Even though the Gold Coast airport is only months away from signing a contract to have flights to all the mining centres for fly in fly out workers?

Why buy two in Dysart Matt?

Hi Shooshoo,

You need to look at the following factors:
1. Approved projects/investment for an area
2. Study the EIS (environmental impact statement) of each project. This will tell you a) construction workforce b) long term workforce c) life expectancy of the project d) accommodation requirements for project
3. Above 2 points for proposed projects
4. If that all points to growth in employees living in a region/town on a long term basis the continue your research to…
5. Then look at the town that the projects will affect, the accommodation in the area, the land available, the land coming up (council or real estate agents should help here). From there you should be able to have a rough idea if demand will severely outweigh supply.

That’s all summed up pretty short, it can take a lot of research to get all the info if your looking at dropping 500k into an area but that’s the basic starting point to know whether a long term investment is viable and profitable.

Cheers,

wow you got yourself into a bad one here!

Wow Andrew property number 23! that’s dedication! do you charge a flat fee or charge by how much work is done by you?

As an agent selling properties I may seem crazy here, however we charge a commission to the builder for getting them bulk sales throughout the year without them having to market and have displays etc. Our fee is quite moderate i must admit, however i do know that others charge upwards of 35-40k for this (to the builder). From a personal point of view, to go and charge an extra fee to the client is pretty rude.

Places that have “strategies” are refined strategies from personal investment (most of the time you would hope this is the case). That’s what I show my clients, what I have done and how I do it. The majority of my clients honestly struggle to come up with a strategy, however a lot of people can and do. There is no ONE way to invest in property. I have my ways, you will have another and someone else will have another again. Find what you’re comfortable with, is the first step in choosing a team. If you aren’t comfortable with doing much yourself, then a firm that sells and project manages will suit you (if buying new), if you’re happy to do a bit more work, then a buyers agent will suit you, if you want to do all the work, then do it! Then choose the location. Look for what you think will grow. At the end of the day just because one person told you that an area or a certain radius from the CBD is the only way to invest doesn’t mean you cant loose sleep over it. Do what you’re comfortable with.

I personally have chosen regional Qld and talk the benefits that I have found from it to my clients, however I still get people turning around and asking how much will it grow in the future. I nor anyone else can answer this about an area (how long is a piece of string) So when clients ask me this I know that they are not ready for the risk, they still want that re-assurance which is something that at the end of the day only you can provide (or until the property has made significant capital gain then you can sleep).

Hi Tony,

You’re correct on what I am thinking, I have tried to get a couple of my builders from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane to go there and they have all looked at it and come to that conclusion. Gladstone has risen dramatically this year alone, and I believe there is more to come. However from a new home perspective, Land seems quite expensive which is pushing the new home price above valuations. I must stress, these are my thoughts, not my knowledge, i will know a lot more when I’m on the ground (which was going to be tomorrow however there was not ONE place with available accommodation! can only be a good thing!)

Buying a bit above Val has never bothered me if there’s a lot of activity happening as it can only be a matter of 6 months and you’re even sometimes. I will let you know what I see and think. What areas have you been looking at?

Cheers, Josh

what state was your sale in?

Hi QM,

I will be going to Gladstone on Wednesday, also will be meeting for a second time with shell/arrow energy and will have a lot more info on stage 1&2 for you.

You may want to follow my blog as I am spending a lot of time throughout CQ over the next few weeks for research etc.

Hi Coalstar,

Banks are fine with Emerald, In fact the banks LOVE IT! I have Westpac offering to fly anywhere in the country with me when i do seminars on Emerald/CQ. LVR does not get affected from my experience (banks may differ but in general). What does get affected is the valuation.

As for “floodproof”…one would call Toowoomba at the top of a range flood proof but this was proven wrong this year too! I say that as i think it is not possible to call anything flood proof any more. However, in regards to the rivers rising etc, against many people belief, a lot of Emerald did not get flooded! and i mean a LOT!

I build most of my stuff in an estate that is the highest part of the township so I would consider it to be “floodproof” in my own terms but we never know what mother nature can throw at us!

have you been to Emerald before coalstar?

I agree with Terry here, there are so many options in the property world, and in fact so many people with different opinions as there are so many ways to make money in property. There are safe ways, there are risky ways and there are ways in between. Its hard to even recommend who to see, I know a financial advisor or planner would state the obvious but even then you are facing a biased point of view if you get the wrong one. Also if you ask the wrong person about something they don’t know eg a structure or area lets say, then quite often they will dismiss the idea without giving it any thought.

This is how I work when it comes to property, and I stress I am in no way giving advice here. I look where I WANT to be in 20 years (long way I know), then I break that down to where i NEED to be in 15 years to achieve that 20 year goal (although in 20 years a lot can change I know also). From there I break down what I NEED and where I NEED to be to get what I WANT right down to today.

However in saying this, I found it easier said than done initially. It took me a number of years to get the ball rolling smoothly. It doesn’t take everyone that long maybe I’m just a slow learner (You’ll see Nathan Birch got the feel of his model fairly quickly). Any property advised based person can help you “map” out a strategy, I do with (not for) my clients and so do many others. However each person is going to make that map relevant to what they know, and in a some cases to what benefits them also. I think at this stage there is no right or wrong answer for you, seek AS MUCH advise as possible, decipher what you want or need to, work out what and where you’re comfortable with, and pick what YOU think will grow and will help your strategy.

Hope this helps you,