In the lead-up to the May 18 federal election, proposed changes to negative gearing have been a key issue of discussion. negative gearing in a nutshell Negative gearing is when the interest on a loan is higher than the net rental income, meaning the investor is making a loss. Under current tax laws, this loss can then…
The botanical trend has come and gone over the decades, largely because it plays to the idea of bringing nature into our homes, adding a fresh and airy vibe to any interior. There are many ways to incorporate this trend, from using old botanical drawings to the contemporary look of overscaled printed images of green leaves…
It’s no surprise that times are tough if you’re banking on a property loan. Lending criteria with banks have tightened up and record numbers of applicants are being turned down for a loan they probably would have easily secured five years ago, when the market outlook was a lot rosier. And before last September’s release…
This house in the Hunter Valley has a most unusual roofline: in fact it is so wacky, the home was dubbed by locals “the Kentucky Fried Chicken house”. My renovation strategy was to cosmetically refresh the front facade and right side of the house only, due to the home owner’s budget constraints. Down the track,…
Adelaide students Martin and Leanne have been property investors for over 20 years, but tackling a renovation was something they had little experience of until completing a Renovating for Profit bootcamp in May 2017. Since then, they have done four renovations in and around the Adelaide suburb they live in, none more audacious than this…
A cosmetic renovation is by far the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to instantly manufacture equity in a property. The fact you can do a lot of the hard yakka yourself, whether it’s coordinating trades or some strategic DIY, means you save money and time compared to a lengthy structural renovation. So here’s 5…
This bedroom project is the first step in the transformation of Mick my chippie’s unrenovated home in Sydney’s west. Recently married, Mick and his new wife Joanne bought this modest brick house just one month ago, so they have their work cut out turning it into the dream home it will undoubtedly become. With Mick’s…
With so many people jumping on the Airbnb bandwagon, it’s easy to seize on the upsides (all that extra cash rolling in, for one) and play down the time and effort involved if you want to be a truly successful host. Gaining Superhost status, with the all-important badge that automatically appears on a host’s listing and…
Whether we realise it or not, managing risk is something we deal with every day. For example, the simple process of crossing a street involves a certain degree of risk that we manage without even blinking an eyelid. But what about managing the risks of something as complex as a property development project? Let’s take…
I’m asked to write or contribute to many different media outlets over the course of a year, and I find there are a few recurrent themes that pop up. One of them is common rookie renovator mistakes. Maybe it’s comforting for fellow renovators to know they’re not alone in the inevitable stuff ups they’ve made…