James Home Ratings
- James Home Ratings for nearly 25 years
The James Home Rating System for Buyers
Three Ps. 1,000 points. A lifetime of difference.
Over the past 25 years, we’ve developed and refined one of Melbourne’s most trusted property assessment tools—
James Home Ratings. Built to bring science, structure, and strategy to high-stakes real estate decisions, it’s quietly helped more buyers and buy/sellers make more money than any other buyer advocate method in the city.
What Is It?
The James Home Rating is a 1,000-point scoring system based on the 3 critical drivers of long-term property value:
- Position – Street, precinct, orientation, land size, walkability, and school zones.
- Property – Building size, flow, floorplan, architecture, renovation quality, potential.
- Price – Relative value based on recent sales, market cycle timing, and agent positioning. Emotions
Each home is scored independently and consistently, based on how it aligns with long-term demand and supply fundamentals—not short-term trends or agent spin against other similar types of homes.
Why It Works – Patterns
Because real estate, at its core, is about human behaviour—and history repeats itself.
Over decades, we’ve tracked what buyers want, what they avoid, and where they pay premiums. Certain homes—especially true A-Graders—attract stronger demand in every market. Others, like C-Graders, only sell well in boom times.
Our 1,000-point system exposes where a home really sits in that cycle. That insight gives you:
- Confidence to buy strong,
- Courage to walk away from trouble, and
- Clarity to align your sell/buy strategy with your life goals.
A, B, C-Grade Homes – Know the Difference
- A-Grade: Always in demand. Rare, proven, and resilient through market shifts.
- B-Grade: Good, but situational. Can work well when bought or sold smartly.
- C-Grade: Riskier. More emotion-driven, often overhyped, and harder to recover value.
The James Home Rating makes these differences clear—before you commit.
What the Scores Mean
Here’s how the James Home Rating benchmarks property quality across inner Melbourne:
- 500 – Maybe ok but it has serious issues to consider
- 600 – Average: Typical for many Inner Melbourne homes
- 700 – Solid: Better than many, with clear buyer appeal
- 750–800 – Above Average: Strong fundamentals, few weaknesses
- 800+ – Exceptional: A-Grade, no obvious dealbreakers, rare and highly sought-after
Why It’s Made Clients Millions
Because clarity beats chaos. Whether you’re buying, selling, or doing both at once, the James Home Rating:
- Finds value others miss
- Exposes flaws hidden beneath polish
- Aligns your decision with long-term truth, not short-term noise
We’ve used it to protect clients, unlock better homes, and negotiate stronger outcomes—time and again for over 25 years – it is patented.
The James Home Rating System for Buy Sellers
Why the James Home Rating Works When You’re Selling
Science, structure, and serious clarity—for stronger decisions and better results.
Selling a home—especially in Melbourne’s inner suburbs—requires more than a good agent and some fresh paint. To get the best price from the best buyer, you first need to know what your home is truly worth, not just what an agent tells you.
That’s where the James Home Rating becomes a game-changer.
It’s Scientific. It’s Strategic. It’s Seller-Smart.
This isn’t guesswork or gut feel. Our 1,000-point scoring system is built around 3 core value pillars:
- Position – Location, street quality, orientation, amenity
- Property – Land size, architecture, layout flow, condition, scope
- Price – Based on real market dynamics and long-term performance
Each home is evaluated across a lot of PPP issues. From traffic noise to natural light, from ceiling heights to buyer emotion triggers—nothing is left out.
Why Sellers Use It
When you’re selling and planning to buy again, clarity is power.
The James Home Rating helps you:
- Understand your true market position before listing
- Avoid underquoting or overhyping, which can backfire
- Strategically align your sell/buy timing to minimise stress
- Pre-empt objections and improve buyer perception
- Back up your price expectations with logic—not hope
It’s not just for buyers—it’s a powerful tool for price-setting, deal-structuring, and agent accountability.
What the Scores Mean
Here’s how the James Home Rating benchmarks property quality across inner Melbourne:
- 500 – Maybe ok but it has serious issues to consider
- 600 – Average: Typical for many Inner Melbourne homes
- 700 – Solid: Better than many, with clear buyer appeal
- 750–800 – Above Average: Strong fundamentals, few weaknesses
- 800+ – Exceptional: A-Grade, no obvious dealbreakers, rare and highly sought-after
Bottom Line
The James Home Rating gives you what emotion and opinion can’t: a scientific, structured, and strategic understanding of your property.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or both, it’s the most powerful way to stay in control, avoid costly mistakes, and walk into every decision with confidence.
