State Of The Nation Compiled By Kevin Lee of Smart Property Adviser

www.smartpropertyadviser.com.au E: kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au T: (02) 9980 1311 M: 0416 083 995

Disclaimer: This document is a compilation of recent articles published in the media. The media sources are quoted beneath their respective article capture. Smart Property Adviser does not claim to be the author of any articles included within this document.

Blue-Chip Neighbours In Demand

Property buyers are increasingly targeting spillover suburbs and ''next-best'' areas as demand for real estate in Melbourne continues to pick up. When house prices

rise in blue-chip suburbs, the more buoyant market conditions can quickly spread to adjoining lower-priced suburbs. 16 June 2013. More.

State By State Government Property Grants And Stamp Duty Concessions: The Expiry Dates You Need To Know This week the NSW government extended its $15,000 first-home buyer grant scheme for new homes only through to January 2016 as part of its June 2013 state budget. The grant amount was originally scheduled to reduce to $10,000 from January 1 2014. Instead it will now only reduce from January 1 2016. 20 June 2013. More.

Tax Depreciation Schedule Inspections – When Are They Required?

In most instances a Quantity Surveyor will conduct a property inspection when preparing a tax depreciation schedule. Sometimes this is not required, for example – if a property has been built by the owner or the Quantity Surveyor has previously inspected a unit within the same complex. A good Quantity Surveyor knows when an inspection is not needed, and this generally results in a saving to the owner/investor. 19 June

2013. More. No 18 Albert In Footscray Releases Stage Two Of Apartment Complex After Stage One Sells Out

Footscray is ripe with developments in the pipeline, including a

residential apartment complex on the existing Footscray plaza

building – No 18 Albert. After a successful launch of stage one proving to be a complete sell out, stage two of No 18 Albert has officially launched with 100 apartments up for grabs. 20 June 2013. More Property Investment Choices Changing Australians’ demand for housing is continuing to increase despite expectations that already high property prices are set to rise, according to QBE’s third annual report into mortgage and property market sentiment and behaviour, the 2013 Mortgage Barometer, prepared for QBE LMI. 20 June 2013. More.

‘Reported’ Sold

One of the real bright spots in Queensland real estate so far this year is the reported sales of new inner Brisbane apartments – “reported” being key. Several proposed apartment projects – some with much fanfare & congratulatory press commentary, and others with little or no publicity – reported big sales volumes during the first three months of this year. Again, note the word ‘reported’. 18 June 2013. More. INSIDE INVESTOR: The Quiet Revolution In Property Investment

There is a quiet revolution going on within the world of property investment. Home owners have become far more conservative. Fewer people are selling up and buying elsewhere. But bank lending figures compiled by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority indicate that investors have plunged back into the property market. 18 June 2013. More. Strong Auction Clearance Rates In Melbourne And Sydney

Winter has emerged as the perfect time for Sydneysiders to sell their home and get the highest possible price, real estate industry leaders say. Almost 77 per cent of homes cleared at auction in Sydney on the weekend, with a total

sale value of $258 million. 17 June 2013. More. Housing Market Still Flat But Renewed Appetite For Borrowing Signals Improvement To Come: RBA Minutes House and unit prices have remained "relatively flat over recent months" though "still higher than the previous year", the minutes of the June 4 RBA board monetary policy meeting reveal. However, signs of a pick-up in household appetite for borrowing and a "range of housing market indicators" suggested to the RBA the "housing market generally appeared to be improving" following previous cash rate cuts. 19 June 2013. More. Majority Of Reno Budgets Below $20k A new survey has found that just under half of property owners intend to renovate, with a vast majority looking towards budget cosmetic renovations. Of the 43 per cent of respondents to the 2013 Homeowners’ Intention Survey who said they were looking to renovate, 72 per cent of these were budgeting up to $20,000. 18 June 2013. More. Gold Coast Property In High Demand After years of struggling to get off the ground, there are signs that rising demand and increasing prices are setting the Gold Coast on the road to recovery. According to Dr Andrew Wilson from Australian Property Monitors, the entire south east Queensland market has begun healing. 20 June 2013. More.

