There is plenty of room for special conditions provided they don’t contravene the RTA.

Something as simple as ‘…the tenant acknowledges that the owner has received development approval & may commence construction without further reference or compensation for disturbance to the tenant’, could probably suffice.

There should be full support under the bath – it reduces damage from point loads.

Bend the agent’s professional indemnity insurance. The initial judgement is against you as owner however you may be able to prove a case in negligence against the agent and to claim the same + costs.

otherwise you could look at some of the quantity surveyors’ websites

Some agents will accept a small part of the deposit on a card but be wary of the fees.

I am pretty sure that stamp duty must be paid by bank cheque – solicitors are pretty rigid on that count.

Generally , the ppor is exempt (not sure if there are limits on value).

There is also a test on how much you are allowed by way of liquid assets & benefits paid via redundancy.

You are probably best informed by contacting Centrelink.

Generally the only time that you can transfer between parties without payment of stamp duty is where you are getting married & splitting a premarriage asset or likewise for a divorce.Can you talk to the solicitor noting it was a menage a trois?

they may be cheap but what extras do yo pay for? Inspections, letting fee, lease preparation, adverts, monthly statements/postage/petties, supervising contractors etc – are these included or additional? What kick-backs do they get from their suppliers & contractors?

Let’s be a little frivolous & adventurous – in light of the most recent corrections to the stockmarket, possibly consider a diverse portfolio of blue-chip stocks which will pay handsome dividends considering the p/e ratio will be favourabe for a while. Just for good measure, throw in some REITs with OS exposure to capitalise on the strengthening USD.

I’m not 100% certain here Terry.
Although there is no gst on residential property per se, it is irritation input taxed which is then claimable.

I am aware of one person who has a similar property to one of mine but is a corporate owner registered for gst, he can claim input credits but we must rent out at the same price. So we are treated…[Read more]

Obviously the vendor needed a good loss to offset against another cg. Must have been some serious motivation there for the vendor.

What does that indicate for the wider Cairns market.

the cost will depend upon the scope

If you are rendering the walls you do use a cheaper brick. Rendering doesn’t add much to your thermal mass. You’d be better off doing reverse b/v with the timber frame & blue board externally to knock out the heat.

You might consider coloured render so it doesn’t need painting.

no real need to get a periodic lease – the 2010 tenancy act in NSW allows you to break that lease with minimal cost – 6 weeks rent if you are less than 1/2 way through the lease, otherwise 4 weeks.

You might also consider renting out of the area but close-by to see if the grass is greener in the next suburb.

If it is a new building then there may be a building defects/warranty period.

The main concerns are ceiling heights and possible tidal/flooding – there are plenty of threads on converting queenslanders.

Not necessarily advocating slum city but well priced properties in better areas which can still be held for capital gains in the long term and reasonable but not brilliant rent returns.

I know some owners who are happy with only 60-70% of market rent but the level of maintainence is quite low. When the Properties come to rent there are queues of…[Read more]

If there is nothing there to repair or maintain then it is not R&M.

You have purchased without these items, cannot lease it in the current state then it must be an improvement.

Tim, what do they say about fools & money?

Just because someone is an investor doesn’t make them any more astute than the next person. Most people are quite financially illiterate.

Don’t get me wrong, all agents should be trained to a higher standard not just those working with investors. The requirements for licensing is geared toward the…[Read more]

Just ask about the westpac experience in the 80’s when our rates were 15%+, OS rates appeared extremely attractive. Then the @rse fell out of the aud/exchange rate became less attractive & borrowers found they owed twice as much as they borrowed. Hmm……. Not so cheap anymore.