Blog Central For Property Investors

Working with Facebook on Networked Blogs for Property Investors this section is called Blog Central for Property Investors

The concept behind this page is Blog Central.

Ok, so what is that? You travel around the Internet you come across a good blog that has good information in it about your passion for Property Investing. This Property Investors Blog Central stores a reader type application for browsing through and reading all the various blogs and also links to the external blogs themselves.

We have 302 blog pages to put in here and have layout plans to unfold more applications and functionality over 2009-2010.

Because the links below go to various web sites click on any link in the list below to open it in a new window then reading then closing that to return to the list!

• Don’t stress – Just focus on the facts
  As a project manager, one of the most difficult balances to maintain is your emotional buy-in to a project...
• Business Cases: Official vs Personal
  Knowing what you personally want out of a project will keep you focused on the right outcomes.
• How to avoid bank fees
  In the wake of new figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia showing that banks have earned more than $1 billion in exception fees during the 2008-09 financial year, it's timely for homebuyers and investors to consider how they can minimise the fees they're paying to their lenders.
• Property development tips
  When developing property, you create and manufacture equity through the development process rather than waiting for capital growth as you do when purchasing an existing dwelling, according to The Property School.
• Negotiate a better rate
  It's possible to negotiate with your lender to get a lower interest rate, according to Declan Murphy of Bidmyloan.com.au.
• Upturn expected in residential building
  Australia's residential building industry is forecast to surge in 2009/2010, according to BIS Shrapnel.
• Investors get ready to pounce
  82 per cent of investors are ready to invest in the next 12 months, according to a Loan Market Group online survey of more than 800 investors.
• Hotel transactions to improve
  While it's likely there won't be many hotels changing hands in Australia this year, things are looking up for next year.
• Dramatic drop in demand for Sydney office space
  The Sydney CBD, Australia's largest office market, has been hit hard by the global financial crisis, according to a recent report from the Property Council of Australia (PCA).
• How much will rates rise by?
  When the economy improves it's tipped that interest rates will rise by a lot, not just a little.
• Victorians hold their property the longest
  Property owners in Victoria hold on to their properties longer than those in any other state in Australia, according to research by property analyst RP Data.
• Low rates drive record refinancing rates
  Australians are refinancing loans at a record rate, in the process unleashing fresh spending power, CommSec chief economist Craig James says.
• Swan rules out plan for CGT on family homes
  Treasurer Wayne Swan says the government has no intention of charging capital gains tax (CGT) on family homes.
• Be ready for rate rises
  Preparation is the vital ingredient for borrowers when it comes to potential interest rate rises, according to Mortgage Choice.
• Recovery less than a boom
  THE real estate market is climbing but still lags behind shares.
• Choosing Master Bedroom Lighting
  When we were choosing the lighting for our master bedroom we had a lot to consider. There are two types of lighting that you need to consider when choosing your lighting options. They are: Work / Task Lighting Ambient Lighting Work / Task Lighting Typically your work / task lighting can be found in one, two or possibly three locations in the master bedroom. We have task lighting in only one location, but it would probably be nice to have it in the other two as well. The main locations for task / work lighting in a bedroom, in order of prominence, are: Bedside Tables Dresser Mirror Closet We have reading lamps on our bedside tables. In purchasing these lights we went for a 45watt light that matched our bed set on each bedside. I have also seen the reading lamps mounted to the wall above the headboard for the bed, which can be quite effective. Some dresser mirrors have lights built into them. This can help with getting dressed and ready for the day. Since we have an ensuite attached to our master bedroom we didn’t really have a need for lights for the mirror on our dresser. Having lighting in the closets is something that I am starting to see more of. Once it was something reserved to walk in closest, but now you can find built in lighting in standard closets. I’ve seen closet lights can be attached to the wall, in the ceiling or sometimes attached to the shelves in the wardrobe. Ambient Lighting The ambient lighting in the master bedroom is your general lighting. We’ve had the ambient lighting provided by wall light scones, a light attached to the fan, inset in the ceiling or more traditional ceiling lights. If done properly the ambient lighting can be used to really “set the mood” in the master bedroom. My favourite lights that we’ve had for ambient lighting in our bedroom so far was halogen down lights on a dimmer. There were four lights evenly spaced in the ceiling around a ceiling fan. The placement of the lights helped to stop the flicker that can sometimes being experienced with a ceiling fan. Being on a dimmer allowed the same lights to be used for a wide variety of uses. What kind of choices have you made in setting up your own lighting in your master bedroom? What have I missed in planning out bedroom lighting?
• Comment on How to get top dollars for your house by anil
  hi Dymphna i am a 1st home buyer i have $40000 in saving can pls advice when is right time to buy my 1st home because ppl are saying after 7-9 month time price will go down can u adive me thanks
• Comment on Chunk Deals for the Astute Investor by Christine Stow
  Hi Guys, I just completed the boot camp in Melbourne. It was Awsome! And I love Dymphnas audios. I run a coffee catch up meeting once a month. If you want to come and chat, visit http://www.womeninproperty.net.au. We let men come as well and we don’t make them wear a dress! We are embarking on some really exciting projects. We also plan on having a regular meeting for members of the Ultimate and Platinums groups. See you there!
• Comment on Chunk Deals for the Astute Investor by Stan Monteiro
  Hi Dymphna, Thank you for your very interesting article. Can I request some advice. A friend and I are planning to buy an old property in a growtrh suburb of Brisbane, renovate it and sell it off in say 3 months time. How would you suggest that we set up financial operational arrangement between ourselves for this project. I look forward to your advice. Cheers. Stan Monteiro
