From high property prices to restricted borrowing capacity and even sky-high rent costs, it’s harder than ever for first-home buyers to break into the property market. The Reserve Bank’s 13 interest rate hikes, sluggish wage growth, and higher deposits are just some of the many factors that have put many buyers on the back foot….
With our housing markets picking up around Australia there’s a whole young generation of first-home buyers getting onto the property ladder. The problem is, many of these First-time property buyers forget that the purchase price is not the end of their homeownership financial outgoings. There are a number of expenses that will continue for as…
One of the skills of being a good negotiator is knowing when not to talk but to listen. I have found that many inexperienced negotiators are too eager to show off just what they know. This can work against them as they often reveal too much too soon, in particular about what they are willing…
Some of the most attractive homes are hiding a stack of problems. That is the thing about property flaws: they’re hidden beneath the house, in the walls, or are simply hard to detect with the naked eye. You end up falling in love with the home, its attractive décor, and you buy it. Then six…
Deciding to sell a property, whether it’s an investment or your own home, is a big step. You might be planning to upsize, downsize, relocate, or let go of an investment; regardless of your motivations, selling your property comes with a lot of considerations. Choosing the right real estate agent is key in helping you…
The Reserve Bank’s decision to hold the cash rate steady at 4.35% in March wasn’t surprising. Many are betting on a downward trend in interest rates soon, though the exact timing remains a mystery, with some commentators now, believing it will be later in the year, initially hoped for. According to PropTrack’s Senior Economist, Eleanor…
New data reveals the Australian suburbs in each State where house price growth has outperformed the rest over the past 12 months. PropTrack data highlights suburbs with the strongest growth in values over the past year in each statistical area 4 (SA4) region, which are geographical areas defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics with a minimum population…
Mistakes are part and parcel of life and I see them as opportunities to learn valuable lessons. However, when it comes to property investing, mistakes can prove to be very costly. So much so that they can often prevent investors from getting past owning one single property. I must admit it…in my early days of…
Do apartments still make good investments? During previous property cycles new and off-the-plan apartments were popular with many investors. However, I’ve always maintained that most new and virtually all off-the-plan units are not “investment grade” properties. That’s because of their cookie-cutter designs, lack of scarcity, poor owner-occupier appeal, and propensity to create oversupply problems during…
Australia’s population keeps on booming. In fact, the population of Australia’s capital cities grew over 500,000 in the year ending June 2023, the largest annual growth recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Beidar Cho, ABS head of demography said: “Australia’s capital cities grew by a record 517,200 people last financial year, with this…
