Buying an investment property can be tough. Waking up early on Saturday morning, rushing between crowded open houses, dealing with real-estate agents and the feelings of regret when you look back at the “apartments that got away”. But CohenHandler will literally wake up earlier on Saturday morning, drive you in their superfast cars so you never miss an open house, save you from having to deal with the smoke and mirrors surrounding real-estate agents in Sydney and offer a shoulder to cry on when you just miss out on the perfect apartment.
Sam Cruthers (Camperdown)
We would highly recommend Simon Cohen if you are considering buying a property in Sydney. He is extremely professional, diligent and takes the stress out of buying a property; while saving you money. He knows the market and somehow manages to find the right property at a price less than you expected!
Kerryn and Gabriel Baker (Bondi Beach)
I would like to sincerely thank you all for your professionalism and attention to detail in my recent purchase and leasing of the unit in Bondi Beach.
The whole process was seamless from the initial negotiations with the vendor having Simon act on my behalf, which achieved a great result prior to the apartment going to the scheduled auction, the constant on going communication with me over every step of the process, to listing the property by Alex on the settlement day for leasing, having an open inspection of the unit the next day and securing a great tenant two days later.
I have purchased many properties and have used many agents over the years and for a young dynamic team you really do it right. I run and operate a large luxury vehicle business and this is where I need to dedicate my time, so what your agency has to offer would really suit any professional or business operator that is time poor and wants someone they can trust to do the right thing by them.
I hope to be in a position to use your services again later in the year with another property to my portfolio. Please feel free to use my testimonial with any prospective client, I am happy to give you a glowing recommendation.
Keep up the great work.
Jeff Baldacchino (Bondi)
We were looking the family home for about a year and getting extremely frustrated with the process. CohenHandler changed this experience immediately and turned it into an efficient and enjoyable one. Ben and Simon immediately understood our brief and moved quickly to get us results. Their property market contacts and knowledge were invaluable. They were always available, punctual and a pleasure to deal with.
Ben and Simon secured us a property which met all our criteria. They saved us time and money; as well as making the experience a pleasurable one. We highly recommend using Ben & Simon with any property purchasing transaction.
Michelle Chanique and Simon (Paddington)
“We had been looking for the “right place” to call our home for well over a year, when Ben and Simon were recommended to us. Personally, I was reluctant to use the services of a buyer’s agent as I thought it was unnecessary. It turned out that they had the very type of property we were looking for on their books which was ‘off-market’, so we wouldn’t have been able to find it without them. We exchanged contracts within 2 weeks of our first inspection.
They provided a comprehensive suite of services to us, including arranging inspections that suited us and negotiating on price. The process was much simpler than it otherwise might have been, and I am now a firm advocate for retaining a buyer’s agent – particularly CohenHandler. We would recommend Ben and Simon to help you find what you are looking for.”
Kieran Ginges & Nikki Bromberger (Rose Bay)
We were looking to buy a property in Sydney but being time poor and with crazy work schedules it made for a daunting task. We had been looking on the Internet for a year and narrowed the search for a house down to a few inner city suburbs. However, not living in Sydney we didn’t know if we were looking at a good street or not and weather the asking price was giving reasonable value. We needed help!
We decided to appoint a Buyers Agent, Cohen Handler. Ben and Simon could not have been better as within a month of appointing them we had made a purchase.
We feel Ben and Simon saved us money, made the process enjoyable and removed the stress from the negotiations.
We highly recommend Cohen Handler to anyone looking to buy their next property in Sydney. Their “can do” attitude, energy and knowledge of the market gave us the confidence to make the right decision when the opportunity arose.
David & Meg Michelle (Surry Hills)
Richard and I had been looking on and off for 3 years for a family home. We heard about Ben and Simon through our solicitor after we had missed out on another property. The whole buying process was a real breeze as Ben and Simon took care of locating the properties and dealing with the agents. We really benefited from their knowledge of the eastern suburbs market as well as their contacts with all the local agents. They were able to find us a fantastic property with loads of potential that we would never have looked at and at a fantastic price. It only took about 5 weeks from starting our search to exchanging on our new home and the whole process was very stress free and we had total peace of mind knowing Simon and Ben were representing our interests and would get us the property at a great price.
Kate and Richard Jones (North Bondi) October 2011
In early march I desperately needed to find a home for myself and my two daughters, 1 dog and 2 cats. I had been seriously looking for about 2 months but because of work commitments I had little time to go to inspections and every time I did go the house was always unsuitable and thus a waste of my precious time. I was getting desperate, if I didn’t find something soon I was going to have to rent!
……..And then I met the boys… Simon and Ben and they changed everything, I didn’t have to do a thing but get into their car.
