Melanie
Could you explain the commission that mortgage brokers earn? I have never had this properly disclosed to me before but have had a financial services company offer to split the comm. with me 50/50 if I took my refinancing business to them. They were saying that the comm. amounted to about $20000 over the term of the loan/s. Before that I…[Read more]

Sooshie
I live in Bris. now but used to live just off North Rd and know the pier and sign very well. It is a great analogy and the three choices seem reasonable. I am not one for restricting ideas or peoples access to info, deals and other people and thus option 2 seems to be the best option at present. Maybe advertisers could be subjected to a…[Read more]

Interest rates in AUS/NZ are very much determined by what is happening in the US and the world economy as a whole. What will happen in the next few years is a bit of a guess but if the banks are willing to fix your interest rate on your mortgage at about 6.5% for 5 years and they are in business to make money they must believe that the pressure on…[Read more]

Well Sooshie
I think that Caveat Emptor or any other disclaimers would be read and noted but quickly forgotten by many. All “old” investors will know that the thrill of the chase is emotion charged for newbies and because it is new they get a little over eager. I have read so many posts on this site which say they have no IP’s yet but expect to…[Read more]

Hi Sooshie
Most of the ideas posted here have merit but I would return to an earlier post of yours where you said it would be difficult to protect forumites from exploitation (or similar words). I fully agree. I think that although people should do their own due diligence, when one responds to a web ad by a RE agent you are protected by the fact…[Read more]

Dan
I do have townhouses in my portfolio but have decided the body corporate is too much hassle and now favour houses.

How much area would a 3/4 bedroom townhouse take up? It depends. I would think carefully about what market you are aiming at in the area. “The Block” discussed this point extensively and there were different opinions (The Boys vs…[Read more]

Cameron
This deal is about as good as it gets at the moment. Old guy, doesnt know true value and wants quick sale. These are the kind that I am looking out for all the time. Reno about $10K plus legals etc should take you up to about $165K all up. It is not +ve geared but about as close as you will get in a good growth area like Burleigh. As…[Read more]

Well said brianc. Time to be careful.
As far as David Murray’s comments are concerned-well, talk about vested interests, share options, performance bonuses, share holder sentiment, etc.

Dan
The density is the % of the total block size that can be covered by buildings.
E.g. 1000 sqr mtr block with 33% density allows you to build on a total of 333 sqr mtrs of the block. So 666 sqr mtrs must be open space (public or private), gardens, private roads, pathways, etc. Just remember that other town planning rules also govern what and how…[Read more]

brianc
RE agents, mortgage brokers, developers, etc will all talk up the market wherever they are as they have a vested interest in the wave continuing. Need I say more!

Lawry73
Can’t vouch for the accuracy or up-to-dateness of this data but imagine that because Homepath are attached to CBA that the data is of a reasonable quality. Some of the data is free and some must be paid for (like the historical sales data).
Free data is probably worth as much as you pay for it?

BTW
You need to register and login. Then go to Locality Information – Suburb Information.
Enjoy

mcdeyess
Yip QLD is a fantastic place to live. I agree with you that their is still some upside left is QLD and that the bust may be less severe for Bris. but do not think that the rest of QLD can justify and hang onto the increases that they have seen. I really dont think that Baby Boomers will flock here any more in 2008 than they are now. There…[Read more]

mcdeyess
I agree about Syd, Can, Melb due for a correction but must also add that although QLD has always been behind the others it has always been for good reason. This reason being substantially less jobs and general economic activity. This has not changed and the migration of people from south has also not changed much (not increased as much as…[Read more]

brianc
Please read a post by davide in the subject “Will you buy if -ve gearing is abolished?” It is an excellent post and has some great advice from a really successful businessman.

I personally don’t back -ve or +ve gearing based only on the numbers like some investors do. I prefer to choose IP very carefully and consider many factors i…[Read more]

Dan
The type of zoning of the land and the particular council laws will determine the density of buildings allowed. This density varies from one suburb to another even within the same council and from one block to another. For example it is possible for a low density block with a density of say 20% to be right next to a medium density block which…[Read more]

Hey maximus and others
I would hope that we all are always very careful about what IP we buy. Davide’s post sums it all up very well – brilliant post – thanks.

One last point. If -ve gearing is removed, this will put the brakes on the building industry in a big way. Many unit developments (especially) as well as a large number of new houses are…[Read more]

I dont want to open up a can of worms (or maybe I do?) but the government could change a lot of their current spending and use of taxes to benefit Australia economically in much more productive ways than to abolish -ve gearing. For example remove the massive social security safety net by limiting things like doll payments to 12 months. Winding…[Read more]

Steve
Good point about replicating your success (and not necessarily your portfolio or strategy) as well as being positive.

Okay, I get the bit about inner city costing too much and it being cheaper to rent there, but I was actually referring to +ve CF IP and in particular 11 second solution IP’s which cannot be found in inner city suburbs.

I guess the main point I am trying to make is that I see the tenants of these +ve CF IP’s as more of a risk due to their…[Read more]