fWord, I disagree – I’m not convinced that interest rates are the reason for the retail sector’s current issues. Sure, rates affect consumer sentiment but world issues including the sovereign currency crisis and the US economic woes are possibly contributing significantly more to the feelings of angst that Aussie shoppers are reflecting.

While I…[Read more]

Perhaps the question shouldn’t be so much “will Australian house prices fall?” but what are we (as individual investors) doing to offset the potential risks, in our portfolios and investing strategies.

Robert Kiyosaki’s books definitely provide insight and education that the mainstream economics and financial teachings don’t.
Kiyosaki himself states that he is a good marketer and like everything, (including courses we attend on investing), his books are a product designed to sell for a profit and provide a benefit in return. That doesn’t mean…[Read more]

As always, Steve gives us good food for thought.

Our Australian property market, like every capitalist market in the world, is governed by two fundamental forces – supply and demand. The demand of properties depends on many factors, but ultimately the buyers are people – and many are investing for capital gains. If the perception of likely future…[Read more]

About the resource that Paul Dobson mentioned earlier in this thread – I haven’t seen Paul Zalitis’ wrap kit, but I know Paul and he’s a nice guy.

His website is : http://www.aussiewrapper.com.au/

I went to the seminar with a few friends and thought the whole event was excellent. I agree, it may be hard to justify the price of the diamond seating, but hopefully if you bought the tickets in that area, you could make the most of networking with the others who could also afford the price and get some good contacts!!I was very inspired after…[Read more]

Hey A.L.

Congrats on making an offer on your first property.

I’m not an expert, but have signed a couple of contracts in the past.
As far as I know, you can put whatever conditions you like in your contract – it is up to the vendor to accept or reject your conditions.
Once you have both signed the contract, then it is legally binding.

There…[Read more]

Pasandbec

People who behave like the colleague you describe are usually low in self-esteem, and react the way they do because they feel threatened (either consciously or subconsciously).

The first thing to do is remind yourself that YOU ARE RIGHT. No one has the right to make you feel threatened or bullied. Despite his outwards tough appearance,…[Read more]

Hi Mikala,

My understanding of it (though I am not an accountant), is that you can claim:
1. The costs of interest on borrowings if there is the intent for this property to produce income (eg you intend to rent it, even if you aren’t renting it while it is being built)
2. The associated loan costs (eg mortgage insurance, loan set up fees etc)…[Read more]

Before you sack the agent, schedule a meeting with him / her. Tell the agent you need to discuss managing the property and can you find 30 mins when you won’t be interrupted etc.

Find out why the agent doesn’t want to increase the rent. Tell the agent how you feel (eg that they aren’t doing what you want, and you are considering finding another…[Read more]

Have you organised someone (eg a rental manager) to manage the property for you in WA?

A rental manager would be a good person to do the final inspection prior to settlement.

If you are not going to be able to visit the property easily (ie if you are staying in NSW), then you really need someone local who can look after the tenants, manage…[Read more]

If you aren’t going to view the property yourself, make sure you have complete trust in the professionals you use to carry out your due diligence for you.

If you haven’t used a particular building inspector before, I wouldn’t use one unless they came well recommended by someone you can trust who has used them in the past.

I’ve been suprised…[Read more]

Hi Hound Dog,

Welcome to the forum!
I thought you were me! (But I didn’t remember adding this post). I did pop over to NZ last year, and was checking out properties in Dunedin, while I was on a conference (a veterinary conference, not a real estate conference).

I was more interested in Oamaru, prices seemed to be on the rise, but not too high…[Read more]

Hi Pasandbec,

I hope you found a form!

It’s been 48 hours since your urgent post. I have one that I’ve used for a few tenants, which I can email if you are interested. Always willing to share. I consider any form a “work in progress” – can always be improved!

I assessembled mine from various sources on the internet etc… and have done OK with…[Read more]

Forget the Eastern States teams, West Coast sits tied in the top three! Lets see if we can hang in there for a grand final victory this time! [strum]

Good luck selling your house!

And Welcome to the forum [biggrin]

Don’t rush into any sale, if a real estate has keen buyers, there will be more out there.
Do some research into what your house is worth (eg prices of similar houses in the area etc, or get a valuation – banks will usually under value a house, so take this into consideration).

And…[Read more]

Hi Kurra (and everyone)

I am in pretty much the same situation as you Kurra. I’m also living in Sydney, and about to make the metaphoric trans-Tasman crossing to invest in NZ Real Estate. I have two Oz IPs, but I’m still pretty new in the Investing game.

This is my first post on PropertyInvesting.com, but I’ve been watching the posts for a…[Read more]