They understood exactly what I was looking for, they would first inspect a property for me, if suitable they would arrange a private inspection in my limited time schedule so no time was wasted. As a single woman I had no experience in negotiating, they did that for me, the location, the price, the requirements were always right. And then in June they found my dream home, it was not even on the market, and I am now living in it… happily ever after.
Simon and Ben were amazing, they were always available, always punctual, always polite and always intelligently honest with me. They were there for me, I was their priority, unlike all other real estate agents who just wasted my time. I would never have found my house without Simon and Ben, and using a buyer’s agent was the best move I ever made, without a doubt the best investment too. I would not hesitate to highly recommend them. They are brilliant at what they do, highly professional and truly remarkable young men.
Simonette Zucker (North Bondi)
I’d just like to say a very special thanks to the boys from CohenHandler! They truly are the experts in the field of sourcing, negotiating and valuing property across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and other premiere areas.
Simon and Ben promptly sourced both off market and publicly available offerings and found me the ideal property – that fit my stringent criteria – in a matter of weeks! What’s more their negotiation skills and general persistence proved so efficient, that they got me the property at a price 20% lower than I anticipated, as well as achieving the extended settlement terms, I so desired!
I would not hesitate to recommend the boys to anyone… whether you’re looking for a $10m home or $500k investment property, there’s clear intrinsic value in the services they offer!
Brett Isenberg (Darling Point)
In the process of buying my first investment property, I found Ben and Simon’s support and advice to be extremely valuable. Right from the day I engaged them I found them to be extremely professional and passionate about their work. They only brought properties which fit my criteria to my attention. Ben’s excellent negotiation skills ensured that I bought my property at the right price – the foundation of any successful investment. I strongly recommend their services to anyone seriously looking at buying an investment property in the Sydney market.
Aadil (Erskineville)
I was moving from Melbourne to Sydney and was not very comfortable negotiating and did not understand the real estate market here in Sydney. I had never actually heard of a buyer’s agent and was introduced to Ben and Simon through a colleague. I have to be honest, I was a somewhat reluctant of their service offering before we met, however, after meeting both Ben and Simon I felt very comfortable with their service and value they could bring to the table.
I actually can’t explain in words how much the guys helped me throughout the real estate process. The guys identified a property that was advertised for $440,000 which they ended up buying for $410,000. Not only did they save me money, their advice was invaluable and we remain friends today. I would highly recommend Ben and Simon to anyone looking to buy the right property at the best price – I’ve bought and sold 5 times before and consider myself quite property savvy, but what the guys brought to the table was far more than I could have done myself.
Eva Franco (Elizabeth Bay)
CohenHandler found us an investment property that met our criteria perfectly, despite being very challenging. The entire process was handled by Ben and Simon from start to end in a professional manner, keeping us in the loop at every stage. They identified the right properties very quickly, engaged the real estate agents (most of whom they already knew quite well), facilitated the due diligence and negotiated a good price for us. We are delighted with the outcome!
Ben and Simon saved us time, effort and money. They, found the right investment property for us, and made the entire process simple and straight forward. I would gladly recommend CohenHandler to anyone who is interested in buying a property!
Zack and Gareth (Bondi)
As first-home buyers, my husband and I were initially reluctant about working with buyers’ agents. We didn’t want to add to already overwhelming costs. We searched for months in a fluctuating and unpredictable market. Properties we viewed were consistently disappointing and corresponding price guides didn’t reflect anything like our sense of good value. After more than a hundred inspections and a bit worse for wear, we decided the knowledge and experience of Sydney property professionals would be worth an investment.
We were right. Ben and Simon completely transformed our search. Gone were the countless hours spent online and weekends shuffling from one anonymous unit to the next. They arranged private viewings, at our convenience, of properties they knew met our needs and budget.
When we finally found the perfect apartment in Alexandria, we thought all the hard work was behind us. In fact, finding the apartment was the easiest part of the purchase process. Never were skills of a professional buyers’ advocate more needed than in the weeks, and then months, of negotiation and wrangling it took to secure this property. Every imaginable and unimaginable complication surfaced and Ben and Simon skilfully resolved each one. With tact, insight, restraint, and determination they achieved what had almost always seemed impossible—the purchase of an ideal first home.
Peter and Rachel (Alexandria)
I had been looking for an apartment for over 18 months and had become pretty despondent about the whole process. Apart from the often time wasting information provided by agents and the vagaries of the market, I don’t drive, so getting to viewings was always a challenge. I am now living in China and came home for just one week. My mum had read about Ben and Simon in the SMH so while I was here, we decided to go and talk to them. After explaining what I wanted and thought I could afford, they found me something completely different! Bigger and in a better suburb than I thought was possible. The eighteen months I spent looking gave me a good idea of value and the property Ben and Simon found and negotiated, represents incredibly good value. They were fantastic to deal with, really energetic and knowledgeable. I would never have found the apartment without them, I am spectacularly grateful. I would recommend them without reservation.
