Just because You can, doesn’t mean you should, or it will suit your retirement goals…

When investing in SMSF, you need to evaluate a lot more factors than just your super balance. for instance:
* your age/years to retirement?
* your risk profile/liquidity needs
* your current and projected income / job security
and a fair few other factors.

You should speak to a financial adviser before making any decisions. especially with ‘special investments’.

:)

A lot to consider. perhaps consider talking to a financial adviser or investment mentor who has been there and done what you are wanting to do. There are a lot of hidden costs involved with subdividing and building duplexes etc…

The good news is, you guys are in a fantastic financial position for your age. Most people try to get in your position at age 50+. A lot of your strategy should incorporate ‘wealth protection’ strategies.

Good luck! keep us up to date on how you go!

Sometimes these companies can provide a great service to those who lack the ability to find the right debt structure and investment avenue.

However, I think it is important with any of these companies to check the following:

1. Where the company is receiving their income (is it the finance, the property, the land… etc.) – Ask for this information up front.

2. Ask to see a list of related entities/companies that may also be receiving income from your investment/debt consolidation. This may be a way the company is receiving income from you without having to disclose this to you.

3. Get your own independent property valuation. This may cost $200 but worth it if you are making a $400k investment.

4. Visit the area you are investing in. If it is an obscure area you don’t know much about, jump on a flight or take the weekend to go see the area and talk to locals. (again this may cost $500+ but well worth it to educate yourself on the area).
– Sadly this is (but not always) a 101 trick from ‘property spruikers’ selling your overpriced property in an area you are unfamiliar with.

5. Ring the local council and ask questions about whats happening in the area. Bureaucrats love to speak sh#7 about their area, but at the same time will also give you the truth about “proposed developments” and “growth”.

6. Realestate dot com can be a powerful tool to keep ‘spruikers’ honest. If you find that you are not give the actual address of the property you are buying until relatively late in the discussion, then this could be because they dont want you doing your research.
if your property is 8 Great street… google 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 on Great street and google map the suburb and check surrounding subburbs. Onthehouse.com.au provide great info on sale history and valuations.

Can anyone add anything else to this to ensure your investment stacks up?

All the best!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by  Jimmy86. Reason: spelling

Interesting.
I always had the perception it was shady.
It is such an unfortunate name ‘rent to own’ it sounds dodgee and gives media such a head start… haha.

I have found Ryan at Onproperty pretty handy. provides good education on how to find your own CF+ properties.

http://onproperty.com.au/free

You'd be surprised how far a good bleach of bathroom tiles, sinks and windowsill clean/paint + buying a $50 new basin/tap set (from bunnings) can make a bathroom look 5 years younger and add value to your rental asking price. 

We have an IP with beautiful hardwood floors and have bought cheap bulk/scrap carpet to DIY cover the living room and bedrooms. AKA rental proof our flooring, which is a major feature if we decide to sell it in future.

Cameron Winklevoss: Bitcoin Might Hit $40,000 Per Coin:

http://mashable.com/2013/12/16/cameron-winklevoss-bitcoin/#!

Wouldn't it be great to know a few celebrities, buy some BCs and then get them to jump on reddit and speculate the sh!t out of it…

#winning

Hey mat,

Just make sure you scope out the FULL amount of fees before you proceed with your property purchase, and make sure you get all these fees in writing before you proceed either way.

Also (and possibly risking hatred of myself to other forum members, considering it being a 'property investing forum') …consider diversifying your investment plan with your SMSF.

As there is a lot of industry buz happening about people with lower balances entering the SMSF sphere and purchasing a single asset class with their whole balance.

ie buying 1 x property. – puts you at more risk than possibly in your retail or industry fund.

see: http://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-funds/smsf-alert-on-property-20121204-2as1l.html   

Also, with your fees, you would need to take into consideration considerable increased 'insurance fees' to cover yourself, your family and investments'.

In saying this though, I don't want to scare you off. Property investment and borrowing to invest in property is the fastest growing sector within SMSFs. And the majority of Australian's are most comfortable investing in property because they are familiar with it, and have done very well with it, and the Australian market is relatively stable.

We would advise you to consider either pooling with a family member or salary sacrificing to boost your balance and consider some cash/equity diversification to buffer yourself and satisfy the 'sole purpose test' that ASIC are warning about.

I'd consider getting a statement of advice drawn up to consider your age, income, contributions, retirement goals and then assess if property is going to suit you.

Best of luck!

One of the main reasons Bitcoins will not achieve mainstream success will be that it is not pinned against any security or intrinsic value. Ie our centralised currency is pinned against (from memory) the gold standard. and currencies used to even include gold content in coins… "cash" began as a certificate system against your gold holding… ie. if you had a $100 bank note… you held $100 worth of gold in the bank…

We have heavily moved away from this system… ENTER: Global Financial Crisis.

But this is why currencies with good government guarantees and banking regulations tend to attract wider investment.

I see Bitcoins as a means to an end… I think there will be a single global currency that will eventually emerge, and i think it will have aspects of 'bitcoin' but it will DEFINATELY be:

1. pegged against something (ie. precious metals) or some government

2. will be regulated and controlled by governments (or one global government / IMF).