A good investment property can fast-track your future finances. But buying the wrong one can be disastrous. Here’s a few things to consider when determining a property’s investment value.

The key criteria

1. The basics
   Design-wise it must have a good floor plan, a sturdy structure and an adequate amount of natural light. The neighbours and street also make a difference – is it quiet during the day but loud at night ( or vice versa); is there a lot of traffic noise; is the street made up of primarily rental properties; and so on.
2. Buyer and tenant demand
   Knowing who is buying and importantly, who is renting, in the surrounding area is critical in determining whether the suburb and incumbent property is a good investment choice. Talking to estate agents at open for inspections is a great way to build a picture of what is happening in the area.
3. Amenities
   It makes sense to buy a property near amenities but which ones? Using the information you gleaned from estate agents, consider what might be most important to your potential renters – shops, cafés, restaurants, schools, community centre, sporting facilitates, public transport or freeway access.
4. Suburb demand
   It almost goes without saying you want to buy a property that is in demand. But how do you work this out? Research is key.
   Investigate the suburb’s future plans – think infrastructure, new schools etc. Next, take a look at the last few years of property prices and the area’s population growth rates. See if you can find out forecasts for both too. Collating this information will give you a picture of the suburb’s potential and whether it’s a good investment.

On hand help

Both being informed and working out your numbers is crucial in making a great investment decision. But it’s also important you fully understand where you stand financially. If you’d like a bit of help on this front, our team of experts can assist in reviewing your current situation. Please feel free to get in touch.

If you’re a young Aussie trying to buy your first home, you know exactly how hard it is to get your foot in the door … of the bank that is, not the potential property! But the federal government recently announced a new superannuation scheme that might just make it that little bit easier.

The First Home Super Saver Scheme

As the name suggests, the First Home Super Saver Scheme targets first home buyers. As of 1 July 2018, those who qualify can take out any voluntary superannuation contributions made after 1 May 2017 to put towards a deposit on their first home. Voluntary contributions include personal as well as salary sacrificed ones.

How you benefit

By using this scheme, you’ll get a considerable tax break so you can save up for that all-important deposit much faster. It may be a better alternative than getting taxed at your marginal rate and then putting whatever you can afford to save into a savings account – especially when you consider super fund returns are generally better than bank interest rates!

Getting further help to secure your first home

Still not sure if this scheme is right for you? We can help by looking at your numbers and discussing the options available to you so you’re well on your way to getting that dream home , rather than later!

Please remember you will need to check with your own fund and a super expert about how this may work for you.

We’re in the midst of an inner-city housing affordability crisis. But we believe there is a solution – one that rests on the shoulders of the IT sector, big business and government.

The ‘why’ of the inner-city housing price hike

Property prices within 15km of the CBD have doubled over the past 5-7 years as population increases have placed a huge demand on houses. It doesn’t really matter what the government does to try to encourage people to live further out, people will continue to choose to live close to the CBD to reduce their work commute (which is where the majority of jobs are located).

The solution
As we see it, three big sectors of society can combine to address the inner-city housing problem. Here’s how:

1. Big business & IT
   Large companies and the IT sector can create multiple ‘regional hubs’. Companies such as Telstra, ANZ, CBA, IBM and PWC can join forces with the ‘techies’ to utilise technology to set up remote satellite offices in regional areas such as Bendigo, Ballarat or Geelong. Staff can work from any of these satellite offices, ‘dialling in’ to head office to work with their team. So an employee at the CBD ANZ office could choose to move to Bendigo and work there, but still continue to remotely connect with their colleagues in the CBD and beyond. This eliminates the need for the entire team to be in the same office.Imagine a future where Bendigo has 20-30 satellite offices of the ASX top 30 companies. And the same exists in Geelong, Ballarat etc. These new regional hubs would reduce demand on inner-city properties, thereby easing the housing affordability crisis.
2. The government
   Government can also play a huge role. They can offer tax incentives to big businesses – or even joint partnerships – to facilitate these changes and assist with associated costs. Rather than spending billions making bigger highways and adding to the inner-city crush, they can spend it on establishing thriving regional hubs. Places where people can live and work from – rather than concentrating on CBD offices as the only option and placing a strain on the inner-city housing market.

If you’ve got some more innovative ideas about how to solve the inner city housing crisis, please feel free to connect with us and share them. We’d love to hear your suggestions.