Clarity leads to stronger outcomes.
And stronger outcomes lead to better lives.
- Click Address through to Completed James Home Rating
- Boroondara This Week
- Boroondara This Month
- Boroondara Recently Sold
- Bayside Port Phillip
- Bayside Port Phillip
- Bayside Port Phillip
- Stonnington This Week
- Stonnington This Month
- Stonnington Recently Sold
| PRICE | BUYER ADVOCACY | POSITION | PROPERTY |
| 3.5m | Brighton | Church St Precinct | Apartment |
| 1.8m | East Melbourne | Apartment | |
| 2m | Carnegie | to Richmond | Townhouse |
| 3.5m | Camberwell | Canterbury & Kew | New Home |
| 7m | Armadale – | Malvern Larger block and family home | Bigger yard, will reno |
| 6m | Camberwell Hawthorn | Camberwell Hawthorn | Renovation Value Add up to $2m |
| 1.6m | Fitzroy North | Carlton North | First family home |
| 1.2m | Caulfield | Anderson Park Area | Townhouse for single |
| 2m | Prahran | South Yarra, | Small home |
| 4.5m | Hawthorn | Malvern | Family Home |
| 3m | Surrey Hills, | Mont Albert Canterbury | Family Home |
| 3.2m | Mont Albert | Surrey Hills, Canterbury | Family Home |
If you do great – we can come and have a look. Simone 0400304111 or Mal 0408107988
- EOI Private Auction Brighton East Bought >$8million
How Strategy Won an $8M+ Brighton East Battle (While Our Clients Were at the Colosseum)
We bought 10 Roosevelt Court, Brighton East about a fortnight ago for clients we’ve known for over a decade. We’ve bought a few properties for them over life’s journey, and this one tells you everything you need to know about why strategy matters.
The Discovery
I was out doing my property ratings when I spotted it. Exceptional home. I sent the clients a rating sheet plus video and suggested they take a look. They loved it immediately.
The Due Diligence
We went through the full process on their behalf—pest and building inspections, legal checks, council checks, the works. Then sat down for a comprehensive rating discussion covering values and strategy.
Once they were certain they wanted to buy, we formed our plan.
The Strategy
We believed this property would sell around $8 million—highly unusual for Brighton East. There had only been two or three sales in the area’s history at that level. But this was an exceptional home.
Our strategy: bring the close of the EOI campaign forward with a strong pre-emptive offer of $7,520,000.
What Happened
The offer created exactly what we expected—competition. Three other serious buyers emerged at that level, confirming our read of the market. The agents organised an auction.
Here’s where it gets interesting: our clients were now overseas. In Rome. At the actual Colosseum.
So there we were—a Colosseum in East Brighton, them at the Colosseum in Rome. We discussed the situation via video, talked through alternatives if we weren’t successful, but came back to the same conclusion: give this a red-hot go.
They gave us instructions on their limits (approximately), and that evening we were successful, buying the property over $8 million. Two other bidders competed with us above that level.
The Aftermath
Our clients said afterwards they simply would never have bought this property without us. They would never have got their act together, never made it happen.
But here’s the telling part: texts came through to the agent during the auction from one of the unsuccessful bidders saying, “I would have paid a lot more, but you gave me no time to get organised.”
That’s what strategy delivers.
Our clients bought at their limit. They got what they wanted. The unsuccessful bidder had more money but less preparation.
Would our clients have secured this property themselves, competing from Rome against cashed-up local buyers?
You be the judge.
- 11 Knox Street Malvern East - Bought Off Market <$5m
How our clients bought 11 Knox Street, East Malvern Off-Market last week (And Why Other Buyers Didn’t)
(our clients have given permission to tell this story)
11 Knox Street, East Malvern is a brilliant property, and the clients we secured it for are a wonderful young couple. But the bigger story here is this: it’s an off-market purchase.
Everyone talks about off-market properties. Very few people actually buy them. Or sell them. It’s a nice concept to mention at dinner parties, but the reality? Most people never do it.
That’s not the case with James Buyer Advocates. We buy a lot of properties off-market.
Let me show you exactly how we did this one.
