I meant to say that if the condition is good, but the look is dated, you can always change and/or paint doors and door handles, and replace/respray benchtops. You can get lots of good bits of shelving etc to help with storage too, at much less cost than replacing everything there.

Weigh up whether the kitchen needs full removal (due to condition, really bad design etc…) or simply needs to be done up. Check your measurements then explore the possibilities of finding a second hand kitchen to fit, or getting a cheap new one flat-packed from Bunnings or Ikea. You may find the cost is similar for all new if you use the cheaper…[Read more]

I was quoted $20K for a 20square, six bedroom house in Katoomba about three years ago, but that's the only time I've had to look at a re-roofing because we found the brand new panels that the owners had just had installed before going to market were cut too short and made the roof leak. We ended up not buying that one…Basic gutters on a 10…[Read more]

Yes, definitely avoid the blow-in stuff! It's nasty. Not only does it pick up everything from dust to creepy-crawlies (mice and roaches love it!) and even asbestos in fibro houses, but it breaks down to useless faster as it settles, and has a horrid habit of falling through your man-hole and getting tramped into your carpet (and that you *don't*…[Read more]

Jebro, it's what they call in the trade an "Eff-off figure" (had to censor that… you get my drift!). They throw a silly figure at you for a small job like that on the basis that they're only prepared to do it if you're silly enough to pay it.Thankfully, you're not silly! Good on you for having a go at doing it yourself.Here's a good tip from our…[Read more]

I'd suggest starting with a subscription or two  to property investing and mortgage mags. They have a lot of really current information in them that is updated monthly, as well as solid articles  to start from.DWolfe is right: You've got a whole country to shop in. If there are empty rentals in your area, consider Sydney. Most of the market is r…[Read more]

Hey! While I'm not the moderator of this forum, it seems to me that two people are attacking a person who was making an offer to swap info in an effort to broaden his horizons. FWIW, I've met a few quiet investors who hold similar amounts of property at similar ages, so why is that so implausible if this person wants to share her experiences?…[Read more]

I agree with Scott…

Even properties in Mt Druitt, which is a pretty rough part of Sydney, go fairly well with a good insurance policy behind them. Never underinsure!

Sometimes talking to the strata managers to see if they have any problems with tenants can be useful. We had an interesting case with one of our clients where we introduced ourselves to the strata managers while doing the renovations, and when they heard we’d removed the tenants from number 16, they were over the moon because these particular…[Read more]

Hi SOLD,Personally I prefer to leave the majority of the painting and then the flooring until last (at least in the traffic areas where things will be dragged through while you're trying to rip out and install things like kitchen and bathroom. Best tip is to work your way towards the door so you leave minimal damage anywhere!If you're in Sydney,…[Read more]

It sounds to me as though you’re missing one vital thing here: You’re yet to take out a mortgage.

If you’re hell-bent on buying another property, you would do well to consider getting your own on the FHOG, and then transferring it into both of your names after the first 12 months are up. If you’re able to do that right now!

Hi Nit,

I’d say that in any market, as an investor you don’t want to be paying over the odds for a property that may deflate in value once the FHOG Boost has disappeared. Since you sound like you are going to rent the property out for a few years after you live in it to claim your FHOG, this may not be such a concern for you. Almost anything in…[Read more]

I think you should take the plunge and grab the FHOG while you still can. It's an excellent step on the ladder, giving you plenty of time to live in it and decide what you want to do later. Of course, after 6-12 months (once you got married) you could always decided to rent the place you buy out and move elsewhere with your wife. The Home & Land…[Read more]

I don't know about actual software that you can buy, but RPData's web site can give you all of the information you're after, and more, all up-to-date, in its subscription.The cost of the subscription is probably a bit prohibitive to keep up if you aren't buying many properties in each year, but I think you can get it for a month or so at a time,…[Read more]

Well, this thread was an interesting read.

I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for Jamie McIntyre’s course. The support and information provided taught me more in a single weekend (out of many available on the course) than I had learned in eight years of reading books. That support is ongoing for five years after…[Read more]

I didn't mind the IKEA benchtops we used in a recent reno, but I wouldn't recommend their cheapest one (simluated granite in laminate). Can't remember what it is called, but it scratched too easily. Have heard good things about the higher quality ones from Ikea (usually a solid colour laminate without the printing, which is what scratched), and if…[Read more]

If the smell is coming mostly from the kitchen and bathroom, it's possible that the water in the drains is stagnating. This happens even after a house has been vacant for two or three weeks (as it did with our place – 50 years old and original bathroom with dead seals didn't help!) and it's quite nasty.Stick some Draino down all the drains (sinks,…[Read more]

EBay has some great fencing buys as well. We got a  full picket fence second hand for only $230 when the pickets alone would have cost over $500 in Bunnings, and the rest we just made up from treated pine. There are probably some sellers with your stuff on there as well.In a rural area, wire fencing is probably not such a bad idea if you can make…[Read more]

If you Gyprock it yourself (not difficult to do with a good DIY manual), it shouldn't be too expensive. Gyprock is only about $14 for a huge sheet in Bunnings, and you can tape and plaster the joins yourself if you follow instructions carefully. PLus, it just screws in place. Remember that you will lose up to 50mm on each side of the room that you…[Read more]

If you Gyprock it yourself (not difficult to do with a good DIY manual), it shouldn't be too expensive. Gyprock is only about $14 for a huge sheet in Bunnings, and you can tape and plaster the joins yourself if you follow instructions carefully. PLus, it just screws in place. Remember that you will lose up to 50mm on each side of the room that you…[Read more]