i think a contrasting colour would be better.  I think you should go with the brown if the house is going to be cream at the front too.  If you were leaving it as the natural brick then cream would be good on the fence. 

Are you planning on painting the front fence? It seems to be the last obviously ugly bit in the front yard. Since you've got the for sale sign up already it might pay to fix up that fence earlier than later if you're doing it at all.

Thanks for replying, James.  I actually meant to reply to my own thread in case anyone else read it.  My accountant said you could by residential property as an IP without preventing yourself from getting FHOG in future, and this was backed up by the conveyancer I've been dealing with.I'm in NSW.  She sent me a link to the eligibility re…[Read more]

I didn't know either.  This webpage gave me an idea:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/qld/cairns/200610/s1776530.htmAnother site defined it something along the lines of "Buying and holding large blocks of predeveloped land in the path of progress".  I take that to mean that a strategy is to see which boundaries civilization is pushing and bu…[Read more]

Sounds like you are steaming ahead.  Keep up the posts and pictures.

Well, you could try explaining the situation to the tenant and see if you can do something for them in exchange for renegotiation to a shorter lease. If you offered to knock $30 per week off the rent for the 5 months that'll cost you around $650, and they get $120 of their bond back immediately (since you can hold max 4 weeks rent as bond – in…[Read more]

KA010 wrote:
There is tenant who will be residing in the property for 10 months and because of this I will have to pay $8450 in stamp duty where if he had only been there for 5 months and 29 days I would pay no stamp duty. I also did not read the disclosure statement of the body corporate, there is no $$ in the admin and sinking fund as he use…[Read more]

blueheeler wrote:
I do understand that but, ur using someone else's "money", not yours, someone elses . I cant see where you have lost out on this transaction, 60-40% ratio is pretty good.

In the simplest possible terms, if I loan you $10 today and want it back in a week's time (next friday), would you rather:a) pay me $1 every day until friday…[Read more]

blueheeler wrote:
Sorry if im confusing the subject but if the 20% deposit from Equity Finance Company is interest free then i see a great savings. This is not an expense it's a savings.Look forward to your positive feedback

You're not being charged the loan interest on that 20% but when it comes time to sell you're going to pay 40% of your…[Read more]

If it's the land you're after and not the house are you going to put in an offer now based only on land value (presumably with clauses that the council lets you tear down and rebuild an approved dwelling)? Sounds like this guy might need some money to cover his legal bills soon. That whole thing sounds like a big mess. I'm laughing as i type…[Read more]

@Wintertail: enlightening post – i'd wondered about doing something like this myself.  Seems like peril at every turn.  I rent at the moment and am thinking about looking for a 3 bed place (to buy) and renting out the remaining 2 rooms to offset repayments.  I haven't found a suitable place, but my eye's open.

Wish you were in sydney!  I'm inexperienced but keen, though i probably wouldn't feel comfortable dealing long distance with someone.  Sydney prices have been a bit crazy too at most of the auctions i've been to.

Are you going to apply for a owner builder licence or a normal builder's licence? I did a quick search for the normal permit and came up with:http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/building/builderstradespeople/building.htmlIn NSW, 2 years "relevant industry experience experience" plus a tafe certificate or advanced diploma is required. I think a…[Read more]

Jase and Flic wrote:
BUT….. I am a male and not naturally gifted in color selection, so quite open to advice!! My ideas have mostly come from looking at other modern looking houses and seeing what is popular in them. I am trying to do what is most popular, not what I personally like.

I've been reading a book titled Emotional Design: Why we…[Read more]

L.A Aussie wrote:
I used to work in sales several years ago, and part of our training was to start with the most expensive product first and work down, so "selling up" is a normal sales strategy in all industries.

Isn't this where the "rule of threes" comes into play? eg. show them something a bit slummy, something a bit expensive, then…[Read more]

If you want somewhere online to host photos then I suggest http://www.flickr.com – it has a mix of photographers and "normal" people putting up their photo albums and stuff.  Free and easy to use.  It's the youtube of photos, if you want to look at it that way.

I'm in the IT industry and I enjoy the work i do more days than not. When I am financially free I will probably start an IT security consulting business and additionally spend more time indulging in my sport and computing-related hobbies.

Thanks for the feedback.  I've thought about looking at the 'gong too, but i'm starting at goulburn under the guidance of someone in the know.  Maybe i'll make a trip to wollongong (or perhaps even nowra) depending on how i go in goulburn.  Hopefully the situation isn't too dire in goulburn as far as water goes – got to be a reason for vendors to…[Read more]

I hadn't heard of those shows.  Just thought I'd chime in and mention that you can find clips of them on youtube.http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=property+ladder&search=http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=flip+this+house&search=

Just found this thread and enjoyed reading it. I'm still looking around for my first property buy, so these kinds of discussions are gold to me.