[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

March 1, 2009 - 1:11 pm

I don't know where you get off thinking your step daughter has an easy life. There she is, saddled with the raising of a child single-handedly before she has even had a chance to put her toe into the workforce. She should be working, hanging with girlfriends and boyfriends and clubbing and having a fun and discovering herself, Instead she's had to grow up and take responsibility for another human being.

People seem to think welfare payments provide a luxury lifestyle. Well you should try it for a while.  Let me tell you than any gov't handout is a subsistance.  I was one of those single mums raising 4 kids and living on welfare. '4 kids' you say… I must've been rolling in it eh? HUH!When my husb died leaving me with 4 boys under 8 and a mortgage I was grateful for welfare payments but I soon realised that it didn't stretch to luxuries like birthday parties,  movies, new clothes, fast food or any other treats that other kids took for granted. I'm not suggesting that welfare SHOULD be more than subsistance but we need to look after these people because you never know when it might just be you down at the welfare office.

I know you talk about the sacrifices you made early in your marriage but you had a goal. You worked together, doing it tough for your goal of owning and paying off your home.All credit to you but that sort of goal isn't even in the radar for someone like your stepdaughter. She smokes…yes and it is an unfortunate fact that those who can least afford it have this addiction (stress?). Anyway the government now provides parenting payment only up until the child goes to school. I don't believe in childcare 5 days a week, 9 or 10hrs a day. In another age or culture it could be seen as abuse to separate mother from child for that length of time. After the youngest child goes to school the parent then goes on unemployment benefits with all the obligations for finding work that is required.

One other thought though………..Many economists are predicting rising unemployment. So if there is to be high unemployment anyway, why not leave those that are happy living in poverty alone and concentrate on providing jobs for those who find themselves retrenched,family to support,highly in debt, with thoughts of suicide. 

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 13, 2009 - 1:55 am

Hi Tanya
Is that anywhere near Fleet St? Anyway, regardless, I wouldn't buy there expecting much capital growth. You can work out the returns yourself. I doubt it would be worth it. Sorry to rain on your parade but I think if you can buy a cheapie house that is closer to the water is the way to go. People move to Redcliffe because they want to be near the beach.

Now I have a house down near Hercules rd primary school. I don't expect much in the way of capital growth. It doesn't get the sea breezes, and all the units/townhouses will one day be cheap housing for the unemployed. They don't stay new and shiny for long. I'm not concerned about my house because it is brick and tile and has a grannyflat out the back which I rent out separetly. Thus, the return is great.

Of course this is just my opinion.
Good luck in whatever direction you choose.

People make a big song and dance about the new bridge……a bridge that was needed and promised 20 yrs ago. When they built the Houton hwy, it was supposed to go in one direction while the Hornibrook went the other….thus providing the much needed 4 lanes. Well it didn't happen. Finally something is to be done and it will be adequate without being more so.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

May 14, 2008 - 11:26 am

discombobulate What a great word!

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

March 2, 2008 - 2:39 am

I provide a roof over their heads and fix all the little things that are totally neglected in my own home.

Good tennants will always be good tennants just as rewards aren't going to change a bad tennant

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

March 2, 2008 - 2:37 am

2 bedrooms?

Have you any idea of costs involved in transportation and hooking up services. (SE qld)
thanks

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 27, 2008 - 7:01 am

CENTRELINK! Boy was I glad when I kissed goodbye to parenting payments.

What Margaret Lomas told you is correct re cross-collatorising home with IPs.  Unfortunetly, or fortunetly I was first told incorrectly by Centrelink that I could buy an investment property. (you know how you can  phone centrelink 5 times and get 5 different answers?) Anyway I went ahead and bought two, all crossed with my home. Then Centrelink caught up with me and told me I wouldn't be eligible  for parenting payment and that I owed them 10k.

At first I was at panic stations. I refinanced so the houses were no longer crossed-collaterised. But by then they had increased in equity so I was over the asset threshold. I had caught the property bug and didn't want to sell. I bit the bullet and kissed goodbye to parenting payments. (my god i can't tell  how great that day was). I still get family benefits A and B and with 4 kids it is significant. Then I drew down money from my home and used it for living expenses and bought other investment houses.

Doing what I did is not for the faint hearted and you must purchase houses in high growth areas. I understand that you do not wish to take this gamble so you will need to find the deposit for your investment property which is usually  20% and as you won't want high growth (so  you don't cross the asset limit threshold) you'll want a good return on your money.

But consider this; Parenting payment is about 14k/yr. Now if  you bought one 300k house and it increased by 8%/yr,  there would be an increase in value of 24k/yr that you could refinance and live off.
goodluck

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 27, 2008 - 1:00 am

Ok this is the advise i  give my sons……." don't get a girlfriend till you're thirty"  Seriously tho girls shouldn't expect boys to shout them anymore. And getting tied to a relationship and living in your own home is not a good recipe.  I know logic hasn't a chance against testosterone. but do try to select a gf who has similar goals.

