Empower Blog Research

Underquoting Is it a Myth or Does it Exist

“Quote it Low and Watch it Go” This is the term used by some real estate agents in the past but is now becoming extinct with updated legislation from the REIV coupled with large penalty fines. The truth is, many people buying at auction and within the general public are not aware of the relevant authorities and peak bodies that are trying to st...

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What do you Look for in a Buyers Advocate?

If you're looking to work with a Buyers Advocate, you need to ask the question: What am I looking for in my Buyers Advocate/Buyers Agent? Well, the first question is coming back at you and that is why are you actually buying? If you're buying for owner occupier purposes, then a local buyers agent who knows their city, or their area within the ci...

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What you need to know when increasing your rent

Laws differ from state to state around rental increases, however the reasons for rent increases are similar across every state and Territory throughout Australia. Rent reviews and increases should be revised at least annually, if not at every 6 month interval. The common times to do so are January or February, when most landlords are looking at the...

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Top 153 Unit Hotspots

Just like many hot button issues, the debate on whether houses make better investments compares to units continues to divide investors. Whether you prefer to invest in houses rather than units, the reality is that units are no longer the laggard they once were, thanks to soaring demands from homebuyers. While houses are still the dominant force,...

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Why Do So Many Academics and Economists Get Residential Property So Wrong?

You have to admire those who spend their days trying to improve ours – that’s the pursuit of so many academics and economists all around the world.  They are trying to solve problems and predict outcomes, which makes their work very challenging and also highly rewarding, one would guess, when they do get something right. Knowing these peopl...

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Will Property Prices Keep Increasing – a 38 Year Analysis – part 2

In last month article I highlighted the returns of 3 different Melbourne suburbs over a 38 year period and in this article I promised to explain how this happened.  In doing so, I have included three new graphs of each Suburb to help illustrate my findings. To help you interpret them I will just explain what is consistently measured in each gra...

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Will Property Prices keep Rising? – A 38 years analysis

One of the biggest questions I get asked by the ‘non-believers’ and ‘sceptics’ regarding property values is, will property prices keep rising? As a property analyst and qualified property investment advisor it’s my full time job to analyse and evaluate the market in terms of historical performance and even more importantly to determine w...

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Victorian (Melbourne) Property Price Data – By suburb and property type

This month has seen the release of the Valuer General’s Property Price Guide data for Victoria for the period up until December 2012.  Now you might think this data is a bit old, and should be release earlier, however it’s important to recognise where the data is being collated from and when the data is actually recognised. The data is source...

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Having your Cake and Eating it too?

I’ve educated, met with and advised thousands of people and households about money, finance and their wealth creation endeavors for many years now and on occasion I reflect on the many types of investors, their money management and investment habits as well as their general financial and personal goals and I thought it might make for some intere...

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The Impact of Knowledge

Previously, we've discussed the “inputs” that will be required for an Investment Strategy starting off by talking about the different ways that money and time will be required to implement an investment strategy and their impacts on the outcome of that strategy. Another key input that will be required of any prospective investor is knowledge...

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Secrets of a Negotiator

Whenever we address a group, meet a client or speak on stage, there are two popular questions we are often asked. The first is generally “where should I buy?” Our response to this question is usually long because we give specific and tailored advice to every client; and no client’s property journey is ever the same as another. The secon...

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2011 Valuer General Data Released For Victoria

Most commentators say that property investing should be a long term investment, and you have no debate on this point from me, but when commentators are asked what is short, medium and long term, that is when you start getting mix responses. My view has always been consistent and I’ll again share with you. Short term in property investing for me i...

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How Does a Property Investor Ensure that they Buy Well?

Every aspiring property investor is gripped with fear about the impact of their selection when I first meet with them. Their questions range from "where should I buy?" to "what do you think of off-the-plan apartments?" The answer is simple - there are MANY factors that you need to take into consideration to ensure that you buy well; it's not JUST a...

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