I have had several recent enquiries from clients requiring home loans, but have not been able to obtain a mortgage loan as part, or all, of their deposit had been 'gifted' to them by their family. Some lenders won't accept the family 'gift', so below is a summary of a solution I recently developed for one of my clients. ??Scenario The client wanted to buy their first home, with a purchase price of $316,000 The client demonstrated their ability to meet ...

A recent RP Data report has confirmed some of the highest residential property gains since 2007 (the year before the GFC). Following are some interesting highlights of the report: Brisbane city property increased 1.30% during the quarter - 5.40% for the year Brisbane city has an average house price of $445,000 Brisbane city's rental income return 4.50% for houses, and 5.40% for units Best performing capital city was Melbourne with +6.40% (but it'...

Today, I started the process of acting for a client for the proposed purchase of a commercial property. Following is a list of reasons why appointing an independent representative to act on your behalf, when negotiating the purchase of a property, may help you make the whole process a lot less stressful: The independent representative usually does not have an emotional or financial stake in the transaction, which may increase your chances of achieving your budgeted purcha...

Usually I don't like these types of 'too good to be true' statements, but this one is actually legitimate. The federal government's Superannuation Co-Contribution Scheme is still available, but with some limitations: Your assessable income for the 2014 Financial Year has to be no more than $33,516 You have to make a non-deductible contribution to your super, before 30 June 2014 The federal government will co-contribute 50% of your contribution, up to...