Different trades and services have varying degrees of support depending on the forum you're on.

House of Wealth has well known posters who provide great advice on a different investment forum, and those above who recommend them are very active on those other sites.

That's all.

I would be interested to know how much in property those spruiking the US have actually purchased since the economy 'stabilised' just after the GFC.

I was there last month, and out of habit took a look at the property market in different spots around California (to be fair, not the areas discussed above). Regardless, the US economy is far from giving me fuzzy good feelings. I currently wouldn't touch that market as an investor from Australia. If makes a great hedge for the high aussie dollar, then again, I could just transfer the money over and sit it safely in a high interest bank acount in the states.

You would have to know the US market quite intimately to mitigate the risks there, and to do that, you would have to live there and make a living (perhaps one like selling US property to Australians who don't really understand the market over there).

As for talking up Section 8 tenancy, the government may pull the plug on that subsidy in the near future, and there doesn't seem to be tenant insurance over there.

Great of you to start so early!

First thing first, be sure to read-read-read and go to a lot of inspections. This way when you meet more knowledgeable investors, you can ask questions that will open you up to new possibilities.

Also understanding the lingo (you'll pick it up by reading through past threads on this forum), means you can follow what they are sharing.

In the meantime, try to determine what strategy will work for you. It will evolve over time, however having a direction and a plan of when and how you wish to retire (and what kind of person you wish to be) will mean you can move forward as oppose to sideways, backwards or nowhere.

As Freckle stated, be patient. I rushed my first investment as I just could not wait to jump in, was okay, though didn't work out as well as I would have liked. Opportunities of a lifetime come once a week.

Thanks Jamie.

Say I completed renovations and also bought the IP undervalue to start.
If it is 100% fixed, is it still possible to revalue and extract equity for a completely new IP purchase?

Sounds like a lot of risk for $12k. Is the $800k a conservative sales price? What if it takes 12 weeks to sell etc.

I had the same scenario drop into my lap last month. Same figures, I realised I’d rather use the money to buy 2-3 positive geared properties where the variables were more manageable.

Then again, I ain’t no millionaire :p

HI!
I found what helped a lot was hitting the streets and inspecting properties, talking to real estate agents and putting theory into practice. It really helps you work out what questions are good to ask and what information would be great to have/where to find it. Try putting in some low ball offers as well at some point to get a feel for how to negotiate, and you never know you might get one thru

As DWolfe stated. Write down your goals. One thing is knowing you want a property, another is having it written somewhere with a date, possibly a picture beside it where you see it everyday as a reminder. Perhaps even a reason why you want it written below.

All the best!

What kind of development? What's the area?

Would be great to see a breakdown of numbers and a % profit at the end including all exit costs.