Latest tips for buying, selling, renting and owning homes
Ask Noel
Mortgage or super?
Noel Whittaker 11:58am Should I keep paying off my mortgage as fast as possible or salary sacrifice more money into my super account?
Ask Noel
How to reduce CGT
Noel Whittaker 11:56am We wish to sell our holiday home. We never had it rented out and so do not receive any income from it. We own our principal place of residence. Is there a way the capital gains tax (CGT) can be minimised?
Investor
Protecting your interests
George Cochrane Q. I received a lump sum payment ($100,000+) at termination of my job. I am 57, have about $500,000 in super and intend to work a few years more.
Coast and Country
Green light for sea changers
Carolyn Boyd An eco-solution fits this couple's retirement dream, writes Carolyn Boyd.
Coast and country
City prices make regions look good
Carolyn Boyd But there's a lot to consider before packing your bags, writes Carolyn Boyd.
Investor
Mutual home ownership
George Cochrane Q. If another person is brought onto the title of my residential house as a "joint tenant", does this mean that the property passes to him/her automatically on my death, without being subject to other provisions of the will?
Feature
A dash of style goes a long way in a tight market
Joanne Brookfield Presentation is crucial to achieving the highest price.
Q&A;
Does cooling-off apply to vendors?
Lucy Macken I recently sold our family home but had wanted to withdraw from the sale at the last minute.
Q&A;
Zero deductions, caveat or not
Lucy Macken This year I am buying an investment property with a partner and I won't be on the title.
Off the plan
Owners corp changes afoot
Chris Vedelago Buyers and owners need to be aware that a slew of changes to the way owners corporations work are set to come into force next year.
Inside Running VIC
Get rid of unwanted pests before you buy a property
Mary Costello It's going to be a boom year for termites (aka "white ants"), so if you're planning to buy property, find out if these mini wood-munchers are already in residence.
Renters Rant
Positive side to negative gearing
Jimmy Thomson My dad says I’m wasting my money on rent when it could be going into a mortgage and he’s offered to lend me $35,000 for the deposit on a flat. However, anywhere I could afford to buy is nothing like as good as where I am renting. Any thoughts?
Q&A;
Can i pick any agent?
Lucy Macken This year I am buying an investment property with a partner and I won't be on the title.
NSW
Investment property: claiming legal fees
Max Newnham It pays to know the tax rules when buying, selling and renovating investment properties.
NSW
Inner west doing best, but sales slip
Jonathan Chancellor As the Sydney market continues to soften, vendors now have to trim 6.3 per cent off their asking prices so they can sell their homes. The figure was 5.7 per cent in April.
Ask Noel
Noel Whittaker Q. I'm moving into my new home next month and will rent out my first home. Would my first home become an investment property?
Rentals
Questions start as losses mount
Kath Dolan Basic accounting will assist new property investors.
Snoop around to expose pitfalls
DAVID ADAMS It pays to find out as much as you can about a property before making an offer.
Five strategies to ensure the best price
David Adams Clean up and profit when you market a property, writes David Adams.
Off the plan
Get what you paid for
Chris Vedelago One of the biggest concerns facing buyers is whether the off-the-plan apartment they see in the sales brochure will turn out to be all that they wanted - or were promised.
Spring Property Guide
How to buy new
Carolyn Boyd Buyers are embracing the state government's property concessions.
Spring Property Guide
Smart picks for starters
Carolyn Boyd Carolyn Boyd profiles the 10 suburbs Australian Property Monitors highlights for first home buyers.
Unit growth to top houses
Carolyn Boyd Carolyn Boyd pinpoints 10 areas that buyers should put on their list of prospects.
Spring Property Guide
Emerging eye-catchers
Carolyn Boyd. With increasing growth and rental yields, these are the places to watch, writes Carolyn Boyd.
Flat Chat
How to avoid being part of the feud chain
Jimmy Thomson Feuding neighbours can do a lot of damage to buildings - in more ways than one - and, ironically, innocent parties can be left holding the bill.
Q&A;
To sparkle and dazzle or not
Lucy Macken Do I need to fit out my house with new furniture to entice a better sales price?
Q&A;
Inner city vegie patches
Lucy Macken Can we just start a vegie patch on our nature strip or do we have to get council approval?
Q&A;
Border dispute
Lucy Macken Can we knock down our neighbours fence that blocks our view as it is on public land?
Market Wrap VIC
Scoring big off the field
Chris Vedelago While some vendors decided to hold off, others stuck to their auctions - to largely good results.
Property Watch NSW
Price trends put Sydney buyers in the driving seat
Tim Lawless The August home value indices are hot off the press this week.
