I would also lodge a claim with the State RE Board with a claim that the agent exceeded their written authority. You should be able to get back the difference from the amount that you authorised and the amount spent.
In any new contract, I  would also set out what is defined as an 'emergency'. An item of repair may be urgent (repairing a water…[Read more]

Flick this issue straight to the Dept of Fair Trading.

If you paid via a Credit card (always), lodge a complaint with them that you did not received what you paid for (a 'legiable'  inspection report) and ask for a 100% refund.

Why the delay? If it has been delayed, can you get it delayed further until you get back from your holiday.
If you MUST get another party to do the final inspection just prior (say up to 3 days before settlement) then you must get pictures (and video if possible) along with a written report. You should be their yourself or failing that use a…[Read more]

Silly question but did you take out insurance on the property the moment you signed the contract. You have an 'insurable interest' and would have got insurance in a heartbeat.
You must get at least a 'cover note' that covers you for the first 2 weeks (to allow you to shop around to get better quotes) at no initial cost. This can be done with a…[Read more]

Hand the sub division to a local surveryer…you could expect a cost of between $2-3,000 and takes about a month. 

If you MUST render, ALWAYS tint the render first…it will save heaps later.I do howver recommend spray painting (especially if you intend to sell or rent). It fast, cheap (about 10-20% of rendering) and looks great and when you get tired of it, you can change the colours.

It is legal to have a boarder/house mate/friend in your house who makes a 'contribution' to household expenses (power, water, gas, interest, renting furniture, wear and tear of equipment etc).  You both decide what is fair.As for the ATO, cost sharing/recovery should not be defined as income nor should it affect your CGT exemption.It should not…[Read more]

I completed 2 paint reno's (inside and out) and asked to be given trade prices (for 50-60% off retail). I now get top quality paint in the quantities I want/need and always get to keep some over for later touch-ups and accidents. To push this a little further, get a couple f friends who are thinking about doing their own renos and get a bulk order…[Read more]

Do not get confused between what is 'adding value' like an extra room/an outdoor living area as compared to repairs and maintance (new paint/carpets etc).If you spend $10K on new paint and carpets, you may get an increased valuation of between $10-15K and make it easier to sell (reducing your holding costs and allowing you to move quickly onto…[Read more]

There is no such thing as 'can not' or 'impossible'. Its just a matter of cost; the cost of the builder that has caused the building to be constructed not according to the agreed contract.

Speakto a finance broker who specialises in 'commercial' property development. There are waysto get around the lack of future income (other than the property income itself).Depending on the equity held in property, she should qualify for a development loan as they banks will do a valuation on the end value.Another way to deal with it is to go into…[Read more]

They are trying to bluff you into settlement before fixing the matters. Once they have their money just see how long it takes to fix (aka = never). You are in the drivers seat, they fix it BEFORE settlement or no settlement.A pre-selelment inspection is usually arranged at least a week prior to settlement not on the same day…They are banking on…[Read more]

Agreed.Remember, there appears to be no evidence that the property was not and is not still "…occupied by an applicant for a continuous period of at least six months…" being based on an inaccurate/false assumption (being the level of power/water/gas bills) that everybody must spend the same amount for every house no matter how many people live…[Read more]

1. It does matter if council approved the design, your contract states something different and needs to be fixed before you take delivery.2. It IS possible to change, it is NOT impossible/too late to change, especially the bathroom door. They just do not want to spend the money to fix THEIR mistake.  Mistakes, honest or not need to be fixed.  Th…[Read more]

You have it in a nut-shell…a "revenue offence". No such 'alledged' offence has been or could have been reasonable arrived at. Just being a state revenue service does NOT negate the requirements of that office to first seek the infomation from the 'alledged offender' or to advise him that the infomation is to be obtained from a 3rd party. The Vic…[Read more]

Make an offer; the Bank can only say 'No' or put it on the market and wait months for  buyer with addition lost interest income, fees/expenses etc.Is your client still looking are recovering his $150K via a VF 2nd mortgage with you or will he maintain/place a new lien on the property?

This is not the ATO nor the AFP, its the Vic SRO and in every case they need a prima faca case of wrong doing before they can get access to private data. Are you saying that you accessed personal data without a warrant such as phone records, power/water/gas bills? And data sharing/matching only relates to sharing of data between govt departments…[Read more]

TerryW, I do not know which country you live in but here in Australia police and govt agents still need a warrant to get copies of documents from private companies. As for private investigators getting access to private data, forget it! The 'only' agency that I know of that did not need a warrant was the WA Industrial Relations Department…[Read more]

I hope its not too late for us all Look at rent to buy options as a way to get back into the game; this requires limited cash as youtake over someone elses mortgage then manage the final sale to a buyer afte rthen have added additional equity via completing a reno at their cost.As long as you have at leat $20K (as an absolute min) so you can pay…[Read more]

I agree; as a seller, have the pest and building inspection reports completed by nationally recognised companies who include a warranty in their DETAILED report. Make sure to advise them in writing that you and the buyer will be relying on their report as an investment and that damages will result if faults are not discovered…it make cost a…[Read more]