[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

July 8, 2008 - 4:59 am

Matt007
 
sounds like you are over analysing (5 years?)   did you actually started with anything?  Pick something , start small and adjust as you go.  Personally I think the main risk is doing nothing.

Behrendorff

Home ownership may in fact be out of reach for many people.    We have had a model were average wage earners could buy a house.  We wanted to beleive that would always be the case.  In many parts of the world people rent for life,  I think that will be the case here.   For me the way to progress was through self improvement.  I am not a great financial risk taker so I improved/diversified by skills and education.  First bought in the 70's when my house was 2-3 times my salary.  Currently houses are 2-3 times my salary.    If I had stayed in the same trade there would be no way I could have had the finacial backing to get ahead.  Others have a different path,  just saying what worked for me.

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

July 5, 2008 - 12:17 am

But BuilderBob , your perspective comes from the view of a capable person in the business.

People who dont have the skills or experience and want to learn, and dont want to take years to catch up, are willing to pay for the brain dump.  The cost of developing and presenting a course in a professional way is non trivial, so its going to cost.  Perceptions of value vary,  for you its not of much value so the costs seem high,  to someone with ambitions but no experience it may be a gem. 

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

July 4, 2008 - 10:18 am

not really sure what you are cranky about,  apart from your expectations you have no rights to access the property apart from a final inspection prior to settlement.   I can imagine the may be a bit upset that you are advertising something that they currently own and you dont , but its surprising that they would pursue it.   If it is a difficult time given its a deceased estate,  they may be cranky on their side that you are putting your commercial interests above their feelings.   People arent always rationale at those times and the property may have a lot of emotional attachments for them.

good luck with the project once you get over these hurdles

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

July 3, 2008 - 3:59 am

Australia keep coming up near the top on lists of the most expensive housing,  and like you sometimes I scratch my head about how they reach those assessments.   Sometimes it seems like we are just comparing Mosman, Toorak and Peppermint Grove  to the world (i'm sure its more scientific than that but it seems that way).   Many of these surveys are more about affordability than absolute costs.  The absolute $ amount doesnt matter unless you relate it to what people earn. 

Until recently I was on a work assignment for a few years in Switzerland and city prices there and in surrounding countries made Oz seem quite modest.  The idea of being able to by nice city apartment for 400-500k ish in 2008 would be laughable.   However people eant more and there are tax benefits for owners so it quite doable to by.  Even so many people are happy to just rent as rents are not to bad  and legally tenants have more security than they have here.

If you are prepared to live within your means and dont need the brand new McMansion median priced house , I think Oz is still reasonable.   What isnt reasonable is the high interest rates that go with it here and tax benefits which to me (even as an investor) seem to be on the wrong side of the equation.

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

July 3, 2008 - 3:32 am

a bargain property can mean a couple of things e.g. good value or just cheap…..how much are you willing to spend?

what sort of suburb specific info are you after ?   there are pay for use services and you can get basic info from sites like :

http://www.homepriceguide.com.au/snapshot/price/index.cfm?action=view&suburbORpostcode=3200&st_locale=Frankston%20North&source=apm

http://www.domain.com.au/public/apm/default.aspx?mode=research

I will leave the futures questions to others.  I have invested in Melbourne recently (and live there) and would happily do so again if I can find the right deal and also create enough financial breathing space to do the deal comfortably.   You will probably get the full range of views from …. now is a great time to invest ….through to it being suicidal.  Suggest you do your research and come to your own views rather than relying on mostly anonymous opinionated views on the internet.   My only direct advice is that if you decide to do anything ,  make sure in the current environment you can comfortably hold the property.   This is not a time to be in a strectched holding position.   But thats just another opinion I guess

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 9:50 am

for those actually interested in immigration levels beyond generalisations (source Dept Immigration web site).  This indicates about 140k people under general immigration (roughly 40k family and 100k skilled) ….elsewhere on the site there is a summary of humanitarian immigration.  About 14k in that category:

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/statistical-info/visa-grants/migrant.htm

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 9:17 am

"Getting back to the topic. It seems crazy to me to have all the single occupant cars travelling to the same point at the same time and it would make more sense to build another city closer to the new suburbs that have no public transport. It seems to work this way in Simcity."

Its a good thought and to some extent it happens already just due to economic forces but it would really need some government incentives and leadership (how many government departments still sit in CBDs??).   I used to work for a large unnamed oil company that has lots of red and yellow service stations.   In the early nineties they realised that no-one actually cared that they had state HQs in CBDs and moved out to their oil terminal locations.   I work with another evil multi national now based 20k outside the CBD,  its a real pleasure not to have to join the morning gridlock towards the city.     Its funny you still see recruiting adverts with "CBD location"  as if its a +ve.

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 8:59 am

ormeau wrote:

The idea is not to import instant money (Millionaires) but to introduce skilled migrants to infiltrate certain areas that are stagnant to our economy to boost national production in order to increase profit.

Gheez guys

100% agree and those are the sort of people I was talkng about……but yet again…its not black and white…..we take immigrants for all kinds of reasons and some people do arrive with little money or skill but thats the price of supporting humantarian immigration which we have responsibility (I think) to do

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 8:55 am

ItalianDragon wrote:

yarpos wrote:

the immigrants I work with from UK, Singapore, HK and Sth Africa are wealthier than me ,  they can do what they choose to do and arent struggling for 5 months let alone 5 years.   The situation isnt as black and white as you present,  some actually do come with millions…some with 5c.   You may not be seeing the effect in SA but it is significant elsewhere.

