I didn't tell the neighbors. They still give me greasy look if they see me! You like those units there do ya? Your tree is fine! What ducks?They protested about everything and the two (units themselves!) refused to pay for the fence. So they got a free fence. Like I care This is the problem. Most people whinge black and blue about the cost of…[Read more]

Hi marcG,If you do a search on this forum you will find stacks of useful information for subdividing and developing land. My advice would be to have a chat to your neighbor first. Don't come right out, but just suss them a little. They may be more open to it than you think. Generally when people start developing the other houses in the area get a…[Read more]

That's awesome Devo! Gotta love a rezoning. Then you get it revalued then you get more of everything. I don't see anyone getting their shares revalued?! Or subdividing them to add value…..D

Hehehe, Get into him Devo.Have to say, the only reason to sell is if you can make more money somewhere else. So at this point in time do you think there is more money to be made in the stock market? Analysts are talking about a bear market for a long term trend. There are these delightful adds on tv tracking both property and shares through lit up…[Read more]

Yeah it is pretty sad when you look at the lot of them and shake your head. Tell me, if Gillard or Abbott asked you for $50k coz they had some great ideas on what to do with it, would you give it to them? We are in for the Punch and Judy show with both parties carrying on a treat. The only hope Abbotts got is if there is someone with better…[Read more]

We had this problem too. Couple things that are already said. Fence the yard. Fix the bog. If people drive past and check the house outside of hours then it needs to be clean from the outside. The add is pretty basic, maybe write some more blurb for them and jazz it up a bit, fix the car space thing people will assume it has no parking because…[Read more]

Ahh Michael Yardney's developing co. Good for him! Probably not so good fo you. I got told that recent build rates are at around $1400 on something like an apartment block (more concrete, fire proofing etc) so if you are paying $1500 for something like townhouses, it may be just a little too much.Look, they are probably good for hands off…[Read more]

Hi Sasha, good to see you are plugging away at it. When I saw you at the PI.com conference you were really enthusiastic. I would say yes it will be harder and yes You'll have to work at it but I really hope it works for you. I think if you know what you are talking about and have the drive to keep knocking when people keep saying no then you will…[Read more]

Hi all,

Duckster, how was the Rookie Developer course? Get a lot of good tips? Good overview of developing?

Ottg, it is all about taking emotion out of the equation. Once the numbers work (and really work $$$!) then it is a business and all decisions are treated as business decisions.

You always select the best person or team for the job and…[Read more]

Brutal!

No I don’t think the property market will be affected by this tax. The UNCERTAINTY has affected the country. The fact that anyone in charge does not seem to know what is going on on how much of it is going on is tiresome. The problem I have is that the same govt is in charge and every one loves it. Everyone seemed to hate Kevin Rudd soooo…[Read more]

Hi,

Sure we finished our first one in March which was a 3 unit site in Box Hill South. We are putting one of these on the market soon. We have also picked up our second one which is a 12 (or hopefully more) apartment block in Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We have a nice long settlement because the older lady that lives there is going into a…[Read more]

I think the damage has been done. Everyone in this country is extremely nervous about the economy and we are starting to get the brunt of it in retail. It is a very nasty time to be a retailer and the lack of consumer spending will soon see us into yet another Labor recession. J-LARD has put the usual political spin on the tax malarky by renaming…[Read more]

There is a song that I’m thinking of……..suspicious minds!

I think nowadays we are all very cynical. If the property is not worth that price and you think they are dodgy, move on. If you are interested tell them you think the property is not really worth that and you are very happy that they got that offer, meanwhile if it falls through you…[Read more]

Yeah this is why we stopped looking in quite a few areas. Height restrictions meant there was no money to be made! The council can also give you a little advice on any overlays or zoning restrictions. You may find that the block is ok, but you have a significant vegetation overlay or something. Then the only tree on the block that you need to get…[Read more]

Yeah, but I have to disagree with the new boss being any different to the old boss. The new boss was instrumental in getting many of the flop policies off the ground. It is still the same Labor just with a different spin. It is interesting to see that many people are wowed by how different she is and therefore the Labor party must be so different.…[Read more]

Hi,

Yeah there is a bit more to it than just the block size. Some councils in Victoria have areas with no minimum block size but the dwelling has to have a certain size private open space, certain parking requirements etc which will eat into the actual amount of space you have to put townhouses. If you have a street address, ring the council and…[Read more]

Hi,

You need to investigate both options. Get your phone and start making some calls. Call Commodore Homes and find out exactly what you get. Call the architects and find out what you get. Personally I have gone with the architect and separate builder option as it is more flexible and they were comparable on price. Now you need to go and make…[Read more]

Here look I’ll save you 3 minutes!
http://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/home/about/search?q=development%20approvals

Check it out dec 2008 There should be more, somewhere.

D

Hi Marie,

Good on you for trying to get as much info as possible. On the council website (if it is a good site) it should have a list of recent development approvals in the area, the addresses, how much they are costing and what exactly is being built. You may have to dig for this info. Then you could go for a drive and have a look. Why don’t you…[Read more]

Hi Matt,

Man that is bad huh? Have you got a solicitor who can write a nice (nasty) letter to get the phone recordings? They may move a bit quicker if there is some legal threat. If you can get your hands on those you can try and get it removed. I would go with Terry’s suggestion and go to an ombudsman. ACA or TT are always looking for evil bank…[Read more]