While property investing may be simple, it’s not easy and that’s not a play on words, because many investors end up paying a huge “learning fee” or “Stupid Tax” as I like to call it. A fee that they didn’t expect to pay. That’s because choosing the right investment property comes down to much more…
Believe it or not, more than one-third of everyone working in Australia was born overseas. In our capital cities, that figure rises to around 42 per cent. In my mind, those numbers should change the way we discuss migration because overseas-born workers are central to the Australian economy. They help staff our hospitals, care for…
Should you drink coffee before going to bed? I occasionally do and I thought it didn’t affect me. But I’m not sure after reading research that suggests that when consumed a few hours before bed, the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world seems to disrupt the body’s internal clock which sets biological rhythms such as…
The numbers look seductive. Higher yields. Longer leases. Tenants who pay the outgoings. So it’s no surprise many residential investors start wondering whether commercial property is the “next logical step” in their investing journey, especially after the text changes with the recent federal budget. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: commercial property is not just residential…
In a world that celebrates instant success and quick gains, we can easily forget that anything worth having doesn’t come easy. Real growth – in business, investment, and life – is built on a foundation of hard work, resilience, and patience. In my mind, it’s the very struggle that creates the value. The path to…
Covid. An energy crisis. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Surging interest rates. Inflation. Changing rental regulations. A federal budget that spooked half the investor community. At some point in the last few years, every single one of those events gave a perfectly rational investor a perfectly rational excuse to sit on their hands…
Negative gearing on established homes has just been abolished. The capital gains tax discount you’ve relied on for twenty years has been rewritten. And somewhere between the government’s press conference and the Treasury modelling, a trillion dollars in debt got added to the tab for a generation that hasn’t even been asked if they’re willing…
Australia’s housing shortage is usually blamed on population growth, sluggish construction, planning delays, labour shortages and the rising cost of building new homes. All of these factors matter, but another powerful force is sitting quietly in the background. Australia has around 4.5 million baby boomers, aged between 62 and 80, and many remain in the…
“What do you want your retirement to look like?” Most people pause when I ask that. Then they give vague answers: I want to travel more” or “spend time with the grandkids.” Nice ideas. But vague answers don’t lead to meaningful action. At Metropole, we’ve learned that the best way to help our clients build…
Australia’s property downturn gathered sharp momentum in July, with Cotality’s national Home Value Index (HVI) falling 0.7% – the largest single -month decline since December 2022. The downturn is no longer confined to Sydney and Melbourne, as cumulative demand -side pressures pulled previously resilient mid -sized capitals into negative territory. Every month, investors, homeowners, and…