Houses Versus Apartments - Where Should You Invest?
When is the right to time to invest? Where should I put my money? These are typical challenges facing the property investor or home buyer. Another property conundrum is the House vs. Apartment conundrum. Owning an apartment is usually an easier entry into property ownership than a house. The obligations of owning a property, that is, all the things that come with owning a house - repairing of gutters, painting and general maintenance of the property - are managed by an owner's corporation in the case of an apartment.
Further, the rental yield is generally higher than a house in the same area due to the lower capital outlay. With affordability becoming the single most important driver in the residential property market, it is hardly surprising that twice as many people are buying apartments today as were buying 10 years ago.
As the share market continues its extreme levels of volatility, it's becoming far more common that becoming a property buyer offers numerous benefits. However, for the uninitiated and/or uneducated, there are many dangers hidden beneath the 'real estate surface'.
This article discusses what to look out for when you're considering venturing into the world of a real estate. Here is a list of some of the more critical issues you need to check out prior to your purchase -
1. Location of the property in relation to:
educational facilities - tenants like to be close to schools
shopping centres
public transport such as trains, buses and the like
When considering investing your money, there are many options. However every type of investment involves some level of risk AND real estate is no different. However a professional Buyers Agent can (at the very least), minimise your risk.
When you're considering becoming a property investor, despite the attraction of great returns, you should also consider the reality that there are risks involved - particularly for inexperienced and/or uneducated investors.
Interest Rates - To Fix Or Not to Fix - That is the Question
I was reading an article last week about folks who have fixed their mortgage interest rates. It reminded me just how significant and perplexing a decision it is... to fix OR not to fix.
Before I launch into a discussion about this extremely important topic, I issue one caveat: almost everyone has an opinion and what follows is my opinion based on personal experiences - my own AND those of my clients. Ultimately you will need to make your own decision. You should seek the advice of your professional advisors prior to making your decision.
Notwithstanding this discussion is based around personal opinion, there is a good deal of anecdotal evidence to support my proposition.
OK, now that's out of the way, let me answer the question: 'should you consider fixing your mortgage interest rate or not?'
Investment property can be defined as property one buys with the objective of making a profit. This can take the form of an apartment complex, land, a building to sell for use as a business, commercial or residential real estate.
The process of researching and buying an investment property requires a lot of work. The potential owner is responsible for locating good capital growth areas, drilling down to specific suburbs, narrowing down the choices in terms of individual properties, negotiating the purchase and working through the buying process.
