What is your home’s energy efficiency star rating?
Would you find it helpful, to know the energy efficiency or sustainability star rating of a residential property before you purchased or rented it? It would certainly help buyers and renters make an informed decision about each property’s environmental credentials so they could value it accordingly. Energy Rating Systems for Property There are already energy…Read More→
Why does the agent need to inspect my property?
After a renter moves into a property, the agent is able (and in some cases – required) to inspect it periodically. There are certain rules about the inspections to make sure a renter’s rights and privacy is protected, and to make sure the inspections aren’t too frequent, or conducted with too little notice. Here is…Read More→
Stamp duty changes are coming…
At last it feels like stamp duty changes are coming. We have clearly now moved beyond any debate about whether stamp duty should be removed or not. It has been castigated as a draconian tax for decades by numerous tax reform reviews and economist. Now even the politicians agree. The 2 outstanding questions are how,…Read More→
How to win every lease application.
When the leasing market tightens, it can get tough for some renters to get their applications accepted. So how do you get approved for the home you love. Follow these tips and I guarantee you will push you application to the top of the pile. Smooch the Leasing Agent. Your application starts from the moment…Read More→
Who knows what the market will do?
Prior to May 2022, the last time Australia’s central bank increased the cash rate was in November 2010 to 4.75%. That was the end of a series of sharp decreases in late 2009, early 2010 (7.25% to 3.00% in 9 months) and then several increases to 4.75% in the post GFC years. It helps to…Read More→
Renting an apartment – Here’s how it works.
When renting an apartment, owners want a good renter on a long-term lease, but what should you do when that lease comes to an end? There are 6 simple steps. 1. Prepare and present the apartment for lease. 2. How to market and promote your apartment. 3. Open for inspections and the casual interview. 4….Read More→
What is the market rent for my property?
Assessing the market rental value of your property is simple in theory, but complex in practise. Market rent price. The answer is this. “Compare recently achieved rents for comparable apartments, and adjust those amounts up or down for variations to your apartment”. If only it was that simple… the theory vs the practise seperate very…Read More→
Why your Apartment Brand matters!
We know that certain suburb names define the cachet of its address, and by association the people that live within it, either positively or negatively. So much so, that sometimes people or business, will adopt the name of a preferred neighbouring suburb, so to leverage off its image. It’s called “vanity post-coding”. People will buy in a suburb in…Read More→
How much rent should I ask for my property?
A property investment owner wants to optimise the return, meaning generating the maximum rent, but also minimising costs. Importantly getting the highest possible rent is not just about the dollars per month. We often get asked… What rent should I ask? What are the leasing costs? How long does it take to find a new…Read More→
Why does Vic need Two Shared Equity Schemes?
State and Federal Shared Equity Schemes Aimed directly at lower to middle income earners, the Federal Labor Party announced the Help to Buy Scheme to support buyers, by funding part of the purchase of a residential property. If this scheme sounds familiar, …it is. The Victorian Labor Government has a very similar one, the Shared Equity Scheme. So…Read More→
Is a monthly mortgage really cheaper than renting?
It’s not the first time we have seen the “click bait” headline claiming a Monthly mortgage is cheaper than Renting. It glosses over a few issues. Some obvious, and some not so. Does every renter want to buy a home? Firstly, the headline assumes that every renter wants to buy a home. However, this is…Read More→
How is rent processed and paid?
Every month, billions of dollars pass through real estate agents trust accounts. How is it tracked, managed, and controlled? If there is one thing that is true about property management, is the importance of managing the money in a timely and easily understood manner. So here is how the money trail works from renter, to…Read More→