All posts tagged Australia

Trouble-free property sales, purchases and commercial property management in Brisbane

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The most important, and most expensive, purchase most of us make during our lifetime is our home – whether it’s a modern city apartment, a pretty suburban house or a heritage home somewhere in a rural area of surpassing beauty. Those in the know have been known to state that the third most stressful activity for us humans after death and divorce is buying or selling a residential property. It’s not just the paperwork, the search for the right home or the right buyer and the stress of the move itself, it’s because, if we’re buying, it has to be perfect and, if we’re selling, we’re letting go of a part of ourselves.

Everyone’s heard the best-known buzzwords in the real estate sector by now – location, location, location! It’s only too true, and only too tricky to get right without professional help. If local authority planning offices aren’t checked carefully, that magnificent view over green acres can turn into the latest version of condo-land or a factory estate almost overnight. Establishing correct land titles and other legal nightmares aren’t for amateurs, and a brand new paint job inside and outside doesn’t mean the foundations are safe!

Over the years, estate agents in general haven’t had a good press, perhaps unfairly in a good few cases. Many real estate agents are long-established family businesses now being run by the adult children of their founders, and know the community and its housing and commercial stock as well as their own back gardens. They’re caring, trustworthy and professional, and finding a good one isn’t that tough, especially if you live in Brisbane. If you’re looking for a choice of real estate agents, Brisbane is well supplied with a long list, and you’ll find Calibre Real Estate right at the top.

These good people don’t just care about profits or targets as to the number of homes sold! They care about the buyers and sellers as regards finding them a home they’re overjoyed with or the right price as part of a hassle-free sale. They’re also experts in property management, offering a first-class service to buy-to-let investors, commercial property owners or those needing to let their home in order to work elsewhere in Australia or overseas for a period of time. For the letting of commercial properties, an experienced Brisbane property manager is essential, and Calibre’s team will take care of everything including overseeing rental payments and dealing with maintenance issues.

Leasing, whether it’s a commercial property or rental home, is a complicated procedure best left to the experts, and involves maximizing rental yields as well as making sure the lessee is financially viable. Time frames are important, as property standing empty can deteriorate fast as well as generating no income. Calibre’s excellent marketing strategies utilize signage, print, online and email marketing to their broad database of clients as well as to prospective tenants.

Throughout the process, owners are kept informed of the level of interest garnered by ads and enquiries by interested parties, and advice is given on any adjustments to the strategy which might be needed. Importantly, your approval will be needed before any changes are made. Once a tenant has been found, Calibre can undertake all aspects of property management on your behalf, with bi-monthly financial statements and reports by email and regular post all part of the service. They’ll also take care of maintenance issues and all payments related to the property such as insurance, water and council rates, leaving you to relax and enjoy the income without worry.

About the Author

The Author is an expert Property Management and focus on Property Brisbane property manager.

Why Every Property Investor Needs A Tax Depreciation Schedule

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Unfortunately too many property investors in Australia lose out tax depreciation benefits worth thousands of dollars every year. They fail to claim the legitimate investment property depreciation deductions. Not claiming the tax depreciation on your property is like not charging rent to your tenants.

One of the major reason why they don’t have a depreciation schedule is simply because their accountant never asks them to get one. Maybe because even their accountant is unaware about it. So lets try to understand what a depreciation schedule is and why does an investment property owner needs it?

The dictionary definition for depreciation is: “A decrease or loss in value, as because of age, wear, or market conditions.”

Investment property depreciation is a form of income that property investors can make, in the form of tax depreciation deductions. The Australian TaxationOffice (ATO) allows investment property owners to depreciate the value of their investment properties and claim the amounts as tax deductions against the income tax that they have to pay on the profits. Maximum property depreciation deductions can generally be achieved on new properties, however older renovated properties can also be entitled for significant investment property depreciation benefits. But, the depreciations are obviously incurred more on newer properties.

Therefore, it is advisable that, when investing in property, one must strategize on purchasing brand new properties which offer high levels of depreciation. And, we can utilize the tax depreciation benefits to sustain the investment property while it grows older. As authorised by the ATO, depreciation schedules can only be obtained from registered quantity surveyors in Australia, while your accountant can be consulted for tax deductibility of the items included in the tax depreciation schedule.

Thus, it’s imperative for all property investors to at least inquire whether or not they are eligible to any investment property depreciation deductions on their property. The easiest way to find this out is by contacting a reputable quantity surveyor who have considerable expertize in preparing tax depreciation schedules. The quantity surveyor will ask a few standard questions to determine whether it is worthwhile, and how much tax depreciation deductions you can claim. The fee to prepare a depreciation schedule is 100% tax deductible.

The best thing about investment property depreciation is that we actually didn’t pay for it, i.e. we don’t have to pay anybody for the “decrease or loss in value” of the investment property, but we are allowed to claim the tax depreciations! People in the accounting industry generally call this paper loss, since no money actually comes out of the investment property owner’s pocket!!

Valuable Information About Melbourne Property Market And Prices

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Buying property in Australia has made headlines in the recent months as the markets are growing and the suburbs are being part of the coveted million-dollar club. Hence, property is being looked at as the best investment.

Melbourne Real Estate Values

2014 seems to be a good year as there appears to be an upbeat at least in the property scenario. The Melbourne market is showing signs of recovery and an upward trend is noticed in the coming months. Prices are rising gradually but not sharply. Melbourne property prices are said to climb further up and some analysts believe that the price growth would overtake established cities such as London and New York. However, after prices reached a peak in March 2014, there has been a fall in values for two months successively. This has shown buyers that a rapid price rise will not happen in early spring and the winter. The upswing phase started 2 years ago in May and currently it seems to be more moderate due to a better configuration between population growth and supply. Over the last two years, Melbourne home values have gone up by 13.1% and currently only 0.7% more than the peak price in October 2010.

Property Market Forces

Although, the Melbourne property market showed positive signs, in the last few weeks, the media was pessimistic. However, market analysts explain the phenomenon using statistics and history; it is said that the chief drivers of housing are interest rates as well as consumer confidence. When the rate of interest goes down, home values often increase. Conversely, when interest rate rises, home prices will keep decreasing. Therefore, it is not a chance that the growth in the property market that started in May/June 2012 was followed by the easing of the interest rates in May the same year. Now, that the interest rates are expected to be low throughout the current year and in 2015, there will be increased consumer confidence. This can bring about a slight increase in Melbourne property values or it may remain flat.

Why Invest in Melbourne

Melbourne is considered the best ever city in Australia. If you buy a property in Melbourne, you can be sure to receive returns. Being in the list of the top ten livable as well as sustainable cities in the world is enough reason why you should invest here. This is taking into consideration its economy, transportation, education, health and environment. A sustained growth in population is one important reason for the citys economic prosperity. The metro is well-designed with large gardens, good roads, public transport and affordable housing. With a pulsating culture, Melbourne also has cosmopolitan clubs, cafes and restaurants. This is why; you should think seriously of buying a home in this city.