By Paul Wilson Lately there has been much talk about the recent major oil discovery in the northern corner of South Australia.  In fact, many property investors are already considering property in these areas.  But what exactly does this discovery mean for property investors and how can one do the research needed to know whether to invest or not?  Would this be a good time to invest in realstate in these areas?  Is the realestate market going to boom nearRead More

By Paul Wilson BIS Shrapnel recently released a report that said that although there has been a slight decline in median real estate house prices during the 2011-2012 financial year it is expected that with compound increases we should see house prices rise approximately 7% in the next three years. In fact, the prediction could be as high as 17 percent for Newcastle,NSW. Angie Zigomanis, property analyst and author of the study believed that there are several factors which areRead More

I have just finished watching the TV report on Channel 9 on termites in a rental property in NSW.  Not only was I horrified I felt sickened to the stomach to think that an investor could do this to unsuspecting tenants. The news item does show that it is not always the tenants at fault:  http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8478305/termite-terror It is unbelievable to think that an investor could be so lacking in conscience that he could do what he has done to theseRead More

When the question is asked about what real estate properties are going to be in demand in the future I immediately think of the family home, but of course from an investment point of view one needs to think more laterally.  Baby Boomer Requirements Australia, along with other countries,  is facing the Baby Boomer phenomenon and with it comes the demand for smaller housing accommodations.   There will be approximately 150,000 Baby Boomers retiring each year for the next 6 yearsRead More

During the topsy turvy couple of years that we have had in the financial world even the mining industry took some hits and at the time investors in those areas might have warned against buying in a mining area because if there was no mining there was no staff and consequently no tenants. But although possibly painful at the time, there are areas that are still developing in the mining industry and in Queensland there is a distinct security inRead More

The ATO now requires tax depreciation schedules to be drawn up by a licensed Quantity Surveyor.  Since July 2011 all quantity surveyors have to be licensed tax agents. One point to remember is that the cost of having a DS drawn up is tax deductible for a property investor. A tax depreciation report is lodged with the ATO and shows them the value of the property, any additional assets that have been added to the property in the past taxRead More

For the first time in many, many years the opportunity for Australian’s to buy overseas investment property has never been better. It is a long time since our dollar has almost been above the US dollar and Australian investors are keen to take advantage of the drop in property prices that have occurred in the United States, and also in other countries, PLUS USE THE ADVANTAGE OF THE HIGH AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR. Imagine buying a property for $40,000 today and inRead More

That is a really loaded question isn’t it? But one that gets asked on a regular basis.  Why it is such a loaded question is that Qld is such a huge state and has several aspects to it that attracts property investors. SE Queensland This area has a very strong growth due to immigrants. It is a very popular destination for over 50′s who want to spend their latter years in a warmer climate, but on the other hand inRead More

Property investors should keep on the lookout in Toowoomba.  This is not a selling line, but comes on the back of a report from REIQ Toowoomba zone chair Leon Carlile. In the next 20 years Toowoomba is expected to have an increased population of 20,000 due to industrial and commercial developments that are proposed or are in progress in this region. The construction of the Toowoomba Range Bypass alone, which is now waiting for finance to start the project, isRead More

I was looking on the internet the other day at the rental properties that were available and was quite surprised to see that the number of listings were very strongly in favour of units.  In the higher price bracket the houses were more in number but as the rental price dropped units were heavily listed. The interesting fact though is that in SE Qld the unit and townhouse market has managed to maintain a firm hold in the real estateRead More