Go to google, type in ‘feng shui principles’ and I bet you get thousands of sites.
In cities with big Chinese populations, there are feng shui consultants.
If you’re building in an area where Chinese may be future purchasers or tenants, it’s definitely worth being aware of the major pitfalls.
I remember years ago working near Sydney’s Chinatown.…[Read more]

Send me an e-mail and i’ll give you the name and contact number of our Sunshine Coast QS – he’d know the good, the bad and the ugly builders up there.
Scott

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide service
1300 660033
scott@depreciator.com.au
http://www.depreciator.com.au

I did get a builder to check it out, and his response was:
“A well bonded cement topping over the slab may be required at some stage.”

Given the apartment has obviously been renovated, you wouldn’t want to consider the above. Putting a topping on would require doors to be removed and trimmed etc.
At least with the clear topping you can see and…[Read more]

Tyrone,
Get the Saturday SMH and have a look in the General Auctions pages. There are always 2 pages of auctions listed. Mostly they’re for office furniture. I think auctions are in the ‘Business’ section.
Try Trading Post, too. Kitchen suppliers often sell off whole demo kitchens. You’ll also find people who have bought an apartment with a…[Read more]

Hi Julie,
There is a world of difference between a hotel room and an apartment.
Which is it you are looking at?
If it’s an apartment and there are 3 people involved in the purchase, is it a lifestyle decision i.e. a place to holiday?
I have a holiday apartment in a managed building. With depreciation factored in, it’s a break even investment. I…[Read more]

Principal Place Of Residence.

IP = Investment Property

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide service
1300 660033
scott@depreciator.com.au
http://www.depreciator.com.au

Is it a ‘room’ or an apartment?
If it is the latter, be wary if somebody is telling you that you can claim 4% deduction on the building under the Short Term Traveller provision.
Also be wary of cleaning costs. In my experience, cleaning costs for holiday apartments can be up around 20% of the gross rent. this often isn’t fully disclosed in the…[Read more]

I just had a wander around the Property Expo (Sydney). No Adelaide apartments, but plenty of Queensland ones. As well as Dubai, China etc. Oh, and Central Equity are naturally there with a some Docklands apartments.

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide service
1300 660033
scott@depreciator.com.au
http://www.depreciator.com.au

I would have thought developers trying to sell off-the-plan would be running ads in The Adelaide Advertiser?
Property investing mags may also carry some ads.
Of course, alot of people would warn you to stay clear of off-the-plan apartments. The days of picking up a bargain that way are long gone. You’d only do it if you felt the market was going…[Read more]

Thanks for that Dave. Of course, given the anonymity of forums I don’t know who you are. I’m gratified that you and your clients think we’re okay.
As you know, we specialise in Depreciation Schedules. To be honest, when the costs are available, putting them together is pretty straightforward. (And of course, when the costs are available, the ATO…[Read more]

Hi Dave,
Much depends on the nature and size of the projects. Do you need a QS for cost planning? Bills of quantity? Managing progress payments? Tax work? If you can give me a few details of what you require, I’ll find a solution for you. If I don’t think we can help, I’ll find someone who can.
Scott

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide…[Read more]

Is it something I have imagined, or will the big lenders cut people some slack if a partner gets pregnant? Simon or Rolf may be able to tell us whether I’ve been dreaming.
I do remember in the late 80s I lost my job and could could see a potential medium term problem with my PPOR. I went to the bank, alerted them to the impending issue, and they…[Read more]

Sure, wouldn’t hurt to ask them. Of course they may not tell you – sometimes people feel a bit funny about that sort of thing. It’s not hard to get sales data, though. Somebody with access to it may PM you and offer to find out. Do you know the agents who sold the properties? They’ll often tell you what they got for them.
Preumably, you’re looking…[Read more]

Andy,
Send me an e-mail and tell me what you can about the unit and the complex. I’ll help you estimate depreciation. Digital photos would be great.
If you end up renting the place out, get in touch. I’ll find out which QS group were the ones on the project – that’s the best way to get a cheap but accurate Depreciation Schedule (as opposed to the…[Read more]

What a great thing to do, Jaffasoft.
The skills you pick up are going to be so useful as an investor – it’s going to open up enormously the sort of properties you’re willing to contemplate buying.
I’d love updates on how the course progresses. That’s the sort of course I’d do if I had more time.
I tried to enroll in a welding course at Tafe a…[Read more]

Do a search of the Forum chrisandfi. The Club gets talked about alot. There are people with good and bad experiences to share. The Club is a business that sources properties for buyers. From what I gather, the local club reps (like Derek on this site) are decent people who genuinly want to be helpful. The Club has been around for a fair while,…[Read more]

Send me an e-mail, Mario, and I’ll send you a sample schedule.
Scott

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide service
1300 660033
scott@depreciator.com.au
http://www.depreciator.com.au

Just on removalists, has anybody ever noticed that the best ones are the little wiry guys? They just keep going all day.
I’ve moved 3 times in the last 10 years and used the same company each time. When the guys show up, there are usually some big, good humoured Islanders and a couple of taciturn little guys. The little guys run the big guys into…[Read more]

For the last NSW regional property I sold, I used a buyer’s agent. The deal went out to their data base and the sale was pretty quick. Best thing was the buyer pays the commission, not the seller. No advertising costs, either.
Scott

Tax Depreciation Schedules
Australia wide service
1300 660033
scott@depreciator.com.au
http://www.depreciator.com.au

Don’t speculate about whether you erred on purchase. All off-the-plan buys are a punt.
A client of ours a year or so ago had the same problem. They bunged in a plasma TV (or some sort of wall hung TV). So there were 10 apartments to rent, but only had a flash TV. It differentiated their apartment.
Yes, they had to invest some more money (albeit on…[Read more]