Issue # 044 June 21, 2013

State Of The Nation Continued…

E: kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au T: (02) 9980 1311 M: 0416 083 995 Disclaimer: This document is a compilation of recent articles published in the media. The media sources are quoted beneath their respective article

capture. Smart Property Adviser does not claim to be the author of any articles included within this document.

If you would like to voice your opinion on any article you have read in the State Of The Nation Newsletters or elsewhere that has concerned you, please send the article and your opinion on it to us and we will include it in a future issue of the State Of The Nation. Send your opinion to kevin@smartpropertyadviser.com.au

Inner City Buyers Are Spoilt For Choice

The fleet of removal trucks disgorging furniture at Central Park and other newly completed apartment developments across Sydney's inner city will become an increasingly

common sight in the next 18 months. There are about 6000 apartments due for completion in that time, which experts say will be the highest for almost a decade. 15 June 2013. More. Seven Rental Property Deductions Property Investors Are Allowed To Claim To Reduce Their Tax Bill Property Observer recently reported that the Australian Tax Office will write to 110,000 property investors over concerns they may have claimed rental property deductions they were not entitled to claim. The ATO now has sophisticated data-mining tools that pick up inconsistencies in tax returns compared with

previous years. 18 June 2013. More. Market Forecast - What's In Store For Perth Real Estate?

Forget the property spikes of recent times, the Perth market is set to cool in the next 18 months. In its barometer on property movement, SQM Research predicts price growth will continue - but at a slower rate for the next two years. 19 June 2013. More. New Life To Old Suburbs Is All Part Of The Plan

The amenities and parklands in long-established areas are starting to attract apartment buyers. The spread of high-density living outwards from the

inner suburbs, as well as the increasing popularity of apartment living, is leading to new development in areas that haven't seen much fresh stock for years. Development in places such as Hurstville and Chatswood and towards Parramatta is starting to diversify into suburbs not traditionally seen as desirable. 15 June 2013. More. Rate Reductions Not Enough To Entice Borrowers - More Incentives Needed

Record low interest rates have failed to entice many new borrowers to the property market and existing borrowers are largely uninterested in refinancing their home loans, according to financial comparison website RateCity. While rate reductions haven’t slowed down this month off the back of May’s RBA rate cut, including all four majors, borrower demand remains weak. 18 May 2013. More.

Hobart Getting Older, Poorer

Tasmanian home owners have lost significant value in their homes during the past two years, a new report shows. The 2013-14 State of the Regions report was released yesterday by the Local Government Association of Australia for 67 regions across the nation. 18 June 2013. More.

Millions Of Aussies Lack Access To Critical Financial Services More than three million Australians lack access to critical financial services, including transaction accounts, credit cards and basic home and car insurance, a new report by the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) and NAB has revealed. Young people, migrants and people in low-paying work – earning between $20,000 and $25,000 per year – are the most at risk of being ‘financially excluded’. 17 June 2013. More. Gen Y To Fire Up A Market In Flux As Generation Ys grow up and become a bigger force in the residential property market during the next decade they will be one of the main groups that influence how our housing and suburbs work. By the time 2020 rolls around Baby Boomers will no longer be the dominant force in the property market, according to property consultants Urbis. 17 June 2013. More.

Refinancing: A Negative Gearing Quick Fix "Negative Gearing" is a commonly debated strategy amongst property experts and investors alike, with over 1.2 million Australian investors owning a negatively geared property in the 2010/2011 financial year (abs.gov.au). Although many high income earners are encouraged to purchase negatively geared properties for tax benefits, some investors are struggling to keep up with the weekly holding costs and this could be putting a great strain on their financial situation and lifestyle. If you're experiencing such hardship this article is definitely for you. 20 June 2013. More.

Controversy Corner

No Recession On The Horizon The current fad for warning of an imminent recession in Australia is likely to go the way of caftans and paisley polyester body-shirts. Most of the arguments in favour of a recession being at least a possibility seem to be based on one thing: The resource investment boom has topped out and will soon begin to taper off, possibly quite sharply. 20 June 2013. More.

Some Parting Advice

“There are a lot of myths about property investment – invest for capital growth, use negative gearing, pay interest only – these have

“suckered in” too many Australians.”

Until Next Time… Kevin Lee

www.smartpropertyadviser.com.au