Sam Cruthers (Bondi)
We really enjoyed working with you both and would definitely recommend appointing a buyers agents to any o/s purchasers. Speaking to other friends here going through the process on their own made us really appreciate all the work you and Simon did for us.
What we liked about you and Simon from the first phone call was that you were enthusiastic and confident we could find something great for our 600k. Other buyers agents we spoke to before were very patronising about our purchase limit and how we wouldn’t find anything nice for that kind of money.
Thanks again – we are both really happy with our apartment!
Meredith and Mike (Randwick)
My recent experience with CohenHandler far exceeded my expectations. From the initial meeting, Simon and Ben took the time to understand my needs and wants. This ensured that the process of finding a property was performed very efficiently and with little fuss. Simon and Ben were extremely professional and proactive throughout, enabling me to snare a great property at a fantastic price. Their knowledge of the local market was very impressive and I intend to use them again for my next purchase. I would highly recommend their services to owner-occupiers and investors alike, especially those time-poor professionals who simply can’t put the same amount of energy and enthusiasm into the process.
Adam Rakowski (Woollahra)
Anthony and I are thrilled with our recent purchase and we have no doubt that it was only made possible because of your expertise, initiative and determination. Your in-depth knowledge regarding houses, buyers, sellers and agents never ceased to amaze us. Complimenting this skill is your ingenuity and ability to think outside the square. It was this resourcefulness that led you to cold call a property that you thought we may be interested in. A week after our first viewing and some stress free negotiations… the secret home, down a secret driveway was ours. You are a dynamic duo and we wish you all the success for the future.
Andie and Anthony Halas
Dear Simon and Ben,
Words are not enough to express our appreciation for all you have done in finding us our ‘dream home’. As we both work it was near impossible for us to take the time go through the process of finding a house that met all our requirements. Being time stretched you did it all for us – you found the property, negotiated on our behalf, and managed the back and forth communication; you took the pain completely out of the process and made it a pleasure to venture into the most important acquisition that we will have entered into.
Your personal approach and the fact you made yourselves available to us – no matter what time of day, is testament to your level of professionalism. I would highly recommend your services and would not hesitate to call on you again.
Brenda Jankelowitz (Vaucluse)
Ben and Simon
Thank you we are so happy!
Thanks so much for your help, we would not have purchased the property we did without your help.
We have a busy life, and we could not devote the time to properly investigate the opportunities in the market, after we gave you a short brief on what we were looking for you identified a couple of properties that met our needs.
You took us through the properties and after we identified one you negotiated a price we were happy with and a settlement date that met our requirements, it was so easy, thank you.
We would recommend you to anyone your service was outstanding.
Greg and Sharron Stewart (Point Piper)
If you’ve got CohenHandler engaged to pursue your property interests, you’re in good hands. After a long, unfruitful and rapidly waning search for our ideal property, Ben and Simon were introduced to us. The enthusiasm, dogged determination and professionalism of these two gentlemen are unparalleled. Their contacts and industry know-how soon had them churning through property after property to show to us. They were not charged with an easy task as we had so many boxes to tick and extremely narrow boundaries within which their search was confined (read: we were probably the fussiest buyers they have come across). Our journey with CohenHandler has been an eye-opening one, especially encountering some of the unscrupulous people we did. Even though an extremely unethical agent cost us one property, and an even worse vendor cost us another, Simon and Ben never wavered in their rigour in finding us the right property. It all culminated with the quickest deal imaginable – we inspected our dream terrace at mid-morning on a Friday and had exchanged contracts at 8pm that evening! The thing about Simon and Ben is that they will do everything they can to get you the ideal property to suit your needs and wants. We now count them as our friends and have absolutely no doubt of their long and very successful future.
Alethea Lee, Paddington Buyer
“Having searched long and hard for a property in Sydney without success, I commissioned CohenHandler to assist me in April 2010. Simon and Ben surpassed my expectations with their strong customer service ethic, deep market knowledge and enthusiasm to deliver. As a Sydney resident, I looked to them to find me a property not advertised the print and online media (channels I could source and access easily myself). They were up to the task, and showed me a number of excellent opportunities which I would otherwise never have seen. It was clear to me they were tapped into a network and could add real value to the non-professional purchaser.
“As the months rolled on, their enthusiasm never wavered, despite us missing out on a number of opportunities. Through the process, they helped me clarify in my own mind what I was looking for and how to ‘buy well’. Eventually, when the opportunity presented itself, we moved immediately and secured a fabulous property in an off-market transaction.
