JL,If you have reasonable grounds that the property has been abandoned then you can enter to make the property secure and safe but do not do anything else.  Take a video camera and film what you do and the condition of the place.  The RE/PM can notify the tenancy tribunal of the situation and the reason for why you are entering the property.  Yo…[Read more]

wealth4life,This being an investment forum most are assuming that properties are being bought for investing when in reality most are for ppor.Although the developer may have done a fire sale and some lucky people picked up good bargains that doesn't mean the value of the others needs to affected.  How often do we read here that someone bought a…[Read more]

DamienO,Also the best deal doesn't mean lowest price.  Try to find a place that charges a % that covers everything and not a place with add extras for postage and handling etc.  Also check how many staff compared to renters roll.  If not enough staff then the property managers are over worked and don't have enough time to check things th…[Read more]

Normally the land lord is responsible for payments although depending on circumstances you can take out land lords insurance that may cover when you have no tenant.  DHA is very different to the usual style of property management with guaranteed rental but this is also applicable to service apartments.

I read on another forum where the husband sold his 50% to his wife and she sold hers to him and changed a few other things.  They had to spend some dollars on associated costs but ended up having the PPOR as an investment IP.  Dont know if the money spent to do it ended up covering what could be claimed but a good accountant should be able to a…[Read more]

You can keep things legal by either telling the banks you are wanting to do renovations and would like to borrow extra to cover those cost or simply ask for 110% finance to help cover associated costs.  Some may even suggest to borrow the first years interest as well but I'm not sure what is the actual benefit of that.  There are a number of l…[Read more]

DamienO,Before going down that path make sure you have a full understanding of your legal requirements.  If self managed are you prepared and do you have time to attend tribunal hearings, court cases, apply for and serve eviction notices etc if you have a problem with a tenant?  It might appear a good way to save money not having to pay a p…[Read more]

ummester,Anyone can say the word denial or even write it, but why would I need to say it?I'm not denying oz is in hard times or that there could be problems for some but just pointing out that when people make references to Japans bubble and deflation they need to understand it was not brought on by economic policy or debt as we understand things…[Read more]

Also a good idea to have ahead tenant who gets a room for slightly less than the others to help manage or to keep the place clean.  Another option is to have a private cleaning service to go through once or twice a day in common areas.Far better to charge a higher price that includes electricity and other charges rather than asking to split…[Read more]

Kev,Originally for me half the battle was knowing what I wanted,  25% was convincing those around me and 25% doing it.Once you go down the property investing path there will be those who will say you are only chasing money, a dreamer or capitalist pig.  Ignore them all and do what you think is best and right for your family.  Try to follow a si…[Read more]

Foundation,The difference is that in Oz prices did actually go up and you could sell and make a profit but in Japan prices went up but weren't sold.  A simpler way to explain it is if you bought the same house in Japan and Australia for the same price, in OZ you could sell it for more but in Japan you would sell it for the price you paid but say…[Read more]

Scamp,Why do you think negative gearing wont exist?  Are you under the impression the govt will stop it?  Although negative gearing is not considered a good way to build financial independence it is strongly supported by the govt.  If you look at the last time a govt stopped negative gearing it quickly learned it wasn't a good idea and re…[Read more]

Foundation,I will only focus on the Japanese part of the discussion.The Japanese mindset is totally different to how we look at investments, borrowing and paying back debt and why our situation is different.Below is an example of how and to whom Japanese banks lend money and how they decide to buy and sell stocks.  The worst part of it all is…[Read more]

James,Do you have a good accountant?Are you able to offset the 7K a year as negative geared deduction against your taxable income?Although not in favor of negative gearing sometimes it does suit a purpose.There are a lot of conflicting reports about what property and interests rates will do over the next few months let alone years.  One thing…[Read more]

James,What was your main goal when you started investing?Were you looking for quick returns and  quick profit or more of the buy and hold for a few years. If you don't sell you do not lose any money on the actual situation.If you keep then it may take a few years before the light shines but it will shine.You mentioned you have an IP but what…[Read more]

Crashy,The best business is one that you can do and enjoy.Look at what talents you have or hobbies you enjoy and start there.I'm very big on multiply streams of income and have a few different businesses that all do well.There are many businesses that can be run from home through the computer or portable pc and then you can have the best of both…[Read more]

Sole ownership BShared CBut as some have mentioned it is not the numbers but the returns you are getting.I've written on this forum before an example of one portfolio that started with borrowing 2K in 86 to help buy the first property worth 75k to now having multiple properties worth over 2 million combined in value but debt of only 800k in…[Read more]

Thought I would drop in to see what was happening on this thread and what a debacle it has become.   What is going on between some of you long term members here?   I wonder what new members or those who haven't joined must think when reading the jibes being fired backward and forwards amongst members who ultimately have the same goal of getting ah…[Read more]

Terry,Becareful.There have been a few scams like this doing the rounds lately but there are also a few legit ones and normally a lot more $ to buy into than you mentioned.  I know some people who were/are heavily involved in this for a few years. Pm me for more info.

mpertile,Not exactly sure what Steve made the basis of the 7.8 statement but as a general observation over the years 8 seems to produce different outcomes depending on the market at the time.   When rates are low (5-6) and climb then 8 is the figure that makes people start to sell but when rates have been high 10-upwards it brings investors back…[Read more]