Just a couple of things that you have left out and may need to consider:- Cost of alternative accommodation whilst building (ie rent for 8-10 months)- Will you be doing any other (paid) work whilst undertaking this project?/Impact on this work and the project- Cost of subdivision & sales costs (agent/legals)- S94 Contribution to council-…[Read more]

There a several areas which are still rocketing ahead – it may pay to check out some of the websites of the miners eg Woodside etc (those that you have listed). Many are committed to long-term projects and subsequently will need facilities for the long term, not just for the next year or so. Unlike some of the other mining locations, Chinchilla is…[Read more]

I have found that one of the better agencies on the coast is Raine & Horne Kincumber – Paul Kemp runs the show and is excellent.

Robert, not only will your rent drop (if there is no demand for company/exec tenants) but your sale price will also drop substantially – you will need to check out what the market is paying for similar houses in the area/region, what the longevity of the major industry is & its plans for expansion etc.CFC price does not include their margin of…[Read more]

Remember that rent paid by you is out of your after-tax income (ie take-home pay) and rent recieved is from pre-tax income so although you may be paying/recieving the same amounts they are not the same.

Lance, Parra-Hills is an awfully large area and there is plenty to investigate. What are you specifically after land, redevelopment, refurbish or buy/hold?I know of a few out that way (parra & hills) who are pretty good to deal with (and many more who aren't).

Life, who said anything about having a life? 2 P/T subjects generally isn't much of a workload (it is generally all cram for the end isn't it)?

There is plenty of information available on this and other websites about trusts and trust structures (google it if you must). Basically a trust is a vehicle used to hold assets and give the beneficiaries protection from claims over those assets.The superfund must purchase the units from the trustees of the trust (at market or at valuation).The…[Read more]

Unless you have the ability to break the drought in many regional areas, land prices will and have remained stable over many years. The cost of buying an established house is often very little more than buying the land as very little investment has occurred for several years in many of these areas due to decreasing populations, loss of skills,…[Read more]

People don't build flats any more for several reasons:Return on investment – much easier to sell off ASAP to get the developer's profitGenerally requires a high level of borrowings (so would be very cashflow negative for some time)Design codes have improved since the 1960's/70's requiring dwellings to be of a much higher standard ie there are the…[Read more]

Wasps and birds in the roof are generally  not caused by the tenant's inaction to maintain a clean property (eg rats, mice, cockroaches etc). These would be looked after by the lessor (if it is a net lease, then there may be some way of clawing back the costs under pest control or maintenance).

Gifting/asset disposal may have an impact on your parent's pension or benefits if applicable.

Unless there is something that you specifically want them to leave eg hws, then get them to remove the lot – you can't second guess what the next tenant may want to use or whether it will suit them eg a 50 litre hws will not suit if they are going to have a commercial kitchen.

If you apply make the units self-contained, ie own ensuite/tearoom then the council will identify the units as such and knock back your application as non-complying uses. Have you considered building a boarding house (lots of concessions may apply) or student accommodation if near a uni/tafe?

Laws: mostly the BCA & Town Planning regs. Th building would breach on the grounds of fire separation, smoke detectors, plumbing, fire escapes, exit & emergency lighting, fire hose reels/hydrants, paths of travel, noise separation, accessability, parking requirements etc just to name a few. If there was a fire causing death, you could well be pr…[Read more]

Do a search on http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au go to check a licence. If you have his trading name, builders licence etc you will be able to find out whether he has been taken to the tribunal before.If you look at the street directory and check the position of the runways against the location of the unit it wil give you a rough idea of whether you are…[Read more]

If it is a recent subdivision and there is plenty of new site land available, the likelihood of a spot rezoning are minimal.

Regarding a certain project manager – "…can't tell the difference between sh!t and clay…" A vital distinction.

The downside for your location is that your street will become a thoroughfare funnelling traffic 24/7 to the shopping centre however this should be more than compensated for by being able to offer the larger block/freestanding house which is not available in the newer development.Resales in your estate have already lost their gloss of being new so…[Read more]

It depends on many factors including what do you want to achieve?If you live in an area which is away from the coast, evaporative coolers work quite efficiently (although it can get a little damp), 'whole of house' fans are able to extract heat and draw in external air (works really well if the house is raised and air can be drawn in from below or…[Read more]