“I subsequently engaged Simon and Ben to assist me in sourcing a development project, and they were again up to the task. This time, it involved bidding at auction. Simon was confident and bid on my behalf with an assurance and authority that reflects his experience and expertise.
“I look forward to working with CohenHandler again and would confidently recommend them to prospective buyers.”
North Bondi & Bellevue Hill Buyer
I would highly recommend using Ben and Simon for their excellent services. They made the buying experience very pleasant and not only saved me money and countless hours of looking, but also showed me several properties off market which I would have never of known about. Their negotiation skills were outstanding and were consistently in touch with the market.
Anyone looking to buy I would suggest contacting the boys as their market knowledge and relationships with the real estate agents is invaluable.
Janet Apter, Rushcutters Bay
To Whom it may concern,
Ben Handler and Simon Cohen are 2 very determined young men.
When we gave them the mandate to find us our new house, we knew we were in good hands.
They saved us in excess of $350,000 off the asking price of the property we bought and could not be happier. We highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy – you can’t afford NOT to use them.
Gary and Suzie
Simon and Ben,
We can’t thank you enough. Not only did you find us our dream home but you took the initiative to go out and door knock off market properties you thought suited our needs, and this clearly paid off.
See you at the housewarming. (Very Happy) Balmoral Owners
I was looking to buy a property for 7 months and was struggling to sustain the energy for this time consuming task. Ben and Simon were recommended to me. Within three weeks of signing up with them, not only did they find me my dream home, but I could not have sourced this particular property on my own. Their young age belies their negotiating skills and expertise in their field. These guys are extremely professional and on the ball. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Carol Alexander (Dover Heights)
“My husband David and I would have no hesitation in recommending CohenHandler to anyone needing assistance in finding a property. Not only are Ben and Simon very well-connected in property circles, which means they are privy to whatever is out there, but they are also both very approachable. They were always available to answer our questions – even if that was several times a day. They also work as a great team – each knowing precisely where the other was at. Thank you to you both, and best of luck to CohenHandler, as you continue to find many more people suitable homes.” Kindest regards Diana
Vaucluse Buyer
It is with pleasure that I provide this testimonial for Ben and Simon the directors and founders of CohenHandler. They are two young dynamic executives who understand the uncertainties of the property market and have the ability to act instinctively leading to solid acquisitions.
Darling Point Buyer
It’s an old adage that you make your money on property when you buy – not when you sell! We’re strong advocates of this and that this happens when you buy through CohenHandler. Put simply CohenHandler (Simon Cohen and Ben Handler) are the experts in Eastern Suburbs and North Shore property. After a many years of successful enterprise on the sales and management side Simon and Ben literally know every property in these areas, their positives and negatives and what the right price is. This is key because Simon and Ben will not only find you what you’re looking for and advise you on the right price but will critically examine every proposition and, importantly, tell you what not to buy and what not to pay. From the prospective canvassing all the way to the detailed analysis and negotiation the service is impeccable and importantly for any buyer and particularly expats the after sales service in terms of facilitating any necessary work and tenants is brilliant. Buying your dream house or investment can be stressful, time consuming, costly and a minefield to manage but if you want to take all this off the table look no further than CohenHandler. We did and we’re “buyers”.
Adrian & Nancy Fonseca, Singapore (Bellevue Hill)
Thank you so much for all your hard work in achieving a great purchase for us. As you know we had been looking at properties on our own in Sydney for a number of years without success. By hiring you we totally changed the dynamic and were able to locate and purchase a property at the right price that suited our needs within 3 months. Your honesty, no pressure approach and understanding of the market place gave us the confidence to proceed.
I am sure you and your clients will have much success in the future.
Vaucluse Buyer
I enlisted the help of Simon Cohen assisted by Ben Handler to bid at auction and to subsequently negotiate for purchase of our first Sydney home in February 2010. We returned to Australia towards the end of 2009 after living overseas for 5 years and spend 3 months looking for suitable houses in the Eastern Suburbs by ourselves. The auction of a house we particularly liked fell on a date when my husband was overseas once again and I was far from confident in bidding myself.
Simon skillfully placed the highest bid on the property which passed in and required negotiation thereafter. The property was secured for a reasonable price (as indicated by subsequent sales in the area and feedback from other agents) and we would highly recommend the assistance of this amiable pair. Their levels of communication and understanding of the situation were outstanding. We wish them well in their future business.
Anna (Woollahra)
I was very impressed with the efficacy of the CohenHandler service. Simon was assiduous in ensuring we found the right property and he was extremely focused on securing the best possible deal for us.
Lesli Varejes (Edgecliff)
