Sounds like good news wriggles!Yeah;  I live (not at present ) in Dromana. Nice sleepy hollow but not for much longer. It, like Frangers, has been on the steady rise despite the trend.We have an I.P in Frangers since 2004. We took the plunge and were nervous as the boom was ending, but happy about it now.Are you down there too?

Be very careful about paying anyone who is an employee cash-in-hand.Accidents can happen, and if she/he is not on the books and gets hurt, there is no coverage, and you could be found out for not providing the correct work conditions, and either or both of you could get into serious trouble with the A.T.O.Workcare premiums are tax deductible, and…[Read more]

I have never heard of them, but what I have heard of investment clubs is that sometimes they are just developer's outfits masquerading as an investment club.They get you to buy their stock, and of course; you don't know that it is their over-priced stock you are buying.Keep your antenna way up.

A few years ago I saw people paying above the asking price for houses in a boom area. If the other similar houses in the area are selling for around the reserve figure, and after doing all your due diligence you are confident the area and the house in question will appreciate in value, then offer the reserve, or maybe a bit less say;…[Read more]

Selling the I.P to buy a PPoR is actually a bit of a backward step in your future investment plans unless you then use the equity (if there is some) to jump in and keep investing.Not only that, there will be cap gains tax to pay possibly, and buying and selling costs. You may even go backwards in nett funds.The interest and other costs on the I.P…[Read more]

One more thing avranjes,putting a cheque with your low deposit offer is a good thing, and offering to settle in a short period; say, 30-45 days is also attractive if you can. You need your finances in order to do that of course.

That's correct.Basically, the portfolio keeps going up in value each year more than you can spend the equity. From the lender's point of view, your nett worth, or your LVR (Loan to Value Ratio) is still healthy, so you can spend the money and they won't ask questions.But as Investment Prop says; you have to be a bit careful how you handle this as…[Read more]

Rejoice,Liking you or not is not my issue. You know what my issue is, and it applies to all others who do the same. You are probably a very nice guy.You are fortunate, quite often unsolicited ads are marked as SPAM by one of the Mods. I think you've been given a good run.I'm sure the social network could be of benefit to the forumites, but the way…[Read more]

Hey wriggles;any more news about the proposed Marina?

I' m with Paul.Being personal debt free is nice, but being in Frankston with 2 properties is a good position, and worth the sacrifice now i.m.h.o. You'll regret selling there in the future I reckon; it's on the way up.I know South Frankston very well. Stay there as long as you can.

"I had some customers who tried to intimidate me by speaking the lingo. This tells me that they are either a know-it-all, or have had so many quotes they have memorised what everyone said. Either way, I deliberately over-quote in the hope that some other poor sod gets the job. If I do get it, the extra makes it worth the headaches."Crashy; do you…[Read more]

Hey crashy,your workmanship wasn't bought into question – just your ethics. You yourself said "as a former tradie myself, I can tell you dollar signs flash in my eyes when I hear the phrase "can I get a quote?". I've no doubt you do good work; I would hope you do if you are still in the trade. Are you in Melb; I may need some work done in the near…[Read more]

Ego has nothing to do with this. I live in L.A – it is impossible to compete on egos even if I wanted to. I drive an 11 year old Honda Accord for christ's sake and don't own an IPOD or a poodle.This is all about me not liking you coming on the forum and constantly flogging your interests and posing as an interested real estate investor. You are…[Read more]

Hey F;was the drug dealer across the road from the train station in Frangers? (just kidding – I love Frangers and hope it goes thru the roof).

If you don't want to be publically scrutinised and criticised then don't post. It is an open REAL ESTATE forum. For that reason I am being nice. I would love to say in my exact words what I really think.So actually, I am controlling my temper.You are just trying to flog your stuff, and posing as an "interested" forumite I'm tipping.If you don't…[Read more]

My best friend and best man owns a Retravision store in Clayton. If you would like his contact info email me. I will tell him you are on the way and he will look after you.

This is terrible news.I am sure you will get a much bigger (and better) response if you were to contact one of the high profile tv shows such as "groundforce",   "A Current Affair", or "Bachyard Blitz".These types of shows love these stories and the community usually gets behind it and donates tradies, etc to rebuild.

Unless your properties are heavily neg geared and are costing you money from your pocket each week, then I'd say it sounds like your problem is your personal spending habits.Having "too much week at the end of the pay" is usually a problem for those with the above problem. You have done well to get 4 I.P's if that's the case.I don't like to see…[Read more]

More guff.First it was "The Secret", now it's a free upgrade to a social network. What do you think this site is? It's a social network and it's FREE.Are you gunna post some helpful REAL ESTATE ADVICE on this forum or just bombard us with crap forever?

"reliable" and "tradesman" should never be used in the same sentence, let alone next to each other. Crashy, it sounds as though you may have been one of those tradies I like to fire from a job. Why should we offer tradesmen a drink every hour? Will he do a bad job out of spite if we don't? If I get offered a drink by the client (I used to do some…[Read more]