Hello people!
I will tell you the reason!!!!!
The west is flat and has a lot of estates that do not have outstanding features that people will pay more to live near. Except – williamstown, Altona, etc they have beach and closer to city.
The same reason the places in the East or North have lower values – Cranbourne, Dandenong or Thomastown for example, flat with no outstanding features. 
These lack of features will not put demand on a property/area which is what drives prices up.
 Just my opinion, not bagging out any area as such

Hi Nucopia,
You have a good pos cash flow portfolio there! Good work.

Property 1. Home paid $142k valued $350k owe $118k (originally paid $80k but did extension)
Property 2. Cairns paid $80k, valued $140k get $150 per week rent
Property 3 Kalgoorlie paid $136k, valued $230k get $270 per week rent
Property 4 Deception bay paid $180k valued $220k get $190 per week  (about to put it up!)
Property 5 George Town, Tas paid $145k, just settling now, get $175 per week

am about to start to look for a pos cash flow property to balance out any negatives we have. Am also working on reducing home loan debt!! I hate looking at it!! Have found a new strategy I am working on.

Hallo Kate,
It does sound like you have had a spot of hard luck or have you?
I wonder in which area you are looking for these properties? They sound very run down to me? Maybe you need to change your perspective on where you are looking/ price range?
As far as it goes with the house you purchased – you are giving contractual obligations to a vendor who couldnt care less about the state the house has been left in, not to mention the paint job they will be doing!  I would have reduced the offer and organised the paint job myself, at least you know it will be done properly!
I hope you have better luck soon and dont give up!
Tracy

Hi Abee,
I looked at that option 4 years back and even read his free book which I found a new learning experience and great read.
I decided 4k was a big amount and went on to do it myself and now have properties and shares and still buying!
Personally I think SELF EDUCATION is the key, there are so many resources and information out there, you just need to cut through the BS and sort  out what will work for you.
Im not discrediting the association, but just found it wasnt for me. If you have $$ spare and are time poor, then it may suit you.
Spend a good lot of hours reading through the past posts in this forum, you will be amazed at what you will find out!
cheers

Hi Devo,
Yes you are correct – based on the information you have given them, they have worked out that you only need to pay %15 tax after your expenses are taken in to consideration.  Therefore – the current gross income (pre tax) you receive every week will have %15 tax taken out of it instead of what you were previously paying (maybe around %25??)
The tax dept will send a letter to your employer and once they receive it, they will alter your tax rate.
Good on you for doing it yourself – an accountant will charge about $250 to do one of these forms for you. I have always done my own variation forms and not had a problem.
BUT hopefully you have stated your figures correctly! I always under estimate my expenses slightly.  Remember to make adjustments if needed during the year.
Q: What will you do with the extra $200?? A: INVEST IT
cheers
Tracy

I was really excited a long time ago when I first read the Kyosaki strategy about deferring Cap gains tax. I quickly contacted my accountant who told me we cant do that in Aus! Bugger!
Anyway, forget about that and move on to other strategies…

Hi Milly,
Yes it all sounds good when they put it together in a 5 minute story!
There are some parts of the building process that need to be left to the professionals, especially electricals! You cannot finish off a building without certiain certificates anyway and also not sure how council or insurance would cover you.
You can still become an owner builder and do part of the work, but organise qualified tradesman for the necessary parts. I found this really enjoyable when we extended our house and I designed the extension and organised plumbers, carpenters etc…. but i still got to install a flat pack kitchen myself and do all of the painting etc. Also, hubby is an electrician so saved heaps of money there $6K!
I guess it depends on your strategy…if it is only to make money then you may be worse off doing it all yourself as it could take 10 times as long to build! If you are doing it for the experience, then start small at first.
There are some TAFE courses that you can do like Building design etc… that dont involve as much time as a trade. Im currently looking into those at the moment.
Good luck with it..
Tracy

Hey Nick,
I have found Margaret Lomas books invaluable when purchasing. There is one called pocket guide to positive cash flow investing, which has step by step notes on the buying/searching process and what questions to ask. I think you can buy them on her website destiny.net.au. Her strategy is pos cash flow and cap growth.
happy reading

TD

Have you thought of extending the house and staying where you are? This would be a cheaper option and has worked for us. If you work it well, you can even make money, but that depends if you want to stay in that area or not and also if the house is suitable for extending of course.
You can save on stamp duty and other moving costs this way.
Anyway, just a thought!

TD