Morton Bay Rate Payers Action Group

Finally we are seeing the people rise up and challenge the excesses of governments on all levels, and we salute their efforts.
'Working families' are hurting from the never ending parade of governmental tax and basic charge increases. Pretty much all essential utilities are in freefall. Water is just one, but aligned to power, petrol, gas and rates it has gone too far. Its time for all governments to cut their endless wastage and imposts on the orderly flow of our community. If they cannot account for the waste its time to handover to someone else. Its not just charges and taxes its the provision of essential services which has deterioted to to such a poor level given the record taxes we paying.
We have a great country which is being driven back into the dark ages by bad government and self serving politicians, who focus only on re-election, with little or no leadership accumen.
We encourage all stakeholders to join the revolt and lend real support to the residents action group. Make no mistake these incompetents are not wasting millions they have graduated to billions. A billion is an awful big number?

TIP: Negotiating Tenancy Terms

When letting rental properties most associate the term period to a six or 12-month tenancy.

There is no law that states that you can only enter into a six or 12-month tenancy.

It can often be prudent to negotiate an eight-month or 11-month tenancy to maximise your income.

If your property has a pool and you are renting the property in January you would not want to enter into a six-month tenancy as the property may become vacant in winter, making it more difficult to secure a tenant.

It is also financially beneficial to try and have the tenancy agreement expire during a high tenant-demand period (such as January or February) to reduce vacancy periods and obtain the highest possible rent.

When negotiating tenancy terms our office will take into consideration all of the market conditions to ensure that we are entering into an agreement that will maximise your income. ■

HOW TO SUSS OUT A GOOD LOCATION

What do most experienced investors say about where to buy? Are a ‘good’ suburb and a ‘good’ location interchangeable terms? Real estate investors need to distinguish between ‘good’ in terms of ‘classy, expensive, elite’ and ‘good’ as in ‘llikely to go up in value’. While ‘good’ suburbs in the classy sense are also ‘good’ in the sense that they are likely to go up in value, there are many not-so-classy suburbs where the prices are more accessible for starting investors that will experience capital growth (on a percentage basis) just as fast as their more elegant cousins. So what exactly do estate agents, investors and experienced home buyers mean when they agree that a location is a ‘good’ one for capital gain? Experienced investors usually look for proximity to services or potential services such as transport, schools and other amenities, as well as areas of employment. Those who want even more support for their choice often analyse demographic trends so they can pinpoint areas of future housing need. For example it is possible to work out how many people in any given year are reaching what statisticians call the formation age. Those born twenty five years ago are now statistically ready to enter the housing market, either to rent or to buy - obviously creating demand. Investors should look at the history of the cycle of supply and demand for their chosen area and understand how this pattern relates to housing cycles generally. http://www.localpropertynews.net/

Experienced investors who understand the housing supply and demand cycle buy when the market is low. Yet this is the very time when many novice investors decide to sell their one and only property and invest somewhere else.Successful investors not only hold on to their property long term thereby maximising gain and income/cost ratio, they buy more properties whenever their accountant or financial adviser gives them the go-ahead. Another location investment indicator is rental vacancy rates. Areas where vacancies are low are not only likely to provide secure rental income but should also deliver good capital gain; prices increase because of demand from investors attracted to the rents and renters who are motivated to buy. In fact, no single indicator tells the whole story. As in any other field of human endeavour the luck factor can be minimised if people know that there are several indicators to consider. It also pays to seek advice from a wide range of sources: accountants, real estate agents, financial planners and other investors.