MikeLewis wrote:
Then the music stops.

And it will. But as surely as the sun will rise, the music will start again. Hence it is all called a 'cycle'. No boom or bust ever lasts forever.

lifestylez wrote:
And think about it, they have practically 0% interest rates there at the moment.  If interest rates dropped that low here, my property would immediately become hugely positive cashflow.So I would actually be receiving more income whilst I wait for the property market to recover

If interest rates dropped that low here, I'd be…[Read more]

emptyvessel wrote:
Usually by the time everyone is talking about buying something specific around the watercooler, the time has passed to get in.

Precisely right. And this is why I so sarcastically questioned in a previous post whether anyone has actually already bought gold or silver. Looking at the graphs it appears the boat has long since…[Read more]

emptyvessel wrote:
That said, I am currently spooked by all this talk about the government removing negative gearing. This would seriously damage my cashflow situation. See my other post on this in the finance area.

And that's a fair enough concern. People who know me in person would say I'm an absolute stress head. However in situations like…[Read more]

xdrew makes very good points about both localities. Personally I like both areas but feel somewhat partial towards Geelong. It needs to get over the 're-assignment of industry', which could be a significant speed hump. There was an article in The Age not too long ago that talks about a proposed industrial park north of Corio, which I presume is an…[Read more]

Andrew_A wrote:
I like the following similar saying 'When the time comes to  buy… you won't want to'

Which leads to another principle.Q: When is it the best time to buy real estate?A: When you can afford to do so.

simple wrote:
Better than gold, can be only SILVER Problem is you need a trailer to move it around, bloody heavy in significant QTY's.

Yeah, and after that is aluminium.

So…who's already bought gold?

Might be a good idea to chat with an accountant regarding depreciation on a new property that you are considering to sell in 15 years time, especially if your tax bracket is anticipated to be higher in 15 years time compared to now. I'm not an expert with tax, but from my rudimentary understanding of it, the depreciation improves your current…[Read more]

naughtyj wrote:
If I'd chosen NOT to buy, I could have saved money – but had I waited until the "bottom" two years later, I would not only have risked missing buying at the bottom, I might not have been in a position to buy it.Anyway, that's just my 2c.

This is why perhaps, some people say that 'time in the market' is as important as 'timing…[Read more]

Currently I have an IP in Geelong as well that is being managed by Buxton. Their fees are similar, save for a let fee of 1.5 weeks rent. I don't believe there's such a thing as 'standard', and some of these fees are potentially negotiable. But as most of us have read, don't always find an agent based on price alone. A larger agency may charge…[Read more]

emptyvessel wrote:
Seems to be some very angry people out there that hate property investors. They think we are all rich land barons crushing the will of our poor "serfs" through our unbridled greed. Angry little people.

Well I've read this many times before: it is investors that drive up rents and homebuyers/ owner-occupiers drive up house…[Read more]

ummester wrote:
Why? Why is making billions of dollars the be all and end all. There are greater things to invest in than money.

Of course. For one thing, some would say it's better to invest in religion than invest in anything you have in this world. Money doesn't bring happiness on its own. However in my opinion, with money brings choice. It…[Read more]

fWord wrote:
– Last question: do you NOT control any property now and wish you did?

Actually I should refine/ redefine that question:- if you do not control any property now, did you plan on buying/ would have bought at some stage but now cannot, because of current conditions?

And so the debate rages on. You know, there was an irritating voice that started to play in my head. It sang annoyingly,'Would you like to take a survey??!!'A survey that reveals the following:- Are you a bear, bull or a 50-50?- How many properties do you control?- If you control properties (whether your own home or an investment property), how…[Read more]

emptyvessel wrote:
Folks compare the GFC to the Great Depression. Are you kidding me? Us GFC kiddies have no idea what difficult is!

Seconded. No offense to those who suffered the effects of the GFC, as I'm sure many have, however the GFC had far less of an effect that I expected. I expected to lose my job, and for my parents to lose my…[Read more]

I understand your concerns with owning a house as opposed to a strata-titled property. If you prefer a more hands-off approach it is fine to let the body corporate manage these issues instead of doing it yourself. This however assumes the following:1. The body corporate is actually capable at managing all matters pertaining with the property. They…[Read more]

Well, it depends…and location is important. Assuming an unlimited budget, it'd be easy to say that a house in a leafy inner-city bayside suburb is bullet-proof, but everybody knows that. Cost-wise, the price of an inner-city apartment could probably buy you a 3/4 bedroom house on a quarter-acre block in the outer suburbs. But the big difference…[Read more]

rachael dorothy wrote:
They are being encouraged to buy an investment property through negative gearing, and use the tax benefits to pay off our family home faster. And after 7-10 years, when the value of the investment property increased, they would then use that equity to purchase a third property.

I'm not an expert on this, but based on my…[Read more]

JLtarra wrote:
Will they extend or not??John

Good day John. As to whether they will extend it or not is anybody's guess. The FHOG was widely seen as being ineffective in helping FHB get on the property ladder, and if the officials are listening, it's likely they will pull the plug on it. Instead, they are putting stamp duty cuts in place. In my…[Read more]