Melbourne has this tax also !

They also said the price of tulips would not fall also !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

History never repeats, I tell myself before I go to sleep

1.         paint the eves in the sun-room with mold-proof paint
             (ask why this is required as you may need to consider if adequate ventilation do not take mold problems lightly – mold
             can make tenants very sick )
2.         clean the gutters of debris
           (this is to your benefit as leaking gutters can damage the house may want to consider leaf guard on gutters  as it sounds
            like  a tree area)
3.         file back the frame of the front door as the fly screen does not shut completely
            (This would be a great nuisance to the tenant as flies and lack of security are an issue )
4.         replace black clip on lounge room sliding glass window
             (could be a safety issue)
5.         replace the auto closer on the sun room screen door
            (these do not cost much! )
6.         install/repair plug fitting on the small kitchen sink
            (plumbing issue should be fixed)
The following items will also be remove from the property:
1.         BBQ and gas bottle in the back yard
2.         dog kennel
3.         green bin in back yard which is full of rubbish
4.         broken room divide,
5.         wooden piece of furniture
6.         old car battery in the garage
7.         2 full compost bins
8.         3 or more hoses around the house
9.         broken chairs around the side of the house
10.        2 cupboards near bbq in the sun room
11.        washing machine hoses in the laundry
12.        Dead branches/logs around the yard
(Hire a large rubbish skip and ask if tenant can they place items in the skip located out the front of house)
A truck comes along and picks up skip and problem gone
The tenant has now reported the following new maintenance:

1.         The en-suite toilet tap leaks constantly
             Urgent repair plumbing
2.         En-suite toilet button sticks
            Urgent repair plumbing
3.         Main toilet is loose from the wall (Seat and cistern are loose from the wall, needs to be stuck back on)
             Urgent repair plumbing
4.         Leak under the kitchen sink
             Urgent repair plumbing
5.         The plate behind the bath taps turns when the tap is turned on
             This would be annoying to tenant
6.         Range hood light & fan occasionally work but sometimes do not
            get it fixed grease builds up on your walls and is hard to clean later
7.         Kitchen blind does not go up or down
            That would piss me off if I was a tenant !
"""

cheers,

—
Mark you need to see this from the Tenants view point.
Once a condition report is co signed these things won't get fixed or the tenant will get blamed for these broken items.

ASK for at least three quotes for
work required.

Hire a hubby may be able to do some of these repairs for you worth getting a quote from also.

Why would you do this when you can buy a new car on a 2.9% interest rate according to Toyota's advertising on TV
http://www.toyota.com.au/finance/toyota-finance-advantage

You need to decide if you want to
negative gear a property and hope for capital growth which may or may not occur (risk)

Or

Go for positive cash flow
Where you pay off enough so the rent covers the expenses and earns you some money after expenses.
then buy another one.

You might find this site useful depending on if in Victoria .
http://www.rookiedeveloper.com.au/
http://www.activepropertynetwork.com.au/

Also try contacting local churches and ask if they have anyone in need of any furniture especially new Australian families that may need furniture and if they can  pick up furniture.

I think the first few web sites might surprise you !!

Some sites that may be of use to you
http://www.davesestateclearance.com/Brisbane.htm
http://www.usedfurniturebrisbane.com.au/index.cfm/services/
http://www.atozpages.com.au/contentsatoz/FURNITURE%20-%20SECONDHAND.htm
http://www.startlocal.com.au/retailhome/secondhandfurniture/qld_brisbane/

http://www.lccq.org.au/lifeline-shops/donate
https://www.yours2take.com.au/
http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/furniture/BrisbaneQLD
http://groups.freecycle.org/freecycle_brisbane/description
http://www.givenow.com.au/otherways/furniture
http://www.1800gotjunk.com.au/au_en/locations/rubbish-removal-brisbane/?cid=gs17667&gcv1=1054718888&gcv2=TtMGCOTGRBCo9_b2Aw&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=used%2bfurniture%2bdisposal&utm_content=Broad&utm_campaign=8568402237-Brisbane%2b-%2bGS%2b-%2bLarge%2bItem%2b-%2bMP

http://forsale.australia.oodle.com/furniture/brisbane-area/
http://brisbane.gumtree.com.au/f-Stuff-for-Sale-homeware-furniture-outdoor-W0QQCatIdZ18397

http://www.simpletrade.com.au/furniture-home-and-living/other/FOR-SALE/QLD/please-help-me-with-free-furniture/800185587

Landlord may rent out Strata Titled units while waiting for the money to afford a renovation before on selling each individual unit.
Or may rent out as a backup plan if the selling plan falls through.

Another expense is if you need to extend internal wall to top of roof in bricks to meet fire isolation of each unit.

Another situation is original owner passes away and who ever inherits block of units doesn't want to look after them and sells entire block.

I am in the same situation as you.

The only thing I have come up with but not done yet is to buy in a cheaper interstate location and then pay it off ASAP as the stupid Just Over Broke income loving banks and ASIC do not recognise massive equity as income. Lets face it you could borrow money and not pay it off for like ten years without a problem but the banks love the Just Over Broke income only. What really cheeses me off is if I could have borrowed on the massive equity I could have made massive capital gains from 2000 – 2004 when I was a university student but no I did not have a J.O.B. income so had to miss out on $500,000 plus in potential capital gains.

The only other thing I have thought of is joint ventures but have not done it yet as I am trying to save money at the moment.

Money Partnering is probably a thing of the past as ASIC has made it a lot harder for people to lend others money
with their new draconian credit laws..

If you are not already doing it see if you can claim any depreciation on the investment property via using a quantity surveyor.
This will increase your  tax return and with this extra refund put it off the credit card without spending more money.

Investigate if you can pay off the mortgages weekly rather than monthly if you are paying off monthly.
As it will save you interest over the long term.

Once the credit card debt is gone put what you were paying off the credit card into extra PPOR mortgage payments.