Ben Williams has proven Unreserved’s hybrid Plus campaign model with the $1.55 million auction sale of a three-bedroom house in Elwood, Victoria, after 30 days on market.
The vendors had been quoted agent fees up to $30,000 elsewhere and were looking to reduce cost exposure after purchasing in Brighton. Ben’s Plus model — where the vendor runs inspections while licensed agents manage buyer callbacks, negotiations, and auction — cut fees significantly while still delivering strong competition and a result $20,000 above the final bid at auction.
The campaign that launched a model
This was Unreserved’s first Plus campaign, and Ben built it on a simple insight from 15 years in the industry.
“The open for inspection is the lowest value attribute an agent brings to the table, and the owner knows more about the property than anybody else,” Ben said.
“We wanted to scale this model so that vendors looking to save money can do so by opening the door themselves. They know the property best, and they get a real feel for what buyers are saying at inspections. Our licensed agents then follow up and do the high-value work that maximises the sale price.”
The vendors saw the value immediately. Ben had known them for some time, and they trusted the approach. They ran the inspections, marked off registered buyers on Unreserved’s platform, and provided detailed notes. Ben’s team handled the follow-up, qualification, and negotiation.
The social media buyer who changed markets
Competition built from the first week. One buyer was keen early but needed to sell an investment property to proceed. Ben helped them navigate that complication, connecting them with resources to close their own sale so they could bid.
In week three, a young couple saw the property in a social media post. They had been making offers in Prahran but hadn’t started their Elwood search. This was the first property they inspected in the suburb, and they fell in love with the renovation potential.
“It was freestanding on one side with great rear access, which gave it strong development potential,” Ben said.
“They saw it as a long-term home where they could renovate and grow.”
A third buyer registered on auction day and opened the bidding, taking it to $1.48 million. The other two buyers pushed it to $1.53 million before the property was passed in. Ben negotiated post-auction, meeting in the middle between the vendors’ $1.57 million target and the buyers’ position to secure $1.55 million.
A bayside location with period appeal
Elwood sits in Melbourne’s inner bayside belt, a tightly held market prized for period housing, beach access, and café culture. The suburb’s leafy inter-war streetscapes and heritage controls support scarcity value for detached character homes, which trade at premium prices compared to the apartment stock that dominates supply.
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom house on Barkly Street had the period features and renovation upside that Elwood buyers seek.
The way of the future
Ben believes the Plus model represents where the market is heading, particularly as vendors become more fee-conscious.
“This approach is the way of the future,” he said.
“It allows vendors to be in control of the open for inspection and get a feel for what buyers are actually saying. But it also allows our highly qualified licensed agents to follow up and do the really important tasks that ultimately maximise the sale price.”
The vendors were thrilled with the result. Ben delivered strong competition, navigated a tricky subject-to-sale complication, and secured a price $20,000 above the competitive bidding — all while reducing their fee exposure in a market where every dollar of net result matters.
About the Agent
Ben Williams is the Co-founder and CEO of Unreserved, an Australian PropTech company rethinking residential property sales. With over 15 years of experience across real estate, auctions, technology, and investment, Ben founded Unreserved to make selling property more transparent, efficient, and accessible using AI, automation, and digital infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Property and Valuation from RMIT and is a licensed estate agent. Visit Ben’s website for more information or call Ben on 0475446250.