I use realestate.com.to source suburbs or towns that are within my budget, and that have the type of properties that interest me. Then i speak to property MANAGERs in area that I am interested in. They will give a more honest appraisal of areas that will rent well and areas to avoid. They are the people that landlords have a long term relationship…[Read more]

goldies,i was motivated to invest by my mum who worked her butt off to pay off my parent's home. UNfortunately my dad was a very poor manager of money. My mum cashed in her super when she retired with kidney failure, to pay off their mortgage, Sadly my mum died four years later at the age of 61. I don't ever want to be in that financial situation.…[Read more]

Perhaps you would have been better off waiting until july 1st where there are supposed to be new laws coming in to prevent banks gauging obscene fees from people when they payout or refinance loans. BTH why didn't you pay out the $20k on one day and then pay the balance on the next?

hi, Mave,googled house restoration materials melbourne and this was one link that came up. No idea if this is what you are after or not!http://pickwick.com.au/pro/jsp/product/ShopFoyer.jspCheersSonya

Andy, you appear to ahve a good income and reasonable equity in both of your properties. However, to be able to give you definitive advice there is a need to know what other liabilities a person has such as credit cards car loans, personal loans etc I would suggest you look for a post or reply by Richard taylor and Pm him with your more detailed…[Read more]

Have a look at ANZ i ahve an IO loan with a full offset account and a good interest rate. I have had the loan for nearly three years now, so not sure if the same deal is currently available or not. But it oculd be worthwhile making some inquiries.CheersSonya

The oher factor to consider is the need for more water in a spa to get the full 'benefit' this ,may be an issue in areas with water restrictions. Also how many people who have spas actually use them? Mos people don't have the time to fully utilise and appreciate them. If using the spa for children's baths would bubble bath affect the piping etc?…[Read more]

have you ever lived  in Melbourne? If no, it may be worthwhile renting or boarding for six months (renting)or three months (boarding) to get a feel for the place and to decide whether melbourne is where you really want to be. Are you going to be a long way from family and friends? These issues may change your mind. Also if you are actually living…[Read more]

if you choose to refinance with NAB be sure to make it clear that you do not want the properties to be cross collateralised. This becomes really messy if you wish to sell one of the properties.

I am not sure of the ramifications of redrawing the money and tax etc, however i know similair questions ahve been asked and answered before, you might want to check older posts. If you redraw the money and sit it in an offset against the current loan, then you are still getting the benefit of paying interest on a lower total loan, but you have…[Read more]

Cheers, glad to know that you now know that he is bluffing, now hope he backs down on his claims and revises his bill. Also nice to know that my limited understanding was correct. I haven't done any renos on my properties, but my late dad was a builder for over 40 years,  i was one of his offsiders when he built or home.i must have been paying…[Read more]

Great minds think alike. I would call this dude's bluff. Especially if he has added in things to the contract that were not requested and/or failed to deliver on items that were a part of the contract.Check with the bulilding tribunal if there have been other complaints about this builder. be sure to retain any and all documentation regarding…[Read more]

I don't know a lot about renovating, however, i thought that if you were not making structural changes and/or changing the purpose function of a room, then you don't need to have a development application or approval from council. However, if you remove walls make external additions or change the function of the room such as coverting a garage to…[Read more]

I read that article and it was so selective in which suburbs of the cities it included. it also did not compare apples with apples. the sydney family bought a five bedroom two bathroom house, the price of this was compared with a two bedroom apartment in some of the other major cities. What a load of bollocks!!!

the cost fro tree removal sounds fantastic, tree removals in the blue mountains cost minimum of $2000

palmer, the property you mentioned sounds like a good buy if you plan to buy and hold. Also are you planning to pay principal and interest or interest only? Water rates usage are generally paid for by the tenant only sewerage and supply by owner. Check with the real esate agent what these fees and charges are. i own a number of regional properties…[Read more]

You also haven't mentioned if you are an only child or not. If there are other children then what your mum chooses to do may also impact on them in the future. If there are other chidlren in your family? if so, perhaps they should also be a part of this decision making process. If you continue to live in the townhouse after the passing of your…[Read more]

Aren't section 32 only a Victorian 'piece of paper'. We don't ahve these in NSW. Where is the property?

oh look while we are talking dreams i want a five bedroom house, two bathrooms, inground saltwater pool, couple of acres for some horses for the kids and helipad to be able to travel to anywhere that i want to go without having to sit in traffic for hours 

Brutal but fair, why should we be asked to fund someone's extravagant dream when we, ourselves in all liklihood do not live in such a property. I have a suggestion for ELJ, How about you learn a thing called delayed gratification and wait until you can afford such a home. In the meantime I suggest getting a job and formulating a budget and…[Read more]