Hi Basil BD,
We were researching the same issue a while back. There are several ‘noise dampening’ fencing options you can look at. The main idea of the fence is to ensure that it’s tall enough so that the noise is diverted over the top of your house. SO if you picture a line from the train to your house, thats the ‘path’ of the current sound. Put…[Read more]

Does TimeShare count? Now there’s something I thought I’d burnt from my memory…

Cairns appts are great if looking at holiday rentals but they are seasonal (greater vacancies during off-peak periods). However a decent manager can usually keep them full.

Most Cairns locals are either in the southern or western suburbs. North is where the rich people live [biggrin].

Go have a look. At worst you’ll have a top holiday.

As for your other points. Landlords insurance (which I think is a must but some more experienced investors here debate it’s need) will cover a set amount of public liability (usually around 1$mil). Trusts and companies are another matter, to do with the way you hold your assets and are worth looking into BEFORE you do anything. Have a look at the…[Read more]

Just one piece of info I picked up on this forum earlier (which I’m happy to pass on) is that if your don’t immediately buy another place (i.e. go rent a place) then this one will remain your PPOR for tax purposes. Check with your accountant about the 7 year rule for CGT.

When we moved towns we rented out our old place, and moved into a rental…[Read more]

Blondie,
in Qld, termite defense and prevention is the key. Termites, like electricity, take the path of least resistence. Remove anything that could attract them to your house such as rubbish under/around the house, timber wood chips in the gardens, and even timber edging/landscaping around your garden beds (some exceptions with treated and…[Read more]

I’ve been out of contact for the last week. I just wanted to thank everyone for their replys to this post. Special thanks to Dazzling and TerryW (you two must be getting sick of me thanking you!)

Regards,
BrettR.

We had active termites in the place we just bought. Got a discount on the price. And because they were the subterranian variety, all we had to do was remove their access to the house and any left in the house (can’t get back out) just die. Also the sub variety usually go for softwood so the hardwood wall studs, bearings etc are safe.
In the end we…[Read more]

Well, well, well..

I don’t know if this qualifies as an AHa moment but it’s definately a happy one!

Ans I was so smug at working out my CGT over the weekend. I’m almost disapointed..

..almost [biggrin]

Very interesting topic. Can I give you another scenario (my own) for your opinion on? I’ve just spent the weekend digging up purchase/sale contracts and receipts relating to the cost base on what was our PPOR. We then moved and turned it into an IP. Now, three years after we moved, we’ve sold it. During this three years we’ve been renting, so…[Read more]

I found the property sales maps you can buy, which show how mauch the current owner paid for the property and when, very useful. In Queensland you can order them from the Dept of Natural Resources and Mining. The link to their smart maps site is as follows:

http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/property/mapping/blinmap/property_sales_map.html

You buy a map…[Read more]

I don’t think G7 was being coy.. there jsut isn’t really a straight answer. Really, is there any state that you can say there are +’ve properties at this location? I don’t think so.

Try to reduce the areas you need to look at first (IMOHO), set yourself some guidelines such as towns/city’s over a certain population size. Also places on the main…[Read more]

I’d be suprised if there were such a thing. The problem with termites is that eradication of one infestation is no guarantee of future protection. An insurance company would be wary of insuring any propert at risk of termite damage, especially as something as simple as the owner putting down woodchips as mulch could encourage new activity. How…[Read more]

I forgot to add (does this count as a second post Steve?) there are other reasons to use trust structures as it assists in your ability to keep borrowing to invest. If, however, you use a hybrid trust to do a negative gearing deal, this could adversy affect this benefit, as the loan is against your name so is a liability you will carry with…[Read more]

Hi Stargazer,
first of all, just came from the Masterclass in Brisbane, so thank you for giving me a question I might be able to help with (homework is to answer three questions in the forum).
Tusts were discussed in general. I believe in regards to negative gearing you can use a hybrid trust where you take out a loan (as in you the entity, not…[Read more]

Top ideas both. Thanks again.

Just recently sold our IP in Mt Isa… and still not convinced it was the right thing to do. Having been born in Mt Isa, Worked for MIM for 6 years till it was bought by Xstrata, whom I now work for, I have a rough idea of how things stand. Mt Isa was the definition of stagnation before Xstrata bought MIM. Property prices went no where, captial…[Read more]