A Mitchell wrote:
I am looking at a property in Alexandra Hills, east of Brisbane (not affected by floods). It is a 4 bed, 2 bath home, the median for that area is around $425k and this is well under and in need of some small cosmetic changes. I would like feedback as to the suburb itself. It lies between Cleveland and Capalaba but doesnt seem…[Read more]

Jamie M wrote:
Go Canberra!Andrew, what are you thoughts on the Brisbane market in 2011? I'm thinking about finally making the plunge into Logan – I've been watching the market for the last 18 months and it has been stagnant (if not declining a little as per your graph). CheersJamie

Logan has been under pressure, the yields are really starting…[Read more]

Intrigue wrote:
I am always perplexed as to why people consider brisbane represents the QLD property market. QLD is a big state. Seems a little like saying that the Canberra market represents the Australian Property Market because it is our capital city. 

Good point! I should have said the resource state 'capitals' have underperformed. As we k…[Read more]

Domain suburb profile for Alexandra HillsWikipedia on Alexandra HillsGetting feedback for a suburb a good resource is talking to specialist property managers, the more people you talk to the better cross referencing you can do, nothing beats feet on the ground research though, you can even check how wet your feet are getting which is an important…[Read more]

Best to do as much research into the agent as you can as not all will add value to their clients, an interesting case study of just such a thing. http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67469I believe a good BA is a valuable addition to any investing team, understandable that I might have that view however!

Paul Keating said something along the lines of 'Always back self interest'.Pays to know where everyone's vested interest lies and how they will be compensated I believe. Be aware of the marketing model that gets the rights to housing stock then tries to push that stock onto investors while saying they are independent investor helpers, all done for…[Read more]

Domain have free suburb level information. http://www.domain.com.au/public/apm/suburbprofile/default.aspx?mode=researchMyRP are doing a better job all the time with what's available for free, though they are looking for you to buy products.http://www.myrp.com.au/General overview of Brisbane…[Read more]

A second vote for the group Martha mentioned.I attend every month and the speakers and networking are excellent, all for $20 and you get tim-tams and coffee as well, hard to beat!

As well as being a long time forum member I'm also named Andrew Allen and run a Brisbane buyers agency (Buying only in greater Brisbane). We have no connection whatsoever with the companies mentioned in this thread!

How did the property search go cellphone? It's been a few months now since this thread started.Be careful of vested interested, most of the posters in this thread have one including myself, some choose to hide it however! If you are still interested in yield data for residential property by suburb then send me a message and I can provide some…[Read more]

I follow this website for daily info on expectations for the next move from the RBA for their cash rate.http://www.asx.com.au/sfe/targetratetracker.htmRate expectations several years out can be seen and are as good a predictor as any in my opinion, of course the future is not set in stone and big surprises do happen! We all like to think we are…[Read more]

Planning on holding long term it's more important to consider the area you are buying in, for a buy reno and quick sell the location is not so important in my opinion as it's very much about the numbers and not what infrastructure will be built there 5 years from now.I look for 20%+  increase in values for a renovation project at the cheaper…[Read more]

A few questions to add to the inventory.* Are you aware of any issues with this property? Agents have a legal responsibility now to disclose in QLD. Try and get a copy of any building report on the property.Regarding price… And buying well is very important!Be friendly and listen closely, praise the agent's knowledge and just basically appear…[Read more]

On a serious note a reasonable rule of thumb for a maximum fee for a buyers agent should be around the 2.2% of purchase price level in my opinion, there is quite a bit of difference in fee structures out there however. Do your research as in everything involved with spending your own hard earned money!

For 45k I would look at what potential sellers eat for breakfast lunch and dinner and what brand of tea they drink! Even throw in preferred newspaper and favourite sporting team I have a friend who got a commission almost that big in a similar industry recently, that was for a property in the 5M+ price range however where that sort of fee begins…[Read more]

Working without decent breaks at anything would likely prove draining. I think a key is knowing when to place limits on your work time and have the systems in place to allow yourself to take relaxing holidays now and then.

Interesting Greg, thanks for sharing. One advantage for spreading your investments out over different states is to lower your land tax which becomes an issue when you start to get a few properties in your portfolio.Seems to be a very popular price range between 400k and 500k for investors looking to buy in Brisbane at the moment, it's been a…[Read more]

Hi Jo,in Brisbane I would strongly suggest you attend at least one monthly BIG meetingFirst night is free (now normally 'free' can mean watch out for property sharks… but not this time!) and you get to listen to a speaker present on their area of expertise and network with other property investors, free coffee and biscuits as well. As a…[Read more]

Agreed about meeting the market, vacancy and changeover costs tend to be much larger than a few after tax dollars per week in reduced rent.

Borrowing some excellent advice from Melanie McDonald's blog; about how to start with property investing.Q: How do I get started? A: You just start. Sounds flippant but I mean it. Will expand on the point tomorrow.sourceTo the point I thought