Empower Blog Property & Financial Investment

Are Tenanted Properties always a Good Investment?

So what I want to talk about today is whether or not you would consider buying a property that is tenanted and whether that is an advantage or a disadvantage. At first value, it probably sounds like nirvana isn't it because it does have some pros. I mean, there is negotiation strength that comes with that. The property market is roughly 70% owne...

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Is the Australian Property Bubble about to Pop?

Hi Ben Kingsley here and in this Empower Wealth How to Video session, I want to talk about whether the Australian Property Bubble is about to pop. Well, the first question is, are we actually in a bubble at all? We've seen the Sydney and Melbourne property prices go very strongly over the last 3 or 4 years. And that is an interesting point, isn't i...

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RBA Rate Decision – December 2016

So much to talk about in this December Rates Announcement! Firstly, we'll start with interest rates on hold at 1.50%. The Reserve Governor and the Board met and kept rates on hold. Now, what's fascinating is if we had have waited another day, when our GDP numbers came out in Australia, we could have seen a different result. As you know, there's ...

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Will it be harder for First Home Buyers?

So with all of this prosperity, this economic prosperity that Australia is enjoying; there is one group of people who are looking in at the property market thinking, “Can we play the game too?”. And of course, I am talking about the first home buyer. They're finding it increasingly difficult to get their foot on the ladder. Because let's think ...

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Timing the Market vs. Time in the Market

A contentious topic that has left property experts in disagreement, timing the market versus time in the market is a debatable area in deciding which method is the better way to invest in property. First of all, let's be very clear of the definition. Timing the market refers to an investor getting into the market cycle when it's at the bottom of...

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Today Show – Investing In A Granny Flat

When it comes to property investing, sometimes you will need to think outside the box. If you can't afford to get another investment property, would you consider getting a granny flat instead? This time on Today Show, Bryce Holdaway discuss why investing in the granny flat would be an attractive choice for some property investors and what are th...

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Variables to Consider when Modelling a Property Portfolio

In this advanced "How to..." session, I want to talk to you about all the sophisticated cash flow variables that any good cash flow management and property portfolio planning tool should have. So let's start from the top in terms of cash flow management. Naturally, we need to do our budget, and we need to assume that value of the money will incr...

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Tax Refund: Can You Request It Sooner?

Whenever you are buying an investment property, you should never buy it for tax reasons alone because it really has to be about the fundamentals underlying that particular property that you're buying. But let's be honest, once you've done that, the tax concessions or the tax refund that you get from holding a property is a very strong reason why yo...

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Smoke and Mirrors

Like any other sector, there are tricks of the real estate trade that a property investor needs to be aware of. In order to ensure that you aren’t paying any unnecessary costs when investing into a new property, this article provides tips and analogies of what to avoid and look out for when dealing with real estate agents. In order to help you st...

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Too High a Price for Property Advice?

When it comes to finding trustworthy property advice, it can be a daunting task to find someone that you know will give you the best advice suited to you. With so many spruikers out there claiming to be able to help property investors find worthy investments; it’s hard to tell who is genuinely trying to help investors or the ones who are only try...

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RBA Rate Decision – November 2016

On this Melbourne Cup Day, Governor Lowe and his Board met, and they've kept interest rates on hold. It is an interesting time in our economy at the moment because the RBA is wrestling with one big problem and that is the growing amount of household debt. We are starting to see the household debt to GDP ratio increasing, and that is concerning. Wha...

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Today Show – What Home Buyers Want?

If you are buying a home this weekend, do you already have a feature in mind? For example, does it need to have a tennis court or perhaps, a property near a park? This time on Today Show, Ben Kingsley joins Jane to discuss the highly sought after features that Australian home buyers look for when hunting for a property. A few property search websit...

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SKY News – Apartment purchases lower among investors

The 2016 Property Investor Sentiment Survey by PIPA was recently released and has shed light on what Australian property investors think about the market. One of the findings has indicated that property investors are less interested in investing in apartments with only 10% looking at this year compared to a 15% in previous year. Ben Kingsley joins...

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