You can never pay too much for a property, you can just buy too soon.

We look at some sales now and some people go, “I paid 40, 50 grand for that”, but in the scheme of things, if you hold onto it for 10 or 15 years, it’s not really gonna make that much of a difference in the long run.

People just need to be a little bit more fearless around it.

P.TV: What should you always check for when inspecting a house?

SHAUN: That your agent’s not shonky. If your agent’s wearing skinny jeans, he’s good (laughs).

P.TV: Okay, good to know! Skinny jeans aside, how does one check that their agent isn’t shonky?

SHAUN: That’s a really good question – I don’t know. Back in the day there were all these idiot old school agents who worked the same spots I do and they’d put out cookies [at inspections] and it’s like mate, no one cares about that.

P.TV: Yeah, it’s not like you’re gonna go ‘Oh, you make a great oatmeal raisin cookie? I’m hundo per cent gonna buy from you now!’

SHAUN: Your oven works, yay!

P.TV: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen someone do at an inspection?

SHAUN: This is so inappropriate, but it’s my favourite story ever. It was probably the first inspection I’d ever been to, because you start at the bottom so you get crappy houses, and we were doing an open home.

So I rock up and open the door, and there’s the owner just punching a bong, Saturday morning on the lounge.

I was like, “Hey man, we’ve got a bunch of people coming through.”

P.TV: Was it a Gatorade special or a legit one?

SHAUN: (laughs) I can’t remember. I think it was a proper one.

I just went, “Maybe you’d better cancel, dude.”

P.TV: Oh yeah, there’s no mistaking that smell.

What about first time renters? Any advice?

SHAUN: Keep it clean. I was a terrible tenant when I was younger. Just keep it clean and be nice.

P.TV: Why do people tap walls when they’re inspecting? What’s that all about?

SHAUN: (laughs hysterically) I don’t know. I’m sure there’s an answer to it. I think they’re checking for moisture and checking to see if it’s hollow or something.

P.TV: Which suburbs do you reckon are about to go big?

SHAUN: The coast is always good. North Shore, Central Coast, Terrigal’s really cool. If you’re near the beach, it’s good. Northern Beaches. It’s all north.

Are any of the government schemes worth it, in your opinion?

SHAUN: Hell yeah! Especially for first home buyers. When I bought my first home, I had to pay stamp duty. So it’s better now for first home buyers to buy because stamp duty is exempt.

It’s the best way to go about it if you’re looking to get in an investment, from a first home buyer’s point of view. Just keep it as an investment.

You want to get something with a granny flat, then live in the front and rent out the back, so that way you can keep your benefits.

Definitely a good idea for the first home buyers out there who want to build equity.

P.TV: This is my last question, you’re gonna love this. Ya ready?

SHAUN: Go!

P.TV: What’s the best way to turn a short stack into a much larger, house deposit-sized stack?

(laughs) Ah! I love it. What’s that meme about the smashed avo? I mean, you can have [smashed avo], but you’ve just gotta be smart about what you do.

Just try to get in there and buy. Get somewhere super cheap, super crap and build your equity, ‘coz everything’s gonna go up. Just get into the market and hold on for like 10 – 15 years, and I know that’s a long time, but property is about playing the long game. There’s no get rich quick schemes. It’s all about playing the long game and getting into it.

Short Stack 2020 Australian Tour

Saturday, 20th June – NEW SHOW
Metro Theatre, Sydney (18+)
Tickets: Ticketek

Friday, 26th June – NEW SHOW
Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (18+)
Tickets: Oztix

Wednesday, 1st July – NEW SHOW
The Triffid, Brisbane (All Ages)
Tickets: Moshtix

Thursday, 2nd July
The Triffid, Brisbane (All Ages)
Tickets: Moshtix

Friday, 3rd July
170 Russell, Melbourne (18+)
Tickets: Moshtix

Saturday, 4th July
Metro Theatre, Sydney (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek

Friday, 10th July
The Gov, Adelaide (All Ages)
Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 11th July
Astor Theatre, Perth (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek

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