I didn't get into  property investing till I was  late 30s, widowed with 4 kids. Im steering my kids towards trades (preferably different ones all in the building industry).  I am a teacher by trade but my boys understand that I could never really get ahead on wages. It is through property that i have found teh financial freedome to spend time with my kids.

If you have financial freedom  you work only because  you want to. Aim for that. Go to uni then and become a sculptor or wotever you want to be.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 15, 2008 - 12:11 am

Buy a highset home that you can wack in a cheap granny flat downstairs and get a boarder in. Thats what I do. I hardly see him.
He pays $150/wk adn for that he gets free electricity and internet and we share bathroom. He is actually an investor himself but being single it's cheaper to rent. Of  course I had some duds before I got this gem.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 11, 2008 - 9:51 pm

Yes condog, I was reading  the weekend courier mail the other day that 53% of Australians pay off their credit card within the interest free period (me and probably most of us on this forum are in this category)
Same survey said only 13% paid only othe minimum off their monthy credit card bill. All the media hype of Australia's debt is media hype.  I'm not saying it isn't significant. but it is not as bad as it the media would have us believe.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 8, 2008 - 3:18 am

gees i recalll when we got married, I had a house, he had some city property. and some rural property…I remember how we both decided we wanted no debt.and when we sold the lot we still had this 'massive mortgage of 60k hanging over our heads"
We sold it all to buy one really nice house. Now if only I knew then what i know today…….
Dont we all say that.

However that probably isn't your situation. Is it really essential to sell now? It must be aggravating knowing how much you got the other one for. If you could possibly take it off the market for six months and then put it back on. People begin to think there is somethign wrong with a property if is keeps the 'for sale' sign too long.
best of luck

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 5, 2008 - 3:45 pm

Ok its official. I hate microsoft and my next puter is going to be a mac. I  hear safari loads twice as fast as any other browser. windows sux and so does explorer.  i am happy using firefox. I currently have vista and wouldn't encourage anyone to upgrade to it. If I could go back to XP I would. Every time I want to open a new program the damn thing asks me if I'm sure I want to open it!!!! grrrrrr Id love one of those vista nerds to ask me that when I had my hands around his neck.

Then it will tell me I need administration access to open something. IM the only person who has ever used it. There  is no administrator.

As for the mircosoft xbox 360…….total dud. OUrs, like everyone else does or soon will , has the three rings of death. I know one bloke who has put it in three times for repairs during the yearly warranty. Now unless you buy the new Elite model for 7 to $800 it is virtually impossible (brisbane) to get one of the older more reasonably priced xbox 360's cos microsoft know they stuffed up causing them to overheat.

VIVRE LE MAC REVOLUTION 

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 4, 2008 - 9:41 pm

I hope some more knowledgeable people reply to your post.

My guess is that during a recession, interest rates are high so it becomes a struggle to hold on to your property. On the other hand, if you are cashed up and ready to go, there should be some bargains to be made as there will be a glut of people needing to sell. Properties go down in price.

On the other hand everyone needs a place to live. I think the govt will need to put some incentives in place to ensure investors stay in the market. They don't want 2million homeless people. I think people and families will 'double up' so instead of teh luxury of living alone, they will take in a boarder or if the house is big enough, families will share. Actually  I believe this is already happening.

If you are a long term investor, you expect the low times and have to see it out.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

February 1, 2008 - 11:57 am

Well I'd be getting some costings and at the moment tradies can ask plenty.

I'ts a nice big house anyway, Would the rent be any different if you made these changes? What would be the capital growth if you made those changes? Would there in fact BE any cap growth. Ask an agent.

Personally I'd be putting hte money toward depost on new IP

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 30, 2008 - 12:33 pm

I wonder how many of us in the same situation as the vendor would keep the money. We are in the investing game and if we were to get a windfall because someone was ignorant of the procedure and failed to secure a solicitor, would we keep the money?

I might be inclined to keep an amount that covered mortgage repayments for a few weeks until a new buyer was found but no where near 20k. But Im not even sure I could do that to someone.

'what goes around, comes around'

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 29, 2008 - 12:42 am

glen, I have sent you a PM. it certainly IS ipswich Qld.

lol matthew.  A builder mate of mine saw the house above and wants to take over the agency for it cos the agents were so slow in doing anything about it.  Now he is big and has the brawn , it is the other 'b' word I wonder about.

I rang one of those tennants referees and discovered he was a landlord himself, He was able to recommend them cos he lived downstairs while they were up and he didn't stand for any nonsense. He didnt bother about rules and regulations of the RTA. If you didn't abide by his rules , you would be out on your ear before  you knew it.

