Hi Andrew,You're right – it is often the other side of the FIFO stuff that we don't always hear about. Mind you a couple of friends of mine who live in Hedland don't hold FIFO people in the highest of respect. By way of contrast my friends have made Hedland their home and joined in community organisations, give back, do the social stuff with long…[Read more]

Inquiry being conducted by the Fed Govt into the effect FIFO work practices are having on 'society' in the local communities into which the FIFO's fly. The inquiry was in Pilbara last week and comments were made about the social effect of FIFOs, women feeling uncomfortable in these towns, break down of families, male domination of society, cost of…[Read more]

Interestingly of the 'top' 15 suburbs in Australia with arrears of more than 90 days 6 were located in Queensland with Gold Coast featuring twice (South and East) and Ipswich, Logan and West Moreton being the 'metro' areas. While confidence may jump up – I would think stats like this may cause the average punter to put the wallet away further.…[Read more]

Aaron_C wrote:
Speak to as many people as possible. You don't have to follow the advice of every single person but by talking to people you get a better idea of what you are comfortable with and how you should go about your own business.

Good comment this one – some people are afraid to ask questions to different people for fear of being 'sold'…[Read more]

Hi Andrew (again),You may also want to identify which state you are happy to invest in – you may get some recommendations.

Andrew Stephens wrote:
Hi Nigel, my idea is to buy cash-flow positive properties with improvement potential. That way I feel once I have have enough deposit and post renovation equity of the previous place, I could borrow again and again. Would an LVR of 80% always be needed? I would ideally be doing developments but I guess I need some Market…[Read more]

Dreaming Big wrote:
Jamie, we do plan on turning our PPOR into an IP eventually and we also plan to be very active in the propery investing area

In this case there is no question – offset.account will serve you best in the long run.

hornbill wrote:
… Selling is probably not a good idea now as market is pretty flat.. 

Buying and selling in the same market is not such a bad thing. Sure you'll probably end up selling for less than you wanted but if you do your research and due diligence the person selling the property you move into will probably be doing the same thing.…[Read more]

JT7 wrote:
  this assures the need for thermal coal to use as an alternative for energy production. Japan is also still our biggest customer in relation to hard coking coal.

Japan is big buyer of LNG too.

Kouts wrote:
Im in Nsw also if you have anybody you can suggest i talk to.

Terry – send him a PM.For what it is worth – I would park the dollars in a term deposit for 3/6 months max and spend the time learning, learning, learning. You have a great opportunity to set yourself up and getting your head around some of the options available to you…[Read more]

Good point Luke – I hadn't considered the PPOR aspect of the property. Having said that I understand the owners can opt out of NRAS along the way. From memory it is an annual opt in type arrangement.The key for me is that the property must fundamentally stack up without tax credits. I have seen a few NRAS properties marketed and the over-riding…[Read more]

Hi Mick,No foresight – but on this topic I did catch an article by Margaret Lomas which said something like 'avoid one trick ponies' – in other words if the the area's future is tied to a single infrastructure project (Kawana Hospital, rail to Redcliffe peninsula etc) then the performance of the area is very much tied to that project and it's…[Read more]

nightelves wrote:
I was told by a bank manager

Stop right there. Unless there are extreme circumstances I would always use a broker over bank staff.If nothing else a bank employee only has access to their products – a broker can access many products from different banks. Your best option may be another bank – can't see your manager telling you…[Read more]

Hi Kris,Been up to my armpits painting – sorry about the delayed response. Richard has confirmed what I suspected you will not be in a position to borrow for new home. Not being a broker keeps me out of those ever finance changing loops. Given this the only option you really have is to 'sell up' and use the proceeds to buy a new home outright. I…[Read more]

scha9799 wrote:
you can put 1.2 million in the bank at interest rate 6%,

First part of this post would only apply if it were cash and not equity.

KrisL wrote:
The reason I was not too fussed about the non-deductible debt is I already have a property loss that is carried over (due to the fact I couldn't use it to reduce my taxable income as I haven't worked).

If you are not careful with property selection you may find yourself in a situation where your accruing losses keep on accruing.…[Read more]

Hi Kosta,Congrats on the first bud on your family tree.For me it would appear as if the 'equity' is burning a hole in your pocket and reading Steve's first book is a little like pouring petrol on the fire. Key issue for you to remember is you are only 30 and you do have time on your side so decisions do not have to be made in haste. I would add…[Read more]

Hi Kris,You are going to be hamstrung by limited/compromised borrowing capacity and on this basis alone I would be reluctant to take out a new PPOR loan. While your rental income will increase this would be offset against a jump up in your non-deductible debt.Having said that from an asset value point of view you are well placed – albeit your…[Read more]

Hi Eric,In addition to rejigging your loans I would also look at making sure you have completed an Pay As You Go Withholding Tax form (or whatever it is called now) and doing this in conjunction with a depreciation report. While this is a little smoke and mirrors type trick it does help with the hear and now.

Know what you mean – budget considerations are always a major issue.If you can afford it I would suggest Perth is a better option than Bunbury. Getting as close to city centre as possible is an even better option. We are looking at some North Perth options with potential rent return of 9%. Was also speaking with a Vic Park property manager today…[Read more]