Good advice Jason but I have found this not always to be the case. You need to check and compare prices. It can work out.
Sometimes chasing the discount is more than it is worth. You need to value your time- sometimes we dont put ENOUGH value on our own time.

Bizziegirl good on you. You seem to have it all under control.
Kristin… you are so right too. It is hard to find a good agent to look after your property but when you find a good one- that are GOLD GOLD GOLD!
For me- you dont buy a car and do the service yourself- get someone who knows.
IN sales too- people think- oh thats easy but its not as…[Read more]

Having been a former agent- property management is the hardest thing to do. Sales is easy.
I have my IP on the market and I am happy to have an agent do it for me. If I was to rent it out again- same- I would get the agent to do it for me. They have a data base of tenants and buyers and have experience in working out the wood from the trees so to…[Read more]

Richard- I see how this happened- it just happened to me too for a 2 times. But I am not in Whisler Canada…..

Before you pay for any valuations – you could get a real estate agent to provide you with appraisals – For FREE. They should give you the approximate appraisal value on the homes along with property sales in the area as a full report. This will give you a good idea on how the market is around you.
Make your real estate agent your best friend. They…[Read more]

There is always another property around the corner- if you have the mind set that this is NOT going to be the last opportunity on earth and be prepared to walk away- then you will be fine.

If you have not signed – then you can pull out. It is not the way things run in Victoria- the buyer has to sign before the agent takes it to the vendor. In this case I guess the vendor has varied the contract making it not agreeable to you.
You can start the work after settlement.
The licence contract is really to protect you, and the scope of the…[Read more]

A licence agreement is usually at buyers cost. There are a lot of things that don’t seem fair but that is the way it is.
The vendor is under no obligation to allow you entry – really it is to your advantage. And think of the benefit- you get to improve the property while not paying interest.
You can go back to your original offer I guess and not…[Read more]

Newby23 – we were new players once too. You need to weigh up all of the pro’s and cons of a company structure. We set one up and I did not fully understand how this would work. Paul Dobson is right on the Trustee issue so you need to weigh up do you need protection or do you need the tax offset against your income.
Remember that losses if any -…[Read more]

Yes, get along to meetings and mix with as many people as you can who are into property investing. Its better than the BBQ conversation where everyone has an opinion on the property market and their tales of woe. You will sort out which way you want to go. From my experience- it matters little which property apprenticeship you wish to take on-…[Read more]

Get your own valuation or quantity survey done on the property- that will help.
Try the mining towns – not my favourite investment choice but you might find some FIFO opportunities there which might be new and CF+
And talk to a good broker- your situation is not so straight forward I would guess with a 457 visa. Is your sponsor or workplace able…[Read more]

Well I was going to say pebbles… after that? I guess you have to make some choices. What are you doing that you need to upgrade the garden? Is it s quick turn around? Can you put termite retardant – get a pest control company to do it and then put the bark chips down?

Why are we commenting on Jenman? I thought Steve McKnight banned this topic?
I think he may be flawed or he may be right – but it is not helpful to any of us here to be attacking him.

Yes, as you might have seen- RyanJD is correct – you just cant work on emotion with the banks. “Repossessions” always seem like a good deal but in my experience- and have had a few as an agent- they banks just don’t budge. They don’t care. They will wait for their price. We had properties for sale and they asked what seemed like outrageous prices…[Read more]

HHmmm How many times does Richard want to help you Miss Jay? I am not sure why the repeated same posts.
He is right though- will be harder but can be done. And I am sure it will be worth the effort once done.
I am in similar situation myself having separated from my ex.
It is a good idea to meet with a broker to see how it can be done so that you…[Read more]

McBeefy, depends what you want to do. You can pay your rent and just as you say pack up and leave when the lease ends or you can buy and build up equity while you pay the mortgage. In the longer term, property is a good investment.
It would be a good idea to rent first and get a look at the market- what is a good area and what is not. So move in…[Read more]

Yes, of course- Geelong is good buying. Corio and Norlane are on the Melbourne side of Geelong. Mark is right and so is Gameplan.
Did you end up buying anything?

You are selling with an agent or you are selling yourself (privately) so you are still selling- it makes no difference- you still need a statement of what you are selling and contracts.

Yes, Terry is right- you have to prepare a contract of sale. Essentially in Victoria at least, what you are buying is the title to the property, the contract is what sets this out.
Think if you are buying say a jar of vegemite in the supermarket- you know the size, what is inside and what you are getting- what do you get when you buy property? You…[Read more]

Geelong is a great investment area I would say- that is my opinion. If you have up to $270K to spend- then look at where you can spend that sort of money. Will $270K get you something in Geelong South? Probably not -so go to Norlane and Corio then. I know someone who has invested in these areas- property prices have continued to rise – his…[Read more]