• Why mortgage payments should be a tax deduction
  Twas a hectic week. I spent way too long on the phone pulling together this little story.. My neck needs phsyiotherapy. My ear feels like a cauliflower from being glued to a telephone. My children have forgotten what I look like. But I did have an interesting conversation with Residex founder John Edwards. He has a theory that all property markets behave in a relatively predictable way, until they tip into unaffordability. Edwards says Sydney has been unaffordable for more than a decade, so Australia's other capital cities' are likely to follow a similar pattern, which is: Pattern 1: As houses become too expensive, more people buy units which means unit prices and sales volumes grow faster than expected (especially relative to past cycles). Pattern 2: Long term growth for house prices in unaffordable cities slows or stagnates, with Sydney's 10 year average median house price growth slumping to 6.12% pa compared to 10.64% pa for Brisbane, 9.97% pa for Melbourne, 11.21% pa for Perth and 11.49% pa for Adelaide, according to Residex. Pattern3: When house prices don't grow then rentals do, which generates significant political problems for the government. Edwards says it does ensure investors get quality returns but they come by way of rentals. "Sydney points to the future, as the markets for each capital city in Australia reach the limit of affordability," Edwards says. And is that a great future? With the bulk of household wealth tied up in residential property, who wants their greatest asset growing at a rate that may or may not keep pace with inflation? So here's John's idea to turn the market on its head without households having to lose any wealth: make the family home subject to capital gains tax but allow home owners to claim the interest paid on their mortgage as an income tax deduction. "Tax deductions for interest payments on the family home would dramatically change the nature of housing affordability," he says. "Unlike government (first home owner) grants, which simply increase house prices, this idea would actually reduce the stress on families trying to pay a mortgage." The idea is that new home buyers can elect whether to have their home subject to Capital Gains Tax when they go to sell, or take advantage of deducting the mortgage payments against their income. "The Capital gains tax rate can be determined so that Government can afford the process. But what it would mean is that the first home buyer would have more monthly cash flow to make repayments," Edwards says. I ain't no economist, or even a good number cruncher, but my very broad analysis below -- using the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the average mortgage in each state, 2006 Census income or each state along with Residex's figures for the capital city median house price -- shows such an idea would put around $4000 back into each family's pockets at the end of each year. Would that sort of sum compensate you for being taxed on the capital price growth of your property when you go to sell? NSW, Median house price: $577,500 Average mortgage: $283,300, Average income 2006: $53,872 Annual interest payment on 25-year mortgage at 5.8%: $16,431 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $4900 Vic, Median house price: $492,500 Average mortgage: $249,000, Average income 2006: $53,144 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $14,442 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $4300 Qld, Median house price: $452,500 Average mortgage: $270,800, Average income 2006: $53,716 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $15,706.44 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $4700 SA, Median house price: $379,500 Average mortgage: $214,800, Average income 2006: $46,124 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $12,458.40 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $3700 WA, Median house price: $475,500 Average mortgage: $282,800, Average income 2006: $55,432 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $16,402.44 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $4900 Tas, Median house price: $356,000 Average mortgage: $191,700, Average income 2006: $41,652 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $11,118.60 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $3300 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 15% tax bracket is worth around: $1600 NT, Median house price: $477,000 Average mortgage: $275,700, Average income 2006: $61,984 Annual interest payment at 5.8%: $15,990.60 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth: $4800 ACT, Median house price: $474,000 Average mortgage: $261,900, Average income 2006: $78,468 Average annual interest payment at 5.8%: $15,190.20 The mortgage tax deduction for those in the 30% tax bracket is worth around: $4500 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced 118,150 first home buyer grants have been distributed since October. Even if all of those were for the lower $14,000 grant then that means taxpayers forked out more than $1.65billion to boost the housing market. What's more, all those government dollars for first home grants actually ended up in the pockets of people selling homes because prices rose so rapidly. The grants not only cost taxpayers billions of dollars but also deterred first home buyers because of ever-increasing prices. Morgan Stanley economist Gerard Minack says the grants have "pushed already-expensive houses further beyond fair-value", leaving recent first home buyers vulnerable to rising unemployment and increasing interest rates. "Australian residential property remains expensive, and will likely prove to be a poor medium term investment," Minack says. "Whether there are large outright price declines will depend on employment. Where employment and incomes have taken a big hit -- largely in the upper segment in Melbourne and Sydney -- we have seen large outright price declines. If we see broad-based job losses, then that remains a risk for other parts of the property market." Maybe John Edwards' idea isn't such a terrible thing to contemplate after all? It might even get people thinking about overhauling that other great residential property chestnut: negative gearing. But that's a whole new blog topic ... Would you be happy to trade-off the Capital Gains Tax-free status of the family home in exchange for generous tax deductions for paying the mortgage on your own home? Or are we better to simply let the market take its own course and let house price growth start to lag of its own accord? (And if anyone's got any handy hints on how to fix a bung neck, please let me know.) Illustration: Simon Bosch
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