You may have seen an advertisement recently talking about the benefits of Shares Vs Property. Essentially the advertisement comes to the conclusion that “shares can work harder than property only with a lot less work”. The ad compares the results of investing $31,000 in 1993 either in a diverse range of Australian Shares or used as a [...]

In our last article we talked about the possible tax benefits when investing in property through a self managed super fund (SMSF). While taxation is undoubtedly an issue, and holding your investments within the most appropriate tax environments is vital to ensuring you maintain your wealth, today’s article will focus on one of the most [...]

Australia’s love affair with real estate as an investment has paid enormous dividends for investors over the decades. Real estate investment has helped many investors not only protect their wealth but also grow their wealth through much of the Global Financial Crisis. With Australia’s appetite for real estate investment remaining strong and many real estate experts [...]

Let’s take a look at a property which sold recently with Danielle Henry of Hocking Stuart:  8/27 Hill Street, Hawthorn. It was a beautifully renovated first floor unit in a nice quiet pocket of Hawthorn. On  the surface it had all the right investment grade attributes: it was a secure first floor unit, with a workable [...]

Over the past two weeks we have reviewed more than 900 properties in Melbourne’s blue Chip suburbs. Of those properties, 35 were flagged for inspection. Properties are excluded using strict criteria which includes the review of attributes like aspect, light, size, number of levels & legal ownership. Post inspections, 7 of these properties have been selected [...]

Some people think buying off the plan is an easy way to buy property and a fast way to make money. You put down 10 per cent now or, in some cases, as low as 5 per cent, with the balance payable in six, 12 or 24 months. This gives you additional time to save and the [...]

There is always a great deal of talk about “Boom” suburbs! The media love it, some so-called property experts love it, and it is a hot topic at dinner parties. “Where are property prices going to BOOM next? ” The word “boom” creates a buzz and gets everyone’s attention Unfortunately, a ” boom suburb ” can be like a [...]

It is of concern to me that this type thinking is so ingrained into people’s minds that you cannot even suggest an alternative view. What I am here to tell you is  that land does NOT go up faster than apartments in all instances. I would like to make my first point very quickly. If you have [...]

31 Clowes Street, South Yarra. This is one of the better inner city residences I have been to. Luxuriously appointed kitchen and bathrooms and very nice living spaces. The home was completely refurbished in 2007 by Nicholas Day and absolutely oozes class. We rated this property 638/1000. Positives [...]

9 St Columbs Street, Hawthorn A great crowd of about 150 people watched auctioneer Scott Patterson from Jellis Craig sell this well located home. Positives are the land size (approx 764sqm), great front and back gardens and the period features. The negatives are the positions of the bathroom and [...]

10 Murchison Street St Kilda East. I rated the home at 598/1000. About 30 people attended the auction on Sunday afternoon in a leafy St Kilda East location. The renovated Californian bungalow, sitting proudly on the street, attracted four bidders (multiple bidders a bit of a rarity [...]

16 Moss Street Prahran. Position AAA+++ in Melbourne real estate and a most fascinating auction. Marshall White’s John Manton began the campaign quoting $1.6m and auctioneer John Bongiorno opened the bidding with a vendor bid of $1.7m. Spirited bidding by two parties was strong with $50,000 bids, down [...]

1 Durban Street, Bentleigh. This home has been very cleverly renovated to a very high standard. In better parts of Bentleigh, my guess this is a million dollar plus home, but in this pocket, which I think can reflect Bentleigh East prices, probably held it back from a [...]

There are a myriad of questions and issues to consider when thinking about moving from the prized family home with the typical Aussie large back yard to the more confined spaces offered by the alternative style of apartments or warehouse conversions. From a longer term investment viewpoint, we [...]

Successful investing is about one thing – growth. In property investing, the cash flow needs to be affordable and make sense. Capital growth as the main driver or cornerstone. So how does growth work? Quite simply, growth comes from price increases, fueled by supply and demand, over long [...]

When talking to prospective investors, the most asked question is where to buy. Probably half of our investor clients like to know the area they are investing in; it just gives them some comfort and if the numbers stack up, they prefer the devil they know versus the [...]