API Blog :: Have your say!

April 29, 2011

Our changing lifestyle holds the key to successful property investment


This may seem obvious, but I have to start with it – in order to create long term wealth from property it’ll be important to know the type of property that will be in continuous strong demand from both owner occupiers and tenants in the future.

BY MICHAEL YARDNEY

Understanding the needs of your market is fundamental to success when it comes to securing properties that will attract above average capital growth in the years ahead and one of the keys to this is to study demographics – that is the number and composition of our population and how we choose to live in our society.

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April 28, 2011

Will the call for a ‘first homebuyers strike’ make any difference to our property markets?


The recent call for a first homebuyer strike from the tax reform group called Prosper Australia has received a fair amount of publicity. It’s one of those irresistible headline-grabbing stories the media loves – a little like Dick Smith’s two children per family policy.

BY CATHERINE CASHMORE

The proposal calls for first homebuyers to go on strike and refuse to purchase into a market that’s typically rising between seven per cent and 10 per cent a year. I can fully sympathise with the emotions behind this campaign. Single first homebuyers fighting to save a deposit while they’re caught on the rental roundabout are essentially priced out of the market unless they lower their expectations, or opt to purchase in the outskirts of the city.

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April 27, 2011

Property and relationships – how do they fit together?


I often hear stories about people who say they’ve lost money in property because they’ve sold too early. If they’d just hung on to the property for a little bit longer they would have made more, or if they still owned it now, it would have doubled in value.

BY VANESSA DE GROOT

A common way that people lose money this way is by buying with their partner who they’ve subsequently broken up with. The property usually then has to be sold, often prematurely, and then the investment turns out to be less than profitable.

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April 20, 2011

Apartment smoking should be banned


It was with great excitement that I read a news story this week about the possibility of smoking being banned in apartment blocks.

BY VANESSA DE GROOT

It was reported that an eight-unit apartment block in western Sydney introduced a by-law making the premises, including balconies, completely smoke-free.

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April 19, 2011

Could the banks be forced to play the ‘big bad wolf’ once more?


Suggestions the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could keep interest rates on hold for the remainder of the year due to various local and global factors will come as welcome news to borrowers.

BY ROLF SCHAEFER

However the threat of rising rates is not necessarily over, with the banks (and therefore customers) remaining vulnerable to an increase in world credit market borrowing costs.

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April 18, 2011

Establishing your needs – what to buy


Buyers often want a solitary answer to the ‘golden egg’ of investment. Some experts recommend apartments, while others swear by land.

BY CATHERINE CASHMORE

However there’s no ‘one size fits all’ scenario in the world of real estate. Plans must be formulated for each individual based on long-term objectives. If you’re thinking of investment you probably fit into one of the three following camps:

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April 15, 2011

Poor population policies could cause capital city house prices to plummet


If I told you a report I read suggesting that our capital city property values could plummet and Sydney might become the slum of the future, you’d probably think I was quoting one of the property doomsayers.

BY MICHAEL YARDNEY

Well you’re wrong – it was a report commissioned by the property development industry outlining what could happen to our property markets if our population growth was capped.
It all started with some controversial comments from federal politicians in regard to Australia’s rapid population growth, which sparked serious concerns among those in the property industry.

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April 13, 2011

What role does property play in our life decisions?


I read a news story this week quoting research from PRDnationwide that found couples are putting real estate ahead of having kids, as this particular article put it.

BY VANESSA DE GROOT

Apparently about one in three Australians are thinking about delaying plans to start or grow a family due to the cost of buying property. By putting off having children, they’ll be able to buy their own homes before starting a family.

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April 11, 2011

The case for a bigger Australia


There’s much debate at the moment in relation to Australia’s future population. We’ve moved from Kevin Rudd’s ‘Big Australia’ to Julia Gillard’s ‘Sustainable Australia’.

By PETER KOULIZOS

Some are saying we should severely limit overseas migration and limit families to a maximum of two children. Others are saying we need many more (skilled) migrants and we should also allow more refugees to settle here. To make the population question a bit clearer, I’ve outlined the case for a bigger Australia against just two criteria: economics and the environment.

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April 8, 2011

What our changing population growth means for the property markets


Australia’s continuing population growth has been big news in recent times, with talk of urban congestion and failing infrastructure that’s simply not coping with the demands of the thousands of new residents pouring into our major urban centers every year.

BY MICHAEL YARDNEY

Obviously property investors keep a keen eye on population growth, as it’s one of the key drivers of demand that pushes up property prices.

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