Independent Valuer @ AskTheValuer 

My friends call me 'JL' and I am the principal and independent valuer behind AskTheValuer. I am a Melbourne-based valuer and property consultant providing independent property valuations and unbiased advice on properties in Melbourne and its surrounds.

What makes me think that I am qualified to provide independent valuations and property advice...and why should you trust the valuations and advice that I provide?

Well...to begin with being a migrant and having siblings and scores of relatives and friends who have also migrated to this beautiful and most livable city of Melbourne...I have experienced first hand and understand the anxiety, problems and hard lessons learnt by migrants on their property purchases and investments.  

I have seen how the lack of property knowledge or simply mere ignorance have resulted in even smart people (who made their money in non-property related careers and businesses) losing large sums of money...just because their pride got in their way...of not seeking an independent valuation or unbiased advice for their property matters..

I gained my property-related experience from an overseas property group, an Australian national valuation group and as a contract valuer. For the past 17 years or more I have spent most of my waking hours (except Sundays) on property...

I have formal university qualifications in both property and civil engineering and am also a Member of the Australian Property Institute and an accredited Certified Practising Valuer** (all property classes).

I have conducted valuations of over 3,200 properties (valued at over $4,500,000,000) ranging from detached houses, vacant land parcels, retail shops and warehouses to office buildings, apartments blocks, new developments and rural land holdings. Users of my independent valuations include accountants, lawyers, real estate agents, law courts, the Australian Taxation Office, the State Revenue Office, other government departments, SMSF trustees, Owners Corporations, lenders, investors and numerous private individuals.   

With my property valuation and civil engineering credentials, combined with over 18 years of experience in mainly building materials manufacturing and distribution, I believe I have a special skillset that will benefit anyone requiring FAIR, RELIABLE and ACCURATE independent property valuation and advice for their property matters. 

** Note: I qualified as a Certified Practising Valuer (CPV) over 15 years ago. To qualify as a CPV, I had to first get a rigorous degree-level qualification. After that I underwent two years of on-the-job training in a leading Australian property valuation organisation, under the supervision of a different senior valuer (at different periods), before being eligible to sit for the much-feared viva voce (oral examination). I was seated in front of a panel of three very senior valuers who could ask virtually any property valuation-related question. Upon successfully passing this exam, I then qualified to be a CPV, which is an accreditation from the Australian Property Institute (API), Australia’s premier property professional organisation. Following accreditation as a CPV, I continue to update my knowledge with regular professional development courses within the API as a mandatory requirement.