Empower Blog Property & Financial Investment

$350 Surplus Cash per week could equate to Millions

This month we focus on how you can use surplus cash of $350 per week to potentially control an investment property worth $450,000. It’s all in the numbers….let’s take a look. Surplus Household cash $350 per week after expenses, commitments etc. Purchase Price $450,000 Estimated Purchase Costs $22,500 (5%) includes stamp duty, set up c...

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Higher LVR’s Back in Play = Good News for First Home Buyers

Over the past few weeks we have seen several lenders adjust their Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) to allow for more First Home Buyers and Investors take on higher levels of lending against the security of the property they are purchasing.  There are some lenders who are in the 100% lending space, meaning that the borrower only needs to find approx. 5% t...

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RBA Rates Decision – February 2011

As unanimously tipped by all forecasters and commentators, the RBA chose to leave the official cash rate on hold this month at 4.75%. Although the majority of sentiment is that the cash rate will move higher over the coming year, if our economy and the global economic recovery continue to build momentum. The consensus on the flood in Queensland ...

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Predictability Investing — My Essential Ingredient

So you have some surplus income coming into your household and you don’t know what the best use of this money is? You’ve got choices: Spend it Save it Put it on the Mortgage Payoff debts Use it to borrow more to Acquire another appreciating Asset (Gear or Leverage it). The article is going to focus on the last point, but what...

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Why is Money Planning Important?

Imagine for a moment that you have decided that you want a new Home. However, to this point you haven’t thought about what you want the home to look like, how many bedrooms, living areas, or outdoor spaces it should have, how much it might cost, or how you are going to pay for it. How likely do you think it is that you will get what you want w...

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A Million Dollar Plus Call

You’ve talked about it, but you are just unsure about what's the right decision? For some it’s do we: 1. Buy another investment Property 2. Hold the existing home and turn it into an investment property and buy the new home 3. Sell existing property to buy an upsize property or reduce debt 4. Sell our current home and investment...

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Can we Predict the Future?

It’s crazy to think that anyone can predict the future, but plenty of people are paid good money to try: Economists, Weather Forecasters, Fortune tellers, Treasury, Technology companies, etc. Even though no one can predict the road ahead, it’s absolutely vital that we pay attention to what lies ahead of us. If we look at the future from a pe...

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Did You Make Any Headway To Retirement Last Year?

A new year has arrived and it’s usually this time of the year that one reflects on the past year and reviews the good, the bad and the ugly. A lot of great things happened for me, my family and business in 2010 and very little bad news came our way. For most of you the ugly might have been Collingwood winning the flag, but for me that event was o...

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RBA Cash Rate & Property Outloook for 2011

For those not in the know, the RBA board does not meet in January, so the first cash rate decision will be at 2.30pm on Tuesday 1st February, 2011. In terms of the cash rate forecasts, there is a real mixed bag out there in terms of predictions of where the cash rate might be between now and the end of 2011. There is very little, if any support ...

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Credit Card & Refinancing Debt

Ok, so the festive season has passed and the credit card and bank statements are starting to hit the inbox or the letter box for us old timers.  A good festive season was had by all on the plastic, but now’s the time to find the cash flow to pay it off to ensure the interest we pay remains the lowest possible. Other than a short term fix of s...

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New Finance Licensing Laws

In an effort to better regulate lending in this country the Federal Government introduced new legislation known as the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment Act 2010.  This new legislation is designed to make borrowing money safer for consumers, through the implementation of new safeguards for borrowers.  Prior to this new legislation, ea...

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Investors – Start your engines…

There is always a positive to any negative.  Talk of a housing market bubble, higher interest rates, softening demand for property, worsening affordability and value decreases are all playing on the psychology of those looking to get into the property market. It is fair to report that in most markets across the capitals that we are certainly in...

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Property Investor Commentary

Generalise the residential property market at your investment peril. Housing prices go up and housing prices go down as measured by average house price or median house prices data.  But there is no such thing as the average or median house or unit, or apartment or townhouse for that matter.  No dwelling is exactly the same as any other dwellin...

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