Look up Moama Fusion

1 – yes, face blockwork is a cheap & practical finish but render/plasterboard is more upmarket. When was the last time you stayed in a hotel with face block walls (& what did it cost you) – not as much as the Hilton.2 – if the wall has not been painted previously, you can rub the wall back with a timber block otherwise you may have to use a gritty…[Read more]

Stamp duty & legal fees?

Call council or workcover – he is required to keep the site secure. What if your kids or someone else's kids walked onto the site and had an accident or fell down a hole?What have they done to make sure that your house does not subside?

I'd be looking towards another accountant.

My first reno was kitchen, bathroom, carpets, fencing, metal roofing, window replacement, repointing, flashing replacement, sewer & plumbing upgrade, rewiring, laundry, replace a few ceilings, chimney sweep, demo & replace concrete stairs,  ant caps/termite protection, landscaping and a few other little items.

How long is a piece of string?If you buy a block and have to demolish the house, you have lost the value of the old dwelling – so you will either need to find a run down house or an underpriced block. You are then faced with the construction of two separate houses or a duplex.If you find a site where there is a 3 m setback for the driveway, or a…[Read more]

Planes are pretty much commited to their landing/takeoffs by the time they get to botany/mascot. Unless you are withing cooee of the flightpath (like Sydenham), then it shouldn't be too bad. All you can do is look at the maps, check air services australia website for the flight paths & number of planes which pass the area etc then take a punt.If…[Read more]

I can understand that the vals would have made an adjustment for gst however they should be stating the methodology used. For instance, if you were to use the margin scheme, then gst is not payable on the entire sale only on the difference between the raw and developed sites. If your cost of development is not too significant then the val would be…[Read more]

Unfortunately you are legally obliged to pay your strata levies as the admin and sinking funds cannot run in deficit. If it was underbudgeted, then a special levy could have been called to make up the short fall – this is not the strata manager's fault but the fault of the owners corporation for not getting onto it earlier. The costs will not…[Read more]

A balance of investments – property (direct/indirect), equities (local/os), Cash, bonds etc. You will need to have a formal strategy in place for your fund and invest according to the strategy.

Roof rejuvination, hws/plumbing/electrical system & tuckpointing – these always seem to be the neglected ones.

Not sure about the Melbourne scene however 4-5% + gst is not unreasonable for management fees (it would depend greatly upon the property).

Letting fee 10-11% + gst likewise  would be ballpark.

This hurts in the first year however the agent should achieve a lease longer than 12 months (a waste of time otherwise) – push for  a minimum of 3+ d…[Read more]

Not sure about the Melbourne scene however 4-5% + gst is not unreasonable for management fees (it would depend greatly upon the property).Letting fee 10-11% + gst likewise  would be ballpark.This hurts in the first year however the agent should achieve a lease longer than 12 months (a waste of time othewise) – push for  a minimum of 3+ depending u…[Read more]

A full topographic survey may only cost $1500-$2000 depending upon the site. I had the boundary IDed and a couple of RLs done for less than a grand. Do the ring around to a couple of surveyors.

Sounds like I too may be stuck – I have a heavily treed block so I can't even get satellite tv let alone solar to work, gas isn't viable as it is very hilly/rocky and hasn't been extended to our street.Are all-electric heat pump/electric boosted combo systems available?

Try contacting a local Fijian solicitor. Having your own contacts/family in the country may be an advantage if you need to have a local partner to buy into the country.

Selling your existing home and buying a new one will incur agent fees, stamp duty, legals, discharge of mortgage fees etc – none of which will increase your net worth. Consider refinancing (package structured appropriately with a sizeable line of credit for deposits etc), then purchasing your IP(s).Selling and buying will only chew up your c…[Read more]

I'd be putting down an option contract, at least you set the terms, pay a non-refundable deposit and can do your bidding without any pressure.

I have yet to see any guidance notes changing the basis for valuation. Direct comparison  will always necessitate getting back to a land value, the development model too, will always get back to a land value.In isolation a parcel of land with the appropriate zoning but too small to meet the requirements of the planning instrument will always be…[Read more]