Properties are still being snapped up pretty quickly, the latest data shows, but it's expected that more Australians will start falling behind with their mortgage payments next year. The struggles are likely to stem from the fact that while capital city home prices continue to rise, the increase in wages has been pitiful. Data company [...]
Australia continues to be a popular choice on the global investment stage thanks to its mature market and comparatively strong yields, although transaction volume has fallen this year as there just aren't as many suitable investment properties available. This is according to a study from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PwC which predicts emerging [...]
If you're a Gen Y-er struggling to get on the property ladder, we'll pause to let you feel sorry for yourself for a moment. And rightly so – you've landed in a generation where house prices are through the roof, education is no longer free and you'd better not require any healthcare or you'll be [...]
If you've ever dreamed of becoming a property tycoon with investments all over the country, it just got a bit easier. Scraping together deposits and worrying about complicated tax issues needn't be a problem, with a new company offering investors the chance to buy into properties one brick at a time. The latest property up [...]
While location is still king when it comes to driving up real estate prices, there's something else that encourages buyers to pay more – even if they may not realise it. It turns out that a good, functional floor plan can make a property stand out from the crowd and have buyers fighting over it. [...]
Selling a home can be one of the most stressful things you'll do in your lifetime. As can buying a home. Doing the two together? Surely double the stress. But buying BEFORE you sell? Why would anyone do that to themselves? The key to buying and selling simultaneously – or even buying before you sell [...]
Anyone setting out in property investment will face the question of whether to furnish their properties or keep them empty. A furnished apartment can fetch $50-$100 more a week in rent than its unfurnished counterpart, depending on the location and quality of furnishings. This might seem like quite a good deal for landlords, but some [...]
When it comes to buying your first home, scraping together enough money to meet your lender's deposit requirements can be a huge achievement, and it's something that increasing numbers of buyers are struggling with. But it turns out that for many, the financial worries don't stop there. A new survey by Mortgage Choice has found [...]
Oh, the frustrations of being a renter looking on as the capital city property market jumps from one success to another. We've got buyers splashing money around like they just don't know what to do with it - $1.4 mil for an uninhabitable Sydney cottage, anyone? And there probably weren't many renters jumping for joy [...]
You might think landlords are only in it to get their hands on as much cash as possible, but it turns out money isn't always their top priority, according to a new report. Finding a good tenant is now a higher priority than rental income for over 75% of landlords, and 82% are happy to [...]
The Holy Grail for any property investor is finding a market that is about to surge in value – and securing a property there before it does. Rental income may allow you to hold on to a property for longer, but it's capital growth which will make the biggest difference to your bank balance. The [...]
Whether you see yourself as a bit of a property tycoon or you're tentatively doing some research into buying your first investment property, you of course want to build up a successful portfolio that will give you a good return in the future. But with so many factors to consider, how do you find the [...]
Let's be honest, real estate agents don't have the best reputation amongst us lay folk, do they? They’re notorious for their shady personalities and underhand tricks, but are these preconceptions justified or should we wipe the slate clean and give estate agents a fair chance? Three agents have spilled the beans (some of the beans, [...]
Anyone who is considering property investment or has already taken the plunge will know that the process is full of potential pitfalls and dodgy characters who will say anything to get you to part with your hard-earned cash. For many buyers, the capital cities have become unaffordable, so the search for a property must begin [...]
Unless you've been living in a cave with no wi-fi for the last few months, you'll have noticed there's a big political battle going on over housing affordability at the moment. The Labor and Liberal parties are both playing the scare game and attacking each other's policies and claims, with talk of plummeting house prices [...]