Now I'm guessing there are a few mavericks out there who manage their own properties and act in the same way. They aren't about to confess it here knowing it is totally illegal. Occassioanlly I wish i was a 6ft 5, built like the proverbial ****house, and just growled at tennants. But hey, Ive had a lot of tennants and these are the only ones who have caused such grief. Law of averages……has to happen to all of us sooner or later.

Actually now that i think of it, my father in law was a landlord of 5 acres in brisbane for years. (it's now a petrol station, macdonalds etc) Now he never bothered with RTA. He didn't care if they grew a bit of pot just so long as the house was kept tidy and rent was on time. If it wasn't on time he kicked them out. They weren't going to kick up a stink and have teh cops sniffing around.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 29, 2008 - 12:42 am

glen, I have sent you a PM. it certainly IS ipswich Qld.

lol matthew.  A builder mate of mine saw the house above and wants to take over the agency for it cos the agents were so slow in doing anything about it.  Now he is big and has the brawn , it is the other 'b' word I wonder about.

I rang one of those tennants referees and discovered he was a landlord himself, He was able to recommend them cos he lived downstairs while they were up and he didn't stand for any nonsense. He didnt bother about rules and regulations of the RTA. If you didn't abide by his rules , you would be out on your ear before  you knew it.

Now I'm guessing there are a few mavericks out there who manage their own properties and act in the same way. They aren't about to confess it here knowing it is totally illegal. Occassioanlly I wish i was a 6ft 5, built like the proverbial ****house, and just growled at tennants. But hey, Ive had a lot of tennants and these are the only ones who have caused such grief. Law of averages……has to happen to all of us sooner or later.

Actually now that i think of it, my father in law was a landlord of 5 acres in brisbane for years. (it's now a petrol station, macdonalds etc) Now he never bothered with RTA. He didn't care if they grew a bit of pot just so long as the house was kept tidy and rent was on time. If it wasn't on time he kicked them out. They weren't going to kick up a stink and have teh cops sniffing around.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 28, 2008 - 2:18 pm

I apologise Prop1 for offending you.I wasn't really defaming an entire nation as only a very small minority of Africans are white. . To me it was only yesterday(early 90s) that apartheid was abolished. 80% of the African population was unable to vote, they had second class education and health facilities. Black women did not get much education if any, and were often seen working for  a pitance in an average white home. Ok so it wasn't slavery…..but only just. Gees they even  had separate buses for blacks and whites. It was outrageous.

But how different have we been in our treatment of Aboriginals. They didnt get the vote till the early 60's. ANd I think it was 1967 they were allowed to take part in the census. Im pretty sure that it was over 2007  years ago that a poor family with only a donkey came to town to sign a census.

My own country's history shows I am in no position to point the finger at people who were born where they were born by the stroke of luck. There is certainly nothing constructive in me making racist comments even if those comments weren't aimed at the underdog. I think sometimes we get so caught up in our ambitions  that we forget to give back to the community and to those who are not well off.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 28, 2008 - 8:59 am

I got a pool put in last year. It is kidney shaped so 9m  long x  3.5 and 5m wide.  Was a good time to buy in brisbane cos with the water restrictions the pool industry was doing it tough. I got the pool with fence for 33k and a further 4k for the solar heating. . The solar means we can swim most of the year and with 4 boys and their hundred mates, it is great entertainment. Thoroughly recommend the solar panels.

Incidently I asked a local agent if there was any increase in value with a pool. They  told me it adds about 10k so that was a bonus for me.Not sure about Canberra tho.   I guess in canberra you  could use it as a skate rink in winter

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 27, 2008 - 10:14 pm

Trakka,
I'm not sure about the laws on doing a major reno while a tennant is in place, perhaps it is perfectly legal. Personally  I try to do those sort of things between tennants but if I did, I would certainly be offering a rent discount. These landlords promised jack (when he was in his 80's) that he could llive there for the lenght of his life. Now obviously they didnt expect him to live that long.

Anyway I have since found out that there is no bond with the RTA and there was never a lease set up. (just 4 weeks rent in advance) Now I'm pretty sure this isn't legal. So I shall find out who is in the poo tomorrow.

[MillyMember@millyJoin Date: 2004Post Count: 288]

January 26, 2008 - 3:20 pm

Now the other problem is that real estate agents and property managers probably more so, move around a lot. They might be with harcourts one year, professionals the next and then Ray Whites.  A  new principle property manager may change the whole attitude of the office with his/her enthusiasm and diligence. So I think it is a bit hard to single out particular offices. word of mouth is best so if you had a property in in say bathurst, you could ask the forum if they had any recomendations.