Viewing by month: April 2010
Holiday homes and investment properties - have you considered these locations?
I was recently talking to some ski fanatic friends of mine who are thinking about buying a place in the NSW snow fields to visit once a year. Based on their research so far, the limited number of properties available and their associated (often high) prices are proving to be a bit of a barrier. I’m sure my friends are not alone in this finding. Our conversation got me thinking about...Read complete post
Tips for selling your home in the winter months
I probably sound like a broken record, but who can believe how quickly time is flying? It seems like only yesterday that I blogged about how best to approach selling in the hotter months. Now there is that distinct chill in the nighttime air that can only mean winter is fast approaching.Interestingly, people often shy away from selling during the colder times of the year. I think there is...
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The benefits of using a property manager for your investment
Everywhere I look at the moment, people seem to be buying investment properties. I find interesting the number of people who don’t understand the effort and time that is often required to successfully rent a property out to tenants and maximize the return on your investment.As a time-poor investor myself, I usually find that the most cost effective and time efficient way to manage a...
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Where will you be living in 2036?
The subject of Australia’s population seems to be quite a hot topic in the news at the moment. Over the last few weeks I’ve read in The Australian that our country’s population is growing at double the world average, with Sydney alone expected to top six million people by 2036 according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Being in the real estate industry, these figures are of great...Read complete post
Rising interest rates and real estate
Well, I think we can finally assume that it’s official; interest rates are on the rise. Last Tuesday saw the Reserve Bank lift its cash rate by 0.25 of a percentage point, taking it from 4 to 4.25 per cent. This was the fifth time the Bank increased rates in a seven month period and they show no sign of slowing down...Read complete post
For Buyers - How to Confidently Prepare to Buy at Auction!
So you’ve just sold your house (see previous blog –For Sellers – How to Handle the Auction Experience), this is your first time buying, or you’re bidding for an investment property. Given the auction frenzy that seems to be occurring in the market at the moment, it seems that whatever your reason for purchase, participating in an auction could very well be a process you’ll have to go through to...Read complete post
How to handle the auction experience (for sellers)
For anybody considering selling their house, the auction method can seem quite daunting. I mean, who wants to stand around watching a group of strangers play bidding wars to buy your home, or worse still, what if nobody bids at all? While thoughts of these scenarios can certainly be stressful, as somebody who has had quite a bit of experience with auctions, I can tell you...Read complete post