You've sort of missed the boat on this one . The renos should have been organised to start as soon as the current tenant moves out, then re-advertise for the new tenant with the rent increase so you can start recouping the reno costs immediately.The incoming tenants have signed the lease with the property in its current condition, so they are…[Read more]

Never spend any money on advertising.It is a total con. Agents make a good part of their income from it and they rely on it.The punters are already out there looking in the windows, the streets and on the internet. besides; there are already many other people advertising their houses, so there is plenty of advertising to draw their attention to…[Read more]

People are inherently lazy and don't like to make decisions; they take the path of least resistance. So a house and land package could prove very easy to sell. The problem is there may be lots of competition in the area from major building companies which may make it more difficult to get a good price. You will need to research this.There are also…[Read more]

Finding a neutrally geared property will be a challenge. I assume you do not pay any tax at the moment?With no history of income your only hope for "normal" finance is a No Doc or maybe Lo Doc loan. You can also access private funds and loans from cash partners, but there are dangers to look out for for the inexperienced.But here's the catch; if…[Read more]

Hi cjay11,Here a few good questions for you to ask about Buy and Holds. These are a few I use myself as I am a buy and hold investor, but you need to also establish whether you are in it purely for cap gain, or for cashflow (rent return), or if you need good tax benefits etc, or all of the above. I am in it for all of the above so there are…[Read more]

Yeah, GCG,To buy an I.P and stay a renter is, for most people, the best thing to do financially; especially if the I.P has very good on-paper deductions and other tax deductions. These are the icing on the cake and can really accelerate your wealth plans.The problem is, everyone is conditioned to follow the Australian Dream of owning your own home…[Read more]

It's very hard to build a low cost home in Aus when the Govt is padding out the cost of buying and building by nearly $100k in Govt costs and taxes. Maybe the Govt will change it's ways and not add charges and taxes to the housing industry? Good luck.I have no doubt that the Aus market will suffer a similar fate as what is happening over here in…[Read more]

Hey Gold Coast Girl;I can promise you… Australia is the best country in the world. Stay there.You can still buy elsewhere and live in Aus.Personally, I think you can always find a good deal in Aus, and I recommend that everyone becomes an experienced player in their own back yard before venturing to another pond.

More land releases only has a short term impact on investors and it is only minor. A land release usually doesn't have much impact on lowering prices; this is governed by interest rates, inflation, supply and demand, and sadly, how much the price of ciggies, petrol and a sixpack, have gone up in recent times, or how much the punters blew on xmas…[Read more]

Just keeping an eye on it from afar Dom.My joint has gone up since the start of the year based on sales of similar properties in the immediate area.The area is still going well, but it could be micro-markets, so you need to look closely at where you are thinking of buying.

If it doesn't cost anything to set up and there are supposedly no fees, why not give it a go and send a few dollars across; say; $10 per week for 3 months and see what happens?

Of course. I don't doubt it all.Do you think this is an accident? Do you think that agents are all this incompetent and don't know their market?They know the market very well.This is proof that they under-quote to get buyers interested (and more importantly; to get details at the open for inspections from future sales contacts).It would be…[Read more]

Hi Brad05,If you use equity in your PPoR as a deposit on the I.P then your mortgage payments will go up as you are using loaned funds instead of cash as the deposit. Your total finance for the I.P will be higher, which will affect your cashflow from the I.P's. This is not necessarily bad, but you need to factor this into the number crunching.It is…[Read more]

garyloy wrote:
Have just created a company (Unit Trust and Trustee Company) with a partner and we are looking to purchase our first investment property shortly but I would like to create a decent Business Plan first – does anyone have a template they would be willing to offer as an example.RegardsGary

Hey Gary,Can I ask you why you elected to…[Read more]

Well done Kim!Hey vyaw2003,I'm gunna call you V – it's easier to type. Is that o.k?I just realised that I didn't fully answer your question in my last post. Please understand that when I get to read the day's forum posts over here it is after dinner and the chardy is kicking in. Australian of course!!I don't want to divulge my financial position…[Read more]

Hey Billy;good name. I think  "ophelia" would have worked well too.The best time to reduce debt on loans; even investment loans; is… ALWAYS. I know some people say to never pay off the investment debt because it is tax deductible, but you still have to service the loan and be a slave to your real estate if it's neg cashflowed. If you've got a…[Read more]

What's Big Brother?

Turtle wrote:
thanks Marc…do you know what the average comms are?? I've had one lady this morning tell me 3.45% +GST!!!!!!!!!!!!as a brissy agent, i am flabbergasted that they are that high makes our approx 2.5% capped by law look very ordinary – hi ho, its off to perth i go!!! reason for selling it is i need the money for another project -…[Read more]

Hi S.O.G;I agree; I am conservative at heart, and like to invest aggressively, but safety is the first concern.I get nervous when I hear of newbie investors taking the plunge with 100% (and more) finance on property investments. This is too highly exposed in my opinion. It is not so bad for the more experienced investors who can crunch the numbers…[Read more]

I don't think there is anyone there that is better than the next.Past experience. The good news is that there is a boom going on there, so you will sell it in 5 mins.Why are you selling? The rents are going up, and the properties are still going up. Giddyup!