Don't know much about Officer.Wyndham Value is getting a new train line and accordingly a new train station.  Geographically it is in an interesting spot – within 40min commute of major employment hubs of Geelong, Melbourne and Ballarat.  10mins from Werribee, which is also a mini city in its own right.  So in terms of capital growth, it's well an…[Read more]

Always Interest Only… with an offset account.  Put all spare cash in there. 

Yep, 25 to 30 years is the standard.Many banks will indeed demand a 20% deposit.  But banks are not the only lenders.  For instance, check out Bendigo Building Society, who I hear are offering a higher LVR (Loan to Value Ratio).  Of course, for the higher risk, they will charge a higher interest rate.Never pay off more than you have to.  Just ensu…[Read more]

Why were the pictures taken at night?  It certainly makes the place look darker than it probably is.  Also why are the blue curtains in the loungeroom closed for the pic?  Get them open – bring in the light.  Not sure about the purpose of the pic of the corner of the loungeroom which shows only curtains in it.  I'd get rid of that pic alto…[Read more]

I'd be there for the opens if I were you.  Make sure they are actually happening, and if so, what are people saying about the property.  If the agent isn't even showing up, get a new agent immediately.

I wouldn't be going with any more off the plan apartments if I were you – as you are praying they are valued above what you have agreed to pay for them when completion time comes.Banks are generally offering only 80% finance.  So this means you need to pitch in 20% per apartment.  So that's $80k each.  If I were you I'd be speaking to financers to…[Read more]

Are you advertising the fact pets are ok?  This would be a good idea.Another idea is to offer 1 week free rent. 

from:http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=AID/AID2001307/00001Issue Is interest on a loan, taken out to fund the purchase of vacant land held for future income producing use, deductible under section 8-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)? Decision Yes, interest on a loan taken out to fund the purchase of vacant land held for…[Read more]

from:http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=AID/AID2001307/00001Issue Is interest on a loan, taken out to fund the purchase of vacant land held for future income producing use, deductible under section 8-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)? Decision Yes, interest on a loan taken out to fund the purchase of vacant land held for…[Read more]

I don't understand how the tenant – or anyone – would want to live like that in the first place.  How revolting!

About 6 years ago, I was wondering if the serviced apartments were a good investment.  I looked at one as my "case study" at the time… it was on the market for $178k.  Looking at the real estate websites, the same sort of thing is now on the market for $180k.  So a whopping $2k of growth in 6 years.  Eek.  In effect, the thing is losing mone…[Read more]

I actually had a conversation with someone yesterday that uses Terri Scheer for the landlord insurance, and a different insurer for the building insurance.  A combination to think about.

Residential.  Preferably property that provides something extra such as subdivision potential

Um, I am confused.  Let's say you bought a house worth $300k all by yourselves, and its rental return was say 5%.  A property manager (eg the rentals department of the local estate agency) would set you back about 7% of that, which equates to about $20 a week. By comparison, this mob wants $150-$200.  Why on earth would you go with that opti…[Read more]

Hi!These are my thoughts:1. Purchase a copy of "Australian Property Investor" magazine from the newsagent and look at the rear pages to identify suburbs with a good balance of good capital growth, good rental yield, and low vacancy rate.2. Get onto http://www.realestate.com.au and see what is for sale in that area.  Then look at what similar properties a…[Read more]

Thanks for sharing littleaussie ; very useful info.  I'm insured with AAMI, who I've found to be really awesome.  I have the building insurance with them and also the landlord insurance with tenant protection.  I've had to make a claim and they were great.Not sure if any insurer would pay for repainting the walls.  AAMI paid for repair and rep…[Read more]

Remember to ask council about street setbacks (eg you often have to have your property about 5m back from the front of your property boundary), and height restrictions also (you might find that a doublestorey townhouse is not an option for a particular site). 

By the way, if it turns out the tenant rents from you and on-rents to the residential market, be careful if it is one of those "rent guaranteed for one year" type arrangements, whereby who knows what will happen after that.  They may artificially inflate the rent to make you think it is a sweet deal (and price the property accordingly).  Often a…[Read more]

Why don't you simply ask who the tenant is?  Sounds like a serviced apartment or hotel mob for sure.  You will find plenty of literature on this site about such things.  Search for "serviced apartment" and you'll see everyone's opinion, which in summary is that they do not have the capital growth of regular properties, and to stay away as a res…[Read more]

It depends not only on the design of the townhouse, but also on the council planning restrictions.  For instance, some councils might say "there has to be 25 square metres of private open space (eg backyard)".  Have a chat to your council planning department, and then have a look at some townhouse designs by the major builders to see the d…[Read more]