A couple of 'general' things that might have been covered already:1. Before buying anything, weigh it up by considering if it's a 'need' or a 'want'. If it's a 'need', then stop fretting over it, save your time, shop around for the best price and buy it. If it's a 'want', let it go. The only caveat here is when you 'want' something that would…[Read more]

EPI_Den wrote:
There will always be those who say that the crash is around the corner and you can always find a reason NOT to invest. How long are we all gonna wait?

Absolutely. Property always looks cheap when we take a retrospective glance, and people who are willing to take the plunge and ride the wave will probably do better than those…[Read more]

Property in Australia is OVERVALUED?! Have you seen the RE prices in Singapore? "Average incomes" are lower over there, BTW, just seeing how my same-age relatives are struggling even to earn as much as I do, even though they've been at it for a few years longer than I have. And for the record, my remuneration is actually BELOW the national…[Read more]

In your case, buying land, vacancy rates won't be as much of a worry. Did you read anything interesting about Officer?

Although this won't be the most qualified of opinions, just thought to say a few words: I'm a FHB who has been with Homeside for 8 months or so to date. Can't say I've had any experience with the customer service side of things since I don't even call them. The IO loan with 100% offset account seems to have a competitive rate. They made an error…[Read more]

Back in the days when the market was super duper crazy, private sale might have been a good way to get the highest price. As an example, consider a 3BR/2bath weatherboard house we were looking at in outer-east Melbourne (28km from CBD). It was advertised at 380-420K. Ordinary FHB sort of stuff. Land was a flat and regular 1250sqm with single…[Read more]

At first glance I was tempted to say that the biggest problem with the property is the word 'regional'. If it's a substantial distance from the city and still a ghost town, then you won't see big capital gains till neighbouring suburbs start to pick up, or if there's suddenly new development in the area that creates an influx of people. I'd be…[Read more]

New to renting myself, but my guess is that the number of days notice should be specified in the rental agreement/ contract. If your tenant is renting on a month to month basis, then I think 28 days notice is all that is required.

DWolfe wrote:
It is a buyers market for commercial property………the silence about that is deafening…shhh nobody talk about that.D

Maybe it's because retail, and other businesses that would actually use commercial property is the pits at the moment. That medical building at the start of the street where my parents live has been vacant for…[Read more]

DWolfe wrote:
Good points.At least it would give people a reason to contribute to their super voluntarily rather than see it as something that will never bring them any income.D

And in my case the income from super is actually negative. In all the three years working here and getting super contributions from my employer, the fund has only ever…[Read more]

It would hardly be surprising to see a slowdown or even a slight drop in prices in the near future (ie. the next 6 months). Traditionally (as far as I've read), property makes spurts of growth with lull periods in between where prices can remain flat or even slightly fall over a period of years. The trick it appears, is timing the property market…[Read more]

If the DOW drops to under 4000, that will be something to fear indeed.

shahabr wrote:
…and costing the government $10m over the next 2 years

And guess who's going to bear the brunt of the $10 million cost. That's right. You and me.What the gov't giveth to someone, they also taketh from somebody else.

WJ Hooker wrote:
DWolfe & reddahaydn,                                        Note I said flats, not townhouses or appartments. I was just trying to say "not cheap ugly flats ". I take your points about all new appartments ( this is sort of what I meant to say about modern small living areas ).                                       …[Read more]

Hi Amanda. Good thoughts. I haven't researched suburbs out that way at the the moment. As you might know, in Melbourne things are all abuzz in the East while those who are knowledgeable enough will probably be picking up bargains in the West.Looking at basic figures it sounds like a good deal, considering you'd also be able to claim depreciation…[Read more]

Such talk about 'if the economy goes south, house prices will fall', 'if China's property bubble bursts, we're in trouble'…Yeah, if the end of the world comes then everything will be worthless. Come to think about it, I thought that was going to be in 2012. Why don't people just dump properties on the market for $2 a piece so that the needy, or…[Read more]

god_of_money wrote:
4.5% IR is still CHEAP… and it will stay there for long long time… (unless you have incompetence RBA and KRUDD)GFC part II…. property is still a safer bet

Well, they better keep the IR there. Retail is the pits at the moment. I went to a friendly local fish shop a few days ago and was having a chat with the owner. He…[Read more]

DWolfe wrote:
FWord,Rich is defined as,ample: affording an abundant supply, very productive, having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances, and lastly, fat: marked by great fruitfulness.So if you are ample and productive and have an ample supply of desirable qualities and substances you can be fat.I would think that with your…[Read more]

wealth4life.com wrote:
Hello DWOr a rich person owns 4 houses with no debts …D

IMHO, 'rich' defines a state where a person is at peace and happy with what he/ she has. If that's the case, very few people are actually 'rich'.

ambosh wrote:
If I was a gambler and had the time again – id wait until property prices in Sydney/Melbourne come down.  Its not a question of if – its a question of when and by how much.   

True. That's as certain as death and taxes. But if you bought prime property, would you actually lose money over the long term?