If you want to get the best deal on a property, it’s going to take more than writing an offer and crossing your fingers it gets accepted. Effective negotiation isn’t rocket science, but it does require knowledge, effort and a fair amount of patience. Before you start offering purchase prices to agents, make sure you’re…
While it’s not typically required by law, most financial products such as ETFs and managed funds report historical investment returns over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, as well as since inception. This data is incredibly useful, as it allows investors to assess performance over the short, medium, and long term, all of which are…
“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…
Ever heard of the 1% rule in property investment? It sounds simple, even seductive. Buy a property where the monthly rent is at least 1% of the purchase price, and you’re set for positive cash flow. In theory, it’s a quick way to separate good investments from bad. While you may come across this a…
Nationally, housing affordability has deteriorated badly since the pandemic. Cotality data shows home values are up 46.8% in the past 5 years. The median dwelling value has gone from 6.4 times, to almost 8 times median household income. Median rent across Australia has reached $672 per week, with rent values up 43.8% in the past…
We often talk about Australia’s retirement system being one of the best in the world, underpinned by compulsory superannuation, the age pension, and voluntary savings. But the latest HILDA survey reminds us that the real wealth divide in retirement isn’t about how much super you’ve got – it’s about whether you own your home. The…
If you’ve been watching the property market and wondering where the opportunities lie, here’s something that might surprise you – more than 60% of Australian households are made up of just one or two people, yet, most of our housing stock is still geared toward families. That’s the “great mismatch” highlighted in Cotality’s latest research…
Buying a first home is one of the biggest financial decisions a person can make. There are so many questions to consider it can be hard to know where to begin. Where should I be looking to buy? Should I buy a house, or an apartment? And should it be an established home, an apartment…
For homebuyers and savvy investors alike, the latest insights from Cotality offer a fascinating look into the value of location – especially when it comes to school catchments. In Sydney and Melbourne, families are paying premiums of up to $1.3 million to secure properties inside top public school zones. That might sound steep, but here’s…
Over the last 50 years in property, I’ve seen this play out time and time again… The real fortunes in property aren’t made during the boom. They’re made before the main property boom by investors who recognise the signs, trust the process, and have the courage to act while everyone else is sitting on their…
