Posts by Mike Mortlock
The ever-changing demographics that drive smart investment decisions
Those who know me, know I don’t mind a chat. Whiling away my time via the exchange of ideas is a joy. Best of all, it’s a move out of my professional comfort zone – a chance to expand the mind beyond ‘rates per square metre’ and legislative minutia. Economists, builders, buyer’s agents and investment…
Read MoreWhat you need to know about under-insurance & online calculators
In 2004, consumers responding to ASIC’s ACT bushfire survey, 2004, found that the level of under-insurance in Australia is high. Data collected found that in Australia: Between 27% and 81% of consumers were underinsured by 10% or more In 2005, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, issued a report titled “Getting Home Insurance Right”. Within…
Read MoreBushfires & Floods – The cost of a Natural Disaster to home owners
Australian Research In 2000, the Construction Data division of Reed Business Information Systems (Reed) surveyed 1000 randomly selected homeowners. They concluded that: 87% of homes were under-insured by any amount The average level of under-insurance was 34% In 2002, the Insurance Council of Australia conducted a survey of seven companies sharing 80% of the home…
Read MoreQuantity Surveyors – accurate replacement costs of your development
In a recent review for a client on their building insurance, our client witnessed first hand how easy it is to be under insured. In this instance, our client owned a 2,850 m2 industrial building in the north-west of Melbourne VIC. It was constructed of precast concrete walls to a height of 1800mm high to…
Read MoreWhat sort of tax deductions will a swimming pool give you?
Swimming pools and depreciation – What sort of tax deductions will a swimming pool give you? It’s not unheard of for an investment property to have a swimming pool, certainly a shared one as part of the common areas of a larger unit development is very common. However, residential houses with swimming pools aren’t terribly…
Read MoreMost common building defects in residential multi-owned properties
In a recent research paper pertaining to the examination of building defects in residential multi owned properties, there has been some great findings. These findings were authored by Nicole Johnston (Deakin University) and with Sacha Reid (Griffith University). In summary, two studies have been undertaken to identify the most common building defects in residential multi-owned…
Read MoreAn Expert Witness Case Study – Owner V Builder, August 2019
In a recent expert witness case that I was asked to provide my opinion of costs on, the result has now been published. Background The background to both applications is best described as: The Owners’ sought damages from the Builder in respect of: o (Item 1) Defective and/or incomplete works (the Defects Claim); o (Item…
Read MoreDeductions & Depreciation for all – Why the kids are doing OK
Like any good analytical thinker, I love to hypothesise. Some think it’s a character flaw, whereas I – and those of my quantity surveying ilk – enjoy nothing more than ingesting data, extrapolating the assumptions and producing a conclusion. I was thinking about the recent federal election and the discussions put forward pre-poll day about…
Read MoreWhat the 2019 Federal Election result means for property investors
This question will be sliced and diced a million different ways over the next week or two, but I wanted to give you my thoughts on it. In the short term, it’s going to provide a lot more certainty, and it will be back to business as usual eventually. A lot of investors and even…
Read More5 Hot tips on how to renovate your investment property – properly.
If you are renovating your investment property, make sure you get the most out of your hard toil. There are some simple choices according to MCG Quantity Surveyors, that can boost your bank balance without any extra work. Mike Mortlock, managing director of MCG Quantity Surveyors, said many renovators don’t realise their choices of fixtures,…
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