The Setup
Our clients had their hearts set on the Gascoigne Estate area. We’d previously bid on a property for them at a significantly higher number and been unsuccessful. They were looking for a period home—something with character and history.
Then Kathy in our office found 11 Knox Street through targeted phone calls. No online listing. No public marketing. Just strategic outreach.
The Property Challenge
Here’s the thing: this wasn’t what they were looking for. It’s modern, not period. Three levels with a lift. Beautiful contemporary design.
Exceptionally well-built. Perfect for their growing family. On a quiet cul-de-sac in exactly the location they wanted.
But it was new. We had to open their minds to a different way of thinking.
We showed them through. They really liked it. We loved it. We encouraged them to see past their preconceptions because this property was exceptional and under $5m.
The First Stop
We made an offer. The seller came back wanting more. Not unreasonable—just more than we’d offered. We agreed to think about it.
Then they changed their mind. Personal issues. They weren’t selling after all.
Our clients were disappointed. We’ve been here before. We didn’t give up.
The Strategy
We sat tight for a couple of weeks. Then suggested our clients write a letter explaining their situation and why they’d love to buy the property.
We informed the agent we were doing this. We were collaborating with the agent—not fighting him, nor colluding—to secure a good result for all parties. We believed we could offer something that would help his clients achieve what they wanted in their next stage of life.
The Turnaround
A couple of days later, the agent rang. “Surprise, surprise—they’re back on. They loved the letter. I’ve now shown them another property, and if you can meet at this level”—somewhere between our original offer and their asking—”I reckon we can get a deal.”
The Final Stretch
Within a week or so, after pest and building inspections and both solicitors working efficiently, we were close.
Then more hiccups. The inspections found a couple of issues. We brought in an outside plumber, then an outside builder to assess how serious they were. Not serious. We proceeded.
There was a little cold feet on both sides, actually. But the agent and we were able to guide our mutual clients through those difficulties.
The property was secured. Good result for all.
Why This Matters
This transaction involved:
- Strategic phone calls (not online searches)
- A skilled agent who understood collaboration
- A buy, a sell, and another buy coordination
- Targeted letterbox drops
- Personal letters from buyers to sellers
- Multiple expert assessments
- Patience and persistence and politeness (another 3Ps) – not rudeness or name calling
None of this appears anywhere on the internet. That’s the point.
Off-market isn’t about luck. It’s about relationships, strategy, timing, and knowing how to navigate the human side of property transactions.
Would our clients have found this property themselves? Mmmmm. Did your buyer advocate suggest this to you?
Would our clients have bought it without opening their minds to modern architecture? No, and credit to them.
Would the sellers have come back to the table without the right approach? Nope.
That’s what off-market buying actually looks like. No noise. Just real.
- 49 Florence Road Surrey Hills - Bought Off Market >$3m
Off-Market Buying: How We Secured Two Properties While Others Kept Searching
Everyone talks about off-market properties. Our clients actually buy them.
Last week alone, we secured two off-market purchases for clients, the second 49 Florence Road in Surrey Hills. Now let us show you how this second one played out, because it reveals something important about how off-market really works.
49 Florence Road: The AFL Long Weekend Buy
While the Brisbane Lions were kicking goals over the long weekend, our clients were kicking their own goals in Surrey Hills.
This is a really good property. It had been taken to market previously and didn’t sell (at a higher price). The owners were planning to take it to market again.
How It Happened
We made contact with an agent.
We arranged for our clients to inspect at a time that suited them.
Pest and Building were done, legal checks, full rating (see below), values and strategy.
There was some negotiation on terms and timing. But we bought the home within a range AND all done within a week of viewing!!!!
Great home. Great result. Another off-market purchase secured.
It’s not rocket science.
Anyone looking in Surrey Hills for a circa $3 million property could have bought this—if they had the contacts, the relationships, and the processes that enable you to buy excellent properties off-market. AND they did the real work for their clients!
Why Off-Market Actually Works
These two purchases—11 Knox Street and 49 Florence Road—weren’t luck. They were the result of:
- Active market monitoring across Melbourne
- Agent relationships built over 25 years
- Strategic outreach to potential sellers
- Coordinated timing that works for all parties
- Negotiation expertise when things get complicated
Off-markets are for many buyers about noise and false claims (not really for sale), but for us it’s about being active, connected, and strategic across Melbourne’s property market every single day (even Grand Final) so our clients can buy (and sell) their best options.
