I find some of the comments amusing.
There is an innuendo that "rich" people are somehow stupid for selling presumably at a loss having bought at premium price.. When that may be so in some cases, this is not exclusive of the (stupid) rich. Thousands upon thousands of (smart?) poor are selling below the cost at a loss. …..And many that sell, rich or poor today are doing so at a profit of sort, to upgrade in a buyers market.
For the last 3 years I come across thread after thread in this forum that reflect some form of attitude against those who presumably more stupid than us, have made their fortune allgedly by chance, inheritance or dishonesty (see comment about palm beach holiday house and Mosman and bonuses) And I say this comments are amusing because whoever is into investing is in it to make money, the more the merrier. If you hate those who have made the money and are straining the gnat of their actions to highlight their shortcomings, you will never make it rich ever, and mediocrity is your glass ceiling.

My opinion of course.

There is one truth in some of the negative post, and that is, property seminars, just like shares investing seminars are useful to that person that is ready to get in gear. A waste of time and money for the one that is not ready.
That does not make him stupid or incompetent. My wife is a doctor and a very successful at that, yet I couldn't take her to a property seminar or any other investment seminar not even by mistake.

So those who like some of the poster above have succeeded after attending seminars and mentoring, don't make the mistake of believeing you are successful because you attended such seminar. How many did with you and are yet to buy their first investment?

Seminars have value, some more than others. Some are a con, and a few have heaps of value, yet all of that is irrelevant. A person that is ready and willing will take value home even from a con seminar. The one that is not ready can go to 10 of the best seminars in the world and still think he has wasted his money….and he would not be wrong he did waste his money.
Yet not everyone does.

When I can understand sentimentalism be drawn in, when there is family involved, for an investor to say "not for everyone" like a turist is a tad suprising. Irak is "not for everyone" and so is Manchuria.

An investment is either good or bad.
It either makes you money or cost you money, there is no "nice" bad imvestment nor is there "horrible" good investment.

If a house in Calabria can be rented fore more money than it costs to keep and if it increases in value, it is a good investment, regardless of aesthetics or emotional mumbo jumbo or pasta alla Calabrese.
If a house in Calabria is wonderful and poetic yet the prices go down every year, no one pays rent and it get's trashed regularly by scuatters, hey this "wonderful place" is not a good investment.

I say stay clear from anything in italy south of Napoli including Napoli…. come to think of it, make that Rome….or… better Venezzia….nee to many mosquitos in summer. I vote for the Italian cantone in Swizzera. Yes, that's it!

Best potential anywhere however is still Cuba.
My word, dont tell anyone though.

Thank you, too true!

The human being is a creative creature.
If you muzzle your creativity via some stupid idea that it is "wrong" because some half witted teacher working part time on 30k a year salary wants you to believe he has the answers to your problems, you have something else coming!

Creating is as necessary as eating and finding your vehicle to express such creativity is the only thing that should matter.
Once you found your way of expressing yourself, let it go free and wild and have piti of all those that judge you for it.
They have yet to find their own way and may die before they know they should actualy search for it.

Now think about this: Why is it OK if you have a  hobby that does not make you any money or worst costs you money and it is "wrong" to work in something you enjoy and that makes you heaps of money"?

Answer: Because there is an army of deluded, depressed, castrated underachievers who wasted their life gagged by their teachers, parents, and assorted religious rules and want you to be as miserable as they are in true "crab basket" style.

When it comes to asking for approximate cost, I'm afraid you are asking how long is a piece of string.

I use to own a few blocks of flats in Mount Isa. Bought them very cheap, sold them at a killing price just in time.

However I sold them not because I had secret information as to what the market would do, but because I got fed up at being unable to do any repairs let alone improvements due to the lack of builders and tradesman charging less than 10 times what I pay in Sydney.

To rise a wooden house requires experience yet all in all it is an easy job. To build underneath is even easier and you avoid the cost of a roof and possibly foundations.

However this renovation is uncommon because it must be done properly, with council approval and needs coordination and must have carpenter, plumber electrician and bricklayer at the ready.

In other words it must be done by an experienced builder, so there is no point in asking what will it cost to do the plaster or the floor or the jacking up.

And here comes the sticky part. If you have a builder you can trust to do the whole job in time within budged and at a price that is acceptable, the renovation is feasible. If on the other hand you don't have a builder or your builder is unreliable or it charges too much or it will take 12 month because the father of the tiler is in hospital and the electrician cut his finger, you are doomed. Look for something easier unless you are game to do it yourself.

Like I said, it is not hard, I've done it, I have built a 2 story building with cathedral ceiling and rafters 7 meters long and 12 Inc wide by myself and I was over 50 at the time.

Yet I would never say to anyone you can do it. In fact I had carpenters refuse the job.

When it comes to renovations there are two things that matter.

To know within 10% margin how much it will cost and how long it will take

To have access to tradesman that are reliable, and cost effective, be it yourself or another does not matter. In fact there is little advantage in doing it yourself unless you are unemployed. Your opportunity cost will kill you or it will take forever like those people who build their own boat for 20 years and end up selling it for junk and an astronomical loss.

Another way to look at it is as follows. Get a couple of quotes from builders to do the job to lock up stage.

Then muster the local tradesman and get them to quote you for each of their parts. Compare and see if you can do the builder and what are you saving by doing so.

The carpenter is likely to be the more experienced in doing the part of the builder if he is old enough, and will tell you, if you are lucky, who must be called and when.

Good luck and don't be discouraged by what I say. You are likely to do many mistakes the first time, yet you may learn and be able to do it better next time.

Some valuabel information when it comes to renovations can be found herehttp://www.renovateforum.com/index.php

I thought you have to live in France in order to be able to pruchase real estate. Did this change? If so when?

Of course not. How does $950 turned down to $900 "combat poverty" ?
How does a computer per student make an education revolution?
How will sinking the country into billions of debt help the economy?
It is not spending but earning that must be stimulated. Making money, high achievement, success must be promoted, inaction and voluntary unemployment as seen aboundantly in Sydney West, abolished.

Yet we are under an almost totalitarian pseudo socialism with someone at the helm who has no sense of direction and spent his holiday writing an essay against private property and capitalism.
Considering Mao is dead and Castro is not far behind, there is clearly a market there.
Go Kevin go! see who can throw the billions further, you must match your soul mate Old Bamma!