The Blog

Investors in Beaudesert are quietly celebrating the long-awaited price rises that have finally come to fruition after many years of limited capital growth. Within the past 12 months, the Scenic Rim has seen a staggering growth in both property values and rental yields. However, after such an incredible year, many have concerns that the RBA […]

With the recent reforms to the Residentail Tenancies Act, there has been some changes to the way repairs and maintenance can be managed by landlords/agents and tenants. These changes relate to the process and authorisation for repairs. For issues surrounding repairs and maintenance it is strongly encouraged that tenants and managing parties attempt to resolve […]

A significant change to the Residential Tenancies Act concerns how landlords/agents and tenants can end a lease. What hasn’t changed is the requirement that a lease can end only in accordance with the provisions of the Act. What has changed are the designated grounds, or reasons, for termination. On the plus side, the changes give […]

Significant changes to elements of Queensland’s Residential Tenancy Act are going to take effect from the 1st October 2022. These are the key changes: A new framework for negotiating renting with pets. New laws around ending tenancies. Introduction of repair orders. Requirements for you to provide the name and contact details for nominated repairers in […]

Acquiring a property that is already tenanted is certainly more attractive when your income will commence as soon as settlement occurs. However, with an existing tenancy and management in place there are questions that should be asked before you sign on the dotted line. Ensuring that you are fully informed will prepare you for any […]

Typically there are two goals in property investment. One is your annual return on your investment, and the other is the capital growth. Now, you can easily make some renovations and refurbishments to boost these; a fresh coat of paint, a new bathroom will boost your rental income. But there is one very important contributing […]

Did you know Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world? Over 60% of Australian households have a pet. In contrast, Queensland’s Residential Tenancies Authority estimates only about 10% of leases allow pets. So, tenants in Queensland are less likely to have a pet than the rest of the country. […]

Welcome to the final instalment in this series looking at the importance of advertising your property if you want to achieve the best result. This week the focus is on what makes an effective advertisement by looking at the two elements – images and text. Images Advertising, especially for properties, is a visual medium. First, […]

Existing Residential Tenancy laws are currently under review in Queensland and one of the key areas of contention is the ‘without grounds’ provision for lease terminations. Landlords and agents want this provision kept while many tenant groups are urging the government to remove it. Let’s take a look at what this provision is and if […]

So, you’ve made the decision to sell, now let’s get the property out to the market. Which platform is the best for advertising your property? Newspapers? Property websites? Social Media? This is our second instalment of “You Can’t Sell A Secret” which is all about getting your home sold. We’re going to take a look […]

Landlords are you aware of the increased smoke alarm compliance standards for rental properties in Queensland? Do you know that your investment property must be compliant from the 1st January 2022? These are the new standards Smoke alarms in all rental properties must: • be photoelectric (AS 3786-2014); and • not also contain an ionisation […]

This is the first is a series that will look at the do’ and don’ts of marketing your home for sale. Let’s consider a basic question. What are you trying to achieve when you decide to put your home on the market? It is probably safe to assume the answer to this is that as […]

Did you know that one child falls out of a window every week in Australia? Or that as a landlord, you are responsible for providing and maintaining compliant windows and glass? Window openings Essentially, if the bottom of the window opening is less than 1.7m above the floor, and the exterior drop is 2m or […]

Tax time is fast approaching and landlords you need to be prepared. This blog is going to look at two key areas in relation to tax time and investment properties. The first is depreciation. One of the most important things you can do is to have a Tax Depreciation Schedule prepared on your residential investment […]

It is a strange thing about buying a home that, despite the financial outlay of at least a six figure sum, many buyers spend a relatively short time inspecting the property. A look through at an often crowded open home, or a 30 minute private inspection with the agent is the norm. At best, the […]

During an auction campaign we are commonly asked by people interested in the property, “Why can’t you tell me what the reserve price is?” There are two main reasons why we do not disclose the reserve, one has to do with how auctions are regulated in Queensland, the second reason relates to the auction process […]

Careful decisions about which to use in your rental can save you money and make your property management experience much easier. The guiding principle is to choose the option that is: less likely to break, easy to fix, and easy to clean. As long-wearing features are more liveable and appealing to tenants. Floor Coverings Don’t […]

Our last blog provided an update on the rural market in Beaudesert. This time, we’ll take a look at what is going on for the residential buyers and sellers. It is a similar story in that the considerable uncertainty that dominated the market this time in 2020, has given way to a veritable frenzy of […]

This time last year, like the many businesses across Australia, we were very concerned as we thought COVID was going to wreck the local property market – especially for rural sales. Turns out we were wrong. Though the first part of 2020 was rather slow, the market quickly rebounded around the EOFY and has continued […]

Our recent blog looked at the first steps a buyer has to take to make an offer on a home sold by a ‘private treaty’. Things are quite different if you want to buy a home that is up for auction. Let’s answer some basic questions. 1. What is the ‘reserve price’ and who decides […]