SUNDAY BLOG

Like no other real estate topic, this one gets hearts pumping and sometimes tempers frayed. So many people misunderstand the legal rules though, and in particular the relationship between the three. This is understandable, particularly given we’ve had recent changes to our Victorian legislation around how agencies can represent a price expectation on a property…

I presented recently to a crowd of interested property investors and as I always find, the answers at the end of the presentation were varied and thought-provoking. People often ask situational questions that give me an insight into what they are considering, what they’ve already signed up for, or what has perhaps frightened them. It’s no…

After four straight years of strong performance, heady auction results and highly competitive buying conditions, Melbourne’s market pace has finally slowed down to a more balanced market. What felt like the run-that-would-never-stop has been tackled by APRA (our prudential regulator) and our auction clearance still sits above 60%; technically not quite a buyer’s market, but…

There are multiple property investment strategies out there and while some Advisors have a preference for a specific strategy, there is no right or wrong answer, provided the investor achieves a suitable outcome. The differences in strategies revolve around how the debt is treated. It is either retired passively, retired in measured increments, or it…

We say it often to clients. “This is a financial decision and you need to separate emotion from the process.” It might be the selection of an investment property that matches all of the criteria set by the strategy, or it could be the avoidance of a home purchase due to a fundamental issue that…

This weekend we proudly represented four clients with purchase attempts, two successfully, and interestingly, both were in the same suburb and each had some commonality. Both were double storey townhouses in Newport, and both were priced in the 6’s. Our first successful purchaser came to us with a desired investment budget of circa-$600,000 and a…

In late 2014 our prudential regulator warned banks that the percentage of investment loans needed to decrease. Months later, APRA instigated some tough and noticeable changes and investment lending scrutiny began.  The consumer outcries at the time were mostly in relation to the new differential in interest rates. Investment mortgage rates had sat in line…

Property prices are impacted by many things, but the simplest of all drivers is supply and demand. Our stock levels have been particularly high so far for 2018 when compared to the stock levels of previous years and this could be attributed to several things; vendors capitalising on first home buyer demand, lending scrutiny precluding…

An eye roll or a sigh usually accompanies the thought of packing up and moving house. It’s disruptive on every level and while some people do it easier than others, it still requires time and energy – or money. Even when the task is outsourced the need to sort, cull and direct box handlers remains…