Q&A;
What is freehold title?
Lucy Macken Freehold title means the land owner (and any of their beneficiaries) owns the property outright in perpetuity.
Shady home sales
Lucy Macken I was about to list my home with a local agent, who I then discovered made a quick sale in our area to one of his staff, who on-sold it very quickly again for a larger amount.
Renter's Rant
Writing on the wall for bookshelf ban
Jimmy Thomson My landlord won't let us drill holes in the wall for bookshelves so I went out and bought a freestanding book case. Getting it home, I realised it has a safety warning telling me to fix it to the wall (plug and screw provided) so it doesn't fall over.
Flat Chat
Fire brigade the key to your escape
Jimmy Thomson The great thing about modern high-rise apartments, for older people especially, is that they can be very secure. But what about when you WANT someone who doesn't have a key to be able to get in?
Hands up if you don't have a clue about auctions
Josh Jennings Many bidders attend auctions without a proper plan of attack, often at great cost.
VIC
Projects aplenty to choose from
Katherine Townsend Buyers certainly aren't short of choice when it comes to off-the-plan apartment projects.
Inside Running
Bridging the gap between bought and sold
Mary Costello Conveyancing, the process of transferring ownership of property from the vendor to the purchaser, may be carried out by a solicitor or a conveyancer who, while not a legal practitioner, must be licensed under the Conveyancers Act.
Q&A;
Can I see the other offers?
Lucy Macken We recently made an offer of $720,000 on a property asking for offers over $700,000. The agent said there was a better offer, which forced us up to $750,000.
Ask Noel
Noel Whittaker My wife and I are about to sell an investment home and want to gift $50,000 to each of our married children.
Property Watch
Emerald City to shine despite likely rate rise
Louis Christopher Over the past few weeks there has been quite a re-evaluation in the marketplace on the probabilities of an interest rate rise.
VIC
If the auction fails...
Chris Vedelago It's time to get real, with these expert tips on securing a sale.
How to find a break in the traffic
Bronwyn McNulty There are bargains on main street — if you don't mind a bit of noise, writes Bronwyn McNulty.
Q&A;
Essential selling tip
Lucy Macken Should we have furniture in our house during the selling campaign.
Q&A;
Shared titles
Lucy Macken I have to keep paying to fix the adjoining semi's problems that are affecting my house as they won't fix it.
Off the plan
Negotiating can really pay off
Chris Vedelago Don't be fooled into thinking that the price listed on the glossy apartment adverts is the price you have to pay.
Q&A;
Selling through a database
Lucy Macken Is it worth doing a public sale or going through an agent's database for a private sale.
Renter Rant
Lazy grubs, live-in lovers rile roomies
Jimmy Thomson A new survey of housemates into what annoys us most about our "roomies" reveals lazy grubs who don't help with cleaning are most likely to attract frequent Post-it notes of fury.
Flat Chat
Muscle man is driving us mad
Jimmy Thomson They say a healthy body means a healthy mind ... but not if the person getting fit is driving you nuts.
Switching loans too hard
Many homeowners say they would need to see substantial savings before they would consider switching their home loan.
VIC
Shush turns to shove
James Smith Inner-city residents are finding sound reasons to consider noise around their home.
Q&A;
Installing rainwater tanks
Lucy Macken Do I need the council's approval to install a rainwater tank?
Q&A;
Unlicensed buyer's agents
Lucy macken If I use an unlicensed buyer's agent do I still have to by law pay them?
Learn how to swoop on your dream nest
Carolyn Boyd Use a bidding style that works for you to avoid auction angst, writes Carolyn Boyd.
Q&A;
I'm sick of expressions of interest
Lucy Macken Why do I have to keep dealing with the unfair practice of not stating the asking price for house sales?
Apartments
Keeping up appearances
Susan Wellings Improving the look of a building can add significant value to individual apartments, writes Susan Wellings.
Renter's rant
Time to face the music: it's not a backpacker hostel
Jimmy Thomson My neighbours complain about my music being loud late at night, what's their problem?
Flat Chat
Common sense versus dollars and cents
Jimmy Thomson What price loyalty in an apartment block? Is it a community or is it a business? And can you afford to let relationships rule dollars and cents?
NSW
Affordable housing policy under attack
Matthew Moore, Urban Affairs Editor The NSW opposition has promised to scrap a key government policy encouraging developers to build affordable housing and joined Frenchs Forest locals opposed to construction of 26 townhouses in a leafy cul-de-sac.
VIC
Managing your managers
Joanne Brookfield There are usually three parties in rental situations. We hear a lot about dodgy tenants and irresponsible landlords, but what can you do if you find yourself with a bad property manager?