Interesting position to take …. you dont agree with me so you are blind … sort of makes discussion pointless

If you know few millionaires then it does not mean that the majority of new immigrants are rich.

Show me some datas to prove me wrong, I can see and read facts.

Thanks

These people arent millionaires just middle class folks not looking for hand outs.    I provide real world observations, you generalise……..and I have to provide data?  mmmmmmmmmmm  sure i'll get right onto that 

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 12:36 am

yes it was my little joke….It was the only high country I could remember down there (wife drags me to the Red Hill markets)

Arthurs seat sounds excellent also….a nice part of the world…..please report in if you see that tide line creeping up

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 12:29 am

well done with the pic Bardon…..a moment of genius

I did my inventory last night…….I have a shack in the high country, fireams, ammo, water, machete, swiss army pocket knife…..but no beans…..buy Heinz shares, I'm stockin up!!

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 30, 2008 - 12:23 am

yes I have already read a fair bit but most seems to be more about what could happen versus what has happened.  I will look more at Puerto Rico,  that is an odd place for this to be an issue.   Relevance of documentaries is a whole other topic……Michael Moore….total genius or ego centric wanker?

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 12:58 pm

Marc……….maybe a move to Red Hill?  the new beachside opportunity for 2050…….

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 12:35 pm

bardon wrote:

Okay then best investments now are:

baby boomer undertakers
bakruptcy lawyers
anti-depressant manufacturers
tins of beans, water purification tablets, arms,

it seems those looney US survivalists will finally come into their own

the chat on their forums must be something to behold right now

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 12:29 pm

"Australia is going to pay a high price in human lifes later.Hopefully people will realise this soon or when people will start to die from cancer due to the amount of radioactive dust spread across Australia during the transpor tof it."

This has already been going on for decades in Australia and elsewhere.   Is there any evidence of this happening anywhere with reasonable work standards?  or do you think it will evolve like asbestos?  

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 12:20 pm

the immigrants I work with from UK, Singapore, HK and Sth Africa are wealthier than me ,  they can do what they choose to do and arent struggling for 5 months let alone 5 years.   The situation isnt as black and white as you present,  some actually do come with millions…some with 5c.   You may not be seeing the effect in SA but it is significant elsewhere.

Interesting position to take …. you dont agree with me so you are blind … sort of makes discussion pointless

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 6:31 am

TT552 wrote:

I am a 28 years old full time working professional, i will NEVER  buy a property for at least another 5 years, because its going to crash, i put my money in the bank (cash), and wait for the market to go down.  Why should i rescue some greedy property investor from their huge mortage? i pay rent (much less than the actual interest on a mortage), i go to overseas holiday 3 times a year with my cash, in 5 years i can easily save $300,000 than i may consider buy a property, just may…. why do i believe the property will crash? because all the baby boomer are retiring and dying, their empty houses will change hand, there will be alot of empty houses, read this article

http://www.babyboomersguide.co.nz/Articles/Will+there+be+a+crash+in+2010/The+House+Price+Crash+of+2010.html

Not sure were you live TT but there is the small matter of immigration and births and more single occupant households.   If your country has reached zero population growth thats probably a good thing.   Just better make sure all the boomers die in the next 5 years to fit your scenario……oh yes then theres that increasing life expectancy thing as well.   

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 29, 2008 - 6:21 am

there appears to be nothing else in the whole of human existence but oil,  and we are incapable of thinking about , designing and building alternatives while oil escalates.  We are such a miserable species, really we deserve extinction , especially us suburban ones.   Anyone got any ideas what we could do with the suburbs , once the millions have packed into the CBD?  recycled farmlands, massive sewerage farms, golf courses?   finally somewhere to put all that noisy stuff like car race tracks and rifle ranges.

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 27, 2008 - 10:33 pm

lopetha wrote:

Hi all,

I had an electrician go out by my PM to my IP today to have a look at a faulty outdoor light and to replace a blown transformer on one of the down lights. The electrician advised my PM that all the electrical wiring for all the down lights were an "amature" job and obviously not done by a licensed professional electrician. He said that all the down lights in the house will need to be re-wired and is going to charge $2200 to do so. The house is a single story 3 bedroom approx 15 sq meters. Does this sound reasonable? What are my responsibilities as the landlord to have the lights re-wired? If I do get it done, is this claimable on tax as maintainance/repairs?

Thanks for your help.

Really you have no option but to proceed .   Re the cost,  hard to say without more deatils …but….15 squares, say 7 rooms (if all use downlights) say 2 lights per room plus a couple for the lounge area = 16 lights.   $2200/16 = $137 a light.   If he is supplying and installing and fixing up someones elses non professional work this sounds pretty reasonable.

[yarposMember@yarposJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 247]

June 27, 2008 - 10:05 pm

I would buy and am currently looking within 10k of the CBD , north and west. (arc from Preston to Altona)I purchased there late last year and would like to do so again.   There is plenty of good buying there especially compared with other capital cities ,  although its catching up quickly…sadly