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Q. I have saved up a 20% deposit as you recommend and want to know whether I should buy a home or an investment property?
Here’s a question I was recently asked that I thought was a good topic to share with my blog readers.
Keep interest rate rises in perspective
The Reserve Bank announced another rate rise of 25 basis points this week with official interest rates now at 3.5%. There seems to be wide spread agreement that rates will continue to rise over the next year or two until more ‘normal’ levels are reached.
The downside of making a pre-auction offer...
Yes there are some negatives to showing your cards early in a negotiation that you need to consider.
Find out the hidden costs
Make sure your investment property will work for you by knowing all the costs upfront. A cost that is often overlooked is the strata fees which can range from around $800 a quarter for a standard 2-bedroom apartment up to $2,000 or more for a high maintenance residence.
Before you borrow – think beyond the next five years!
Prospective home buyers often get so excited about buying their own piece of paradise that they forget about evaluating the future. They base their home loan on their current financial circumstances and don’t take into account their future plans.
Pest and Building Reports... who should pay?
Following is a copy of my letter to the editor at the Sun-Herald:
Be very wary of rental guarantees
I have been warning people about rental guarantees for over a decade in articles, books, and media interviews however it appears that prospective buyers continue to be fooled by the slick marketing.
Home sellers put on notice
Media reports this week say that the ACCC will be bringing in very heavy fines – not only for the selling agents but also for the vendors who engage in underquoting.
Beware the low interest rate lure
Don’t go overboard with the current low interest rates. Whilst rates are at 49-year lows, remember that they won’t stay at these levels for the long term.
Don't trust all you see online
With our busy lifestyles it’s easy to take short cuts to speed up the process. In real estate I’m finding more and more buyers are relying heavily on internet searches to find their new home or investment property.