Property Investing
My 2021 Predictions – thoughts on what 2021 will deliver
Profound predictions, bold statements and audacious utterings are not something normally associated with the button-down persona of quantity surveyors. But I’m about to buck the trend. Perhaps I’ve been I’m emboldened by this year of challenge. Maybe I’ve gone lockdown stir crazy. Possibly, it’s just the end of the year and it’s time to pop…
Read MoreDo you know how many investment properties you need to retire on?
In a way, I hope you don’t have an answer to that, as the number of properties isn’t really the answer. You could have ten properties worth $200,000 on 90% interest only loans in areas with no growth. Or 3 blue chip properties worth 1.5m each returning 7% growth per year unencumbered. The true answer…
Read MoreThe NSW Stamp Duty fallout: my three big predicted outcomes
There’s been a cacophony of opinion this week filling column inches and taking over the airwaves of property centric media. Refreshingly, the big news wasn’t pandemic related. Nor did it involve a concession speech of any description. No, the chatter has been dominated by a NSW government discussion around the abolition of stamp duty which…
Read MoreProperty Investors are being ignored and it’s hurting Australia
The government’s helping hand during 2020 has seen assistance arrive thick and fast to all corners of the community. And rightly so! Our economy would be tanking into an unholy mess if it weren’t for the help on offer. Fortunately, the past decade’s worth of decent fiscal management has seen the nation in a strong…
Read MoreSpotlight on Property Investing Data – Suburb Trends
Property investing continues to evolve day by day as we find ourselves with greater and greater access to property professionals, as well as the data and tools to do our own research. One such research resource I wanted to put under the spotlight is ‘suburbtrends.com’. Suburbtrends offers research and data visualisation solutions. The website showcases…
Read MoreIt’s never too late to claim depreciation. Well, except when it is
The other day I saw someone in an interview say “It’s never too late to claim depreciation.” Now in fairness, perhaps in the following sentence, they added some caveats but even though I tuned out and got back to work, I don’t think that’s a prudent way to start a discussion about deductions, whether you’re…
Read MoreReview of the Ripehouse Advisory COVID-19 vs Australian Property Report
I recently took part in the Ripehouse COVID-19 survey along with 146 other industry experts and academics and have now been able to view the report in full. I commend the team for putting the report together, especially during such a fluid and evolving set of circumstances. Real estate is such a pivotal part of…
Read MorePercentage of property investors with an ‘in-depth audit’ from the ATO
What percentage of property investors had an ‘in-depth audit’ from the ATO in 2019? Last year the ATO announced that they doubled the number of in-depth audits to 4,500, due to an error rate of just under 90% on a sample of investor tax returns. Speaking at the Tax Institute’s National Convention in Hobart, ATO…
Read MoreScrapping schedules – They were great, but here’s why they’re a thing of the past
You’ll have to excuse us Quantity Surveyors as we get very excited about certain dates. The May 2017 budget (9th of May) heralded the largest change to depreciation rules since 2006, it certainly ruined what would have been a perfectly good glass of Shiraz as I sat watching Scott Morrison at home. For anyone lucky…
Read MoreBuilding approvals point to a potential future housing shortage
It doesn’t seem that long ago we were talking about an oversupply of apartments across Sydney, South Melbourne, and Brisbane. However, a lot has changed in the past few years. The ABS October figures on building approvals show a seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwelling units falling by 8.1% in October. The graph below from…
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