Give Email (the brand, not the method of communication) a wide berth too. Fujitsu and Mitsubishi seem to have a good rep. All the best [strum]

You will indeed notice that the demand for financial planners, particularly in a banking environment seems very high, with renumeration excellent too. The real question is can you make a difference, or will you just be one of the 98% of planners that runs you through your ‘generic type’ risk analysis (with a choice of about five outcomes) tells…[Read more]

Hi Da man. The largest percentage of people ever seem to be ‘fixing ‘ all or some of their loans at the moment, but it all comes down to personal preferences, attitude to risk of the unknown Vs. security of knowing what you are paying each week/fortnight etc etc. In all fairness, if you compare the repayments on a 20-30 year loan, with a current…[Read more]

Well done for making it happen Glenn. ….[strum]

Hi Bruham. All the best with your project. Re the loan, if it is a lo doc loan, that rate is what you would expect for that style of loan – however if it is a fully verified loan, and supposed to be at residential mortgage rates, even though better than the ‘banks’ 8.07% type loan, there are better rates around that’s for sure. Then again, if…[Read more]

Welcome to the forum stumped….sorry it was not a happier posting for you.[guilty] Reminds me of a lovely little place we had once, until some ‘sharp pointy object’ neighbors moved in as tennants over the back fence. Absolute cleptomaniac dross. Anyway, the solution can be to sell, but you should’nt have to. maybe the develpoer/s may give you a…[Read more]

Don;t mean to set a cat among the pidgeons, and yes the title is enough to put a lot of people off, but if you want to read something that is not plum in mouth like Kiosaki or written in a semi fictional manner like a few others , check out ‘Get Real-Get Rich’ by Paul O’Connor. Puts a different slant on things, but is a warts ‘n all book. Like ALL…[Read more]

Hi Cherry pro. – I think LA Aussie made an interesting comment, in that you have not made a loss till you sell. Same with shares, and managed funds. It’s all ‘on paper’. Some investments are long term, and if you can afford the neg gearing, and view it as that way, it may be quite a lot better than flushing all your time, effort and money by…[Read more]

Hi Andy. Unless your IP is in the middle of nowhere and there are no other real estate agents/property managers, you will find there will be others who are happy to ‘take over’ for you. They will contact the current one for you and organise to continue the lease etc. BUT you MUST make sure you have not signed an agreement with the useless one that…[Read more]

Hi Cathy. We recently had a bathroom in a property repainted with ‘mould resistant’ paint. However the thing you really need in a bathroom is some type of exhaust fan, otherwise it won’t last long. I’m guessing you cannot put one in the ceiling? Although if you can put a vent in, I would think you could stick a fan in – this is the best option. If…[Read more]

Ah now Mopsy, don’t put me on the spot now……[biggrin] I guess if you can’t stop looking at property it’s the build or buy option. As far as how you have managed and achieved what you have so far, the wait and see option would’nt be doing you justice I don’t think. Have you developed or built before? If not maybe the buy option…..I think you…[Read more]

Guess I’m too late, but apart from agreeing with foundation 100% (can you imagine even worse, trying to sweep rubbish out of the grooves in barefeet??? [upsidedown] ) I would have suggested using a T-nailer to fasten the decking – looksa heap tidier and works fine. ….and cost less to boot. Linseed oil works well if you want to bring out the…[Read more]

Hi mitresquare – and welcome to the forum! To answer your questions, as far as borrowing more to invest, a lot would depend on how much you owe on your current mortgage, as you may have some equity (extra funds you have paid in or increase in property value, or both) to help out. You could possibly buy a cheaper property somewhere using your…[Read more]

Hi, and congratulations on a nice portfolio. Just a couple of general comments…..1) You need to talk to a more experienced mortgage broker or lender. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has to learn, but a broker who has not had a lot of experience with investment loans/larger portfolios is not the right person for the job in your case. 2) Unless you…[Read more]

Hi there. For my 14cents worth, for what it’s worth, after having moved from an almost South facing house on the NSW South Coast, to a North facing one, it is ‘chalk and cheese’. So much nicer in the mornings, and of course the main living areas are usually cooler during the day. Used to wonder what all the fuss was about myself but I now know…[Read more]

Hi. I use POSH as well, and am quite happy with it other than a few minor things. Use it to keep track of expenses/income, and then to me a P&L each year. Just last night I got around to making up a depreciation schedule in the program, which I did the hard way last year with a ‘home made; excell spreadsheet, and man is it a snack. …should have…[Read more]

Hi. I use POSH as well, and am quite happy with it other than a few minor things. Use it to keep track of expenses/income, and then to me a P&L each year. Just last night I got around to making up a depreciation schedule in the program, which I did the hard way last year with a ‘home made; excell spreadsheet, and man is it a snack. …should have…[Read more]

Hi ben/jodie, and welcome to the forum. In all fairness, from reading your post you sound like you have almost answered your own question! [biggrin] Many will advocate never selling your property, which is great if you can do that, but in all fairness you will not actually enjoy the real gains until the money is in the bank, or you choose to…[Read more]

Yup, watched it the other night, and it is indeed great info for new and old investors alike. Margaret would have to be one of the most ‘practical’ down to earth investors (I won’t use the guru word) there is, and her methods have obviously worked for her and many others. Definately worth a watch, especially for newer investors, or people that are…[Read more]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. You could start by sharing it with me. No? Ok, a lot will depend on what you want to achieve and your goals. Did you want to put it all into real estate or some into shares and or managed funds? Were you looking for income now, or are you thinking ‘long term’. Is the 300K ‘yours outright’ or is it equity in existing…[Read more]