Hey Melbear,

So it is feasible then? I was looking at a property that doesn’t have a carport, and wondering if you can say in the contract “Subject to being allowed to build a carport…”

I asked one R/E agent and he said you can’t get access to a property before settlement.. (Don’t worry — I didn’t really believe it!!)

Ta

Lozza

Hi Shaun,

I guess it depends on your plans for the future, really…

If you were looking for income to take the place of your salary (so you can quit!!) then you don’t want properties that REQUIRE you to have a job. If you decided to leave your job, then they wouldn’t be positive cash-flow anymore, would they?

I don’t think depreciation is the…[Read more]

Hi there rolonation,

Don’t worry.. we all started off as Newbies!! (In fact, I’m really only new to the forum myself..)

My advice to you is to learn as much as you can – cheaply if you can! Look on the forums; there are lots of posts about books to read. Check out the investment section in the library or bookshop.

Also try going to some of…[Read more]

So what are we all hoping for?

Lozza

Thanks Mel,

Couldn’t think of its silly name!!
Thanks for the review.

It’s a real pain trying to find some of these good books in Australia… I often end up ordering them from Amazon. It’s not cheap once you convert to Aussie dollars, but it’s reasonably fast at least.

Lozza

Hi Alexander,

While I can’t comment on the $3000 seminars (because I haven’t been to one), I can say that some of the cheaper ones are good.

I have seen Robert Kiyosaki, Dolf De Roos (twice) and also went to John Burley’s introductory seminar. They all cost only about $60.00 each, and you get at least a couple of hours of info.

For newbies, I…[Read more]

Hi everyone []

In regard to property books, has anyone read a book called “No Money Down”? And was it any good?

Lozza

Hey Redwing (& everybody else)

I have been to two of Dolf’s evening seminars, both in Melbourne. (I took my hubby along the second time, which was last year)

I would have to say he is very good, but the second seminar was pretty much a re-hash of the first time I saw him. He certainly has a lot of experience all over the world!

The book “Real…[Read more]

A simple Russian proverb, from my desk calendar:–

“He who doesn’t risk, never gets to drink champagne.”

Lozza

Hi DaisyGirl

I’ll be there with bells on!! (Well, perhaps no bells, but it is close to Christmas after all!!)

[][]
Lozza

Hey First Timer, []

Welcome on board!! I am only a semi-newbie myself, but I shall have a go at answering some of your questions….

I believe that setting up a trust can be rather expensive, and you also might need to get it audited. It might depend how many properties you are planning on buying as to whether it’s worth the effort……[Read more]

Hi Funky, Simon, David…..

I get DHA to email me with any new properties available… But yes, a lot of them are negatively geared, especially the Sydney ones of course. Some of the ones in Townsville and other areas in Qld look like they could be positively geared.

The good thing about DHA properties, is that you don’t have to worry about…[Read more]

Onyx is a black gem-stone.
(I liked Topaz, but Onyx is good for a black rat!!)

Lozza

I have a friend who is a mortgage broker for Mortgage Choice in Melbourne. (He used to work for CBA as a loans manager before that).

I’ve never had any problems with him. He has always been totally honest with me, and if he can’t beat someone else’s deal he will tell me straight out. But of course, I understand that they are all different…[Read more]

As they said on the radio yesterday morning, “You can just imagine babies at an auction… making dummy bids!!”

Lozza

I really liked the Hans Jakobi book I read a couple of years ago… can’t think of its name. How much is his “Super Secrets to Wealth” course these days? And is it any good??

[]
Lozza

Hey Neo

I was just asking a real estate agent about this the other day… He told me you could possibly alter the settlement clause, but you need to tell them this before the auction. Eg – you might want a 60-day settlement instead of 30 days.

Anyway, apparently they will tell the seller before the auction what your conditions are. The seller…[Read more]

I have known several people over my working career who have said, “Oh no, I can’t work overtime tonight, because that might push me into a higher tax bracket…” They always think that if you earn $1.00 too much, all of your entire income goes into the next bracket, and then you’ll be worse off than before you did the overtime!!

Surely ANY…[Read more]

Just a little suggestion that might help….. My hubby is not into reading investment books either. He’s also not into talking about financial stuff all the time…

But I find that getting him to listen to a tape in the car (or a CD at home) has a much greater impact on him, and it sinks in a lot better than me trying to explain the concepts.…[Read more]

…But wait… there’s more!

“The man with a new idea is a crank, until the idea succeeds.” — Mark Twain

“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” — Confuscius

“If you think it’s going to rain, it will” — Clint Eastwood.