Hi David

I live in the Hunter Valley & work at Singleton & have been watching the cost of housing there for quite a few years. The prices in the area are driven solely by mining & they have been increasing rapidly over the past few years. In the past month there has been a change in the industry, the commencement of the carbon tax & other factors have seen employers lay off casual labour & put on hold any new recruitment. I don’t know how much capital gain you will achieve in the next few years, as Michael said the last 8 yrs have been when the prices have risen considerably but there is a high demand for rentals & they are achieving great prices for very average properties. I would recommend getting some knowledge of the town, there are several areas that will be significantly cheaper for very good reason.

All the best

Cathy

There are lots of places that sell flat pack kitchens these days including bunnings, do your research & shop around. Depending on the shape of the kitchen you require & how handy you are, there are often kitchens available at auction clearance houses. Another alternative is to buy a good quality 2nd hand kitchen, often they are in perfect order, just not the right colour/style etc.