September 30, 2011
Melbourne is the best city in the world to live, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) global liveability survey.
BY MICHAEL YARDNEY
Other Australian cities in the top 10 include Sydney (ranked 6) and Perth and Adelaide (ranked joint 8). Read more →
September 27, 2011
We are indeed fortunate to live in Australia. Despite watching on while other nations slide into a never-ending spiral of debt, all the while dealing with street riots and countrywide strikes, our biggest concerns seem to be concentrated on comparatively quibbling matters such as the ‘boat people’ debate or whether we’ll have an early election.
BY CATHERINE CASHMORE
This isn’t to say we’re sailing along without a worry in the world because quite obviously there are sectors of our population feeling the pinch, however relatively speaking, we’re doing okay. Read more →
September 26, 2011
Housing investors could have nothing to fear and a lot to gain if there’s another Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and it’s not for the reasons you might expect.
BY JOHN LINDEMAN
Property experts are busily assuring us that we have nothing to fear from the current financial crises gripping much of the Western world. They tell us:
September 23, 2011
Recent reports reveal that Australia has overtaken the US as titleholder for ‘home to the world’s largest houses’. Large McMansions on expansive suburban blocks have long been held as the ideal ‘great Australian dream’, while smaller inner city apartments have copped a pretty bad rap as the cheap and nasty end of the property market.
BY MICHAEL YARDNEY
However times are changing, with many homebuyers and tenants forced to reflect on whether their priority is square footage and a big backyard in the burbs or getting into a property without breaking the budget.
September 20, 2011
Most people believe ‘debt’ is a dirty word. It’s something to be avoided at all costs or, if it’s necessary for some reason such as buying a home, to be paid down as quickly as possible.
BY ROLF SCHAEFER
But what if having debt meant you actually made more money? What if you could be paid to borrow from the banks? Well, you can – and I’m going to tell you how it works.
September 19, 2011
One of the problems with purchasing property is deciding on what to buy.
BY PETER KOULIZOS
Some of the common choices for investors include a house in the inner or middle ring suburbs, an older style unit in the suburbs, a brand new apartment in the CBD or an investment property in a mining town. Read more →
September 16, 2011
How do you like change? Change is not all that popular, is it?
BY MICHAEL YARDNEY
Most of us would prefer a predictable future in terms of our job security, for our businesses and for our investments.
But we’re experiencing a time of change and unfortunately these are all subject to the whims of the markets and the economy and therefore aren’t predictable.
September 15, 2011
Recent events such as the sharemarket plunging four per cent in one day, the downgrading of the US credit rating from AAA to AA+ and talk of a world recession means consumer sentiment continues to remain depressed.
BY RICH HARVEY
Interest rates haven’t moved since November last year and the next movement is likely to be downwards – some analysts are tipping a 1 per cent decline. The Reserve Bank of Australia is changing its tune on how much global financial impacts are having on Australian demand.
September 14, 2011
This is going to sound very politically incorrect, but I’m going to put it out there anyway. When I look at a property, my concern is not how ‘green’ it is.
BY VANESSA DE GROOT
To be quite frank, it’s not even something I would consider at all, unless it was specifically brought to my attention. Now I understand the environment is important and I appreciate that having ‘green’ features to a property can mean the costs to run it are decreased, but it’s just not something I look for and I really don’t think I’m willing to pay for it. At least not at this point in time.
September 12, 2011
Both Sydney and Melbourne now have the dubious honour of being two of the top 10 most expensive cities in which to live, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2011 survey, conducted by The Economist magazine’s Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
BY MICHAEL YARDNEY
And while some media outlets are having a field day with the negative implications such as the rising cost of living, more families struggling financially, households increasingly experiencing mortgage stress and so on, others are criticizing the magazine suggesting the EIU is an oxymoron and should be renamed. Read more →
