Hi Tombola,
I’m in the eastern suburbs too. PM me if you’re setting up a meeting, I’d love to come along. Great opportunity to share experience and ideas.

Leila

Thanks for the ideas guys. I’ve been doing a lot of reading of home magazines lately and partly why I started this thread is that it seems that typical “display home” style isn’t what people want any more – it’s becoming a little too common and therefore doesn’t really stand out any more.

My thinking is that you have to add some touches of home…[Read more]

Hi Spank, or is it Spanky? Hope that’s not the name on your loan application or you’ll really have trouble getting finance!! [wink]

I’m certainly no finance expert, but I’ve replied to your post because I know that the waiting can be hell, especially with a first loan application. It was quite a few years ago for me, but I remember it like it was…[Read more]

Thanks for the great thoughts Milty, David and g7 – I really appreciate the input. [biggrin]

For anyone else reading this thread, please keep the ideas coming.

G7, I love the shaggy white rug idea – you’re right, now that I think about it – I’ve been seeing them everywhere in the design mags. Totally impractical to live with, but they add great…[Read more]

Hi Noelsy,

If you are determined to do it yourself and not sure about how it all works, I would suggest doing a Real Estate Agent’s Rep Course, or similar, which includes basic training on Property Management – this includes info on all the standard forms (and how to fill them out!) and the legislative/ legal implications of managing a property.…[Read more]

Hi Jules,
Forgive me if I’m telling you things you already know, but if in Vic the town planning and building permit processes are completely separate at most Councils (silly, I know). This means you will possibly need to consult with someone in each of these departments.

If you want to do some preparation and feel more in control of your…[Read more]

Hi BlackJack,

In this situation I would have suggested talking it out with your neighbour first to see if a compromise can be reached. Given that you’re calling them “Evil” I suspect this may not be on the cards.

I would suggest checking with your lawyer as to whether there is any possibility of making a claim on grounds similar to adverse…[Read more]

Howdy!
There are lots of good fact sheets regarding different types of Trust structures at:

http://www.sjq.com.au/sjq/default.htm

Click on “Trusts”.

As a piece of general information, I am regularly involved in applying for land rezoning for land owned by my employer, in areas throughout Victoria. On average, a straightforward rezoning (i.e. has local Council support, no objections received from members of the public) will take approximately 1 year. This is a long time to wait – so you’d want…[Read more]

Andrew,
I did the REIV Agents Rep Course (at the REIV head office in Camberwell, VIC) earlier this year and found it to be EXCELLENT.

The course was delivered by current real estate practitioners, highly regarded in their industry, and the course material was current.

In particular, the section on the Residential Tenancies Act left me feeling…[Read more]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all the suggestions. I really appreciate you taking the time to assist, and will research your suggested brokers/ leads. Today has been a really terrible day for my husband and I (issues outside of investing), and I’ve been feeling very disillusioned. Your willingness to help a complete stranger reminded me of the silver lining…[Read more]

Thanks Steve, I really appreciate receiving some advice from The Guru!!

I’ll look into the websites you’ve suggested.

Hi J-Rock,
I assume you know that if you’re looking for an investment property at Docklands, returns are looking fairly poor at the moment.

Having said that, I actually think the Docklands environment is great – and is really well serviced with new infrastructure and the waterfront outlook is fantastic.

I know someone who has worked on a number…[Read more]