The advantage could be that if you lock in at a too high rate you miss out on the low interest rates. The same goes for variable. If you don't lock in when rates are low you miss out on keeping the low interest rates for a longer period.

You won't get a one or the other answer. When rates are low fix (if you can judge when low is). Some people like fixed as it gives you certainty of your payments for a few years without having to worry about rates going up.

I wouldn't do it. Some people do not like stepping in a bath to shower. But then again if there was no bath then I would want one.
I'm assuming there is a bath in the main bathroom so I would want a shower in the ensuite. That way everyone is covered.
I think spa baths are old hat. Too much water.

"My settlement agent obviously lodged our stamp duty proir to settlement"
There is a time frame. You can't pay it the day before.

Check WHEN it was due.
Check the date you issued the bank cheque.
Check the date your "agent:" received it.
Check the date it was paid. Then you'll know if it was your fault or theirs.

I'd check with the solicitor handling the purchase. You can't just change/add names to a contract (especially when purchased at auction).

You can only get depreciation once it's an IP. Everything is depreciated, not just the renovated bits.
I think you are better getting the depreciation report when you are ready to make it an investment property as you can't claim anything until then.

Use           http://www.depreciator.com.au          

Send an Email explaining your circumstances. They will advise you as to when to do it and approximate cost.

That's  lot to do yourself. We do that but not the floor sanding. We figure by thew time you hire the machine and take days to do it's more economical to pay someone. I've seen some really botched jobs. It's not as easy as it looks to get a great finish.

When deciding whether to pay someone look at how much it will cost to hire the equip and buy materials. Then how long it will take you. A job that may take you 2 days (if nothing goes wrong) a professional may do in under a day. If you are doing everything yourself it can add a month to your reno time. Add one months interest to that.

Great work having the kitchen. I'd suggest getting someone to install. A professional can do it in a day ($500). Well worth it I say. If you haven't done one before it will take at least 2 days (if it fits exactly-they rarely do). Look at appliances on Ebay, you can pick up some bargains.
I'd suggest getting a tiler to do the whole waterproofing and tiling for the bathroom to, after it's sheeted. Too much stuffing around.
When do you start?
Do you not want to mention where you are? Ok if you don't just offerering help if in Sydney.

I've seen lots sold on Ebay for close to the value of the card. CRAZY!

Sorry that sounded a bit harsh (too much bubbly). LOL

I found with the few residex reports that I read that with a lot of areas they seemed to predominately look at past performance. So if an area went up by 20% in the last 5 years they predicted a similar growth in the next 5 years. That doesn't cut it with me.

It's like the tipped "hotspots". Sure they are going to be hotspots because millions on newby investors just read it in a magazine. So guess what? They believe it and the rush is on. Self fulfilling prophecy.

I have many friends that do their research and have bought into these hotspots before they were hotspots. When everyone was saying "why are you buying there?"
That's called doing your research. Not just relying on someone elses predictions.

While reading books is a great start it's not everything. It will give you the basics but it won't do the work for you. Read magazines (even old ones- it's great to read what was said 5-10 years ago) and network with likeminded people. That was the catalyst (haha) that got me moving. I've bought more in the last 2 years than my entire life.

ooh ooh!!!   Can I borrow your crystal ball so I know where I SHOULD buy?

BTW please name the crystal ball that told you this. Just curious. Don't worry I don't believe everything I hear.

You mean like the last boom in Sydney where beachside properties tripled in price. Are you saying people should have bought those in 2004??? Anyone that followed that logic would have lost a LOT of money as things DID go negative.

Hi, I don't know the areas at all but a few questions.
When you say Craigieburn is cheap and experiencing growth do you mean growth in price or growth of the area? Is the whole area a new estate? How do the prices compare to surrounding areas?

The reason I ask is that there are a few new estates popping up in Sydney which look lovely and seem cheap because it looks so damn nice but next door are properties at half the price.

How much area is left? I n 3?years time when they build the next estate what happens to yours? Will it seem cheap then compared to the new ones?

Unfortunately it's not as simple as unit vs house. I have units and houses some have done very well others average but it's not divided by unit/ house. The houses have better yield but that's due to improvements made.

Also is there opportunity to buy under market value? I like to buy under market value that way you are ahead from the start instead of "hoping" it will rise in value.