Recent content by Puppeteer

  1. Puppeteer

    Property management fees

    I've had a few requests for my calculation method for comparing PM's. Here's a modified version of my spreadsheet. All the PM identities have been removed and a number of the figures have been changed a bit, but it shows you the methodology. The figures are close to actual WA property...
  2. Puppeteer

    Property management fees

    My experience here in WA, is that without exception, the property managers with higher fees have been clearly inferior. Maybe I'm lucky, but the property managers with the lowest fees have always given me the best service. It's about the people, and the specific property manager, not how...
  3. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    Got confirmation that I don't have those foamy thermalite bricks. The problem is with the render being made too strong. Repairs won't be too expensive, though the house will be vacant for 4-5 weeks. Guess I can live with that. Big sigh of relief at this end. Something else to add to my...
  4. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    I think I've had a lucky break. The builder quoting on the repair job is pretty sure the bricks aren't thermalite, and that the problem is with the float. The render lifting appears to be limited to the areas immediately surrounding the cracks, and while the cracks are extensive the fix won't...
  5. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    @Ausprop - I haven't had a valuation done for a while, but talking to my agent friend down there, things have been stagnant for quite a while, in terms of values. Rents certainly aren't moving quickly.
  6. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    The cracking sounds exactly like what I've got. I have a nasty suspicion it is Thermalight. Unfortunately I'm out of the warranty period. So my options are basically to strip all the plaster and drywall it, or to keep patching the plaster. Is the drywall option a long term solution?
  7. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    That's a big job. I'd need to do the entire inside of the house :(
  8. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    I haven't had a close look at the bricks, but the age is about right. Looks like I'll need to remove and replaster over the affected area. Still trying to find tradesmen to do the job down there.
  9. Puppeteer

    Tuckpointing in Busselton WA

    Does anyone know of any tuckpointers or mortar repairers in Busselton, Bunbury or nearby areas in WA. I have some badly cracked internal walls that need repairing and am having trouble finding someone.
  10. Puppeteer

    Can a tenancy lease be broken or shortened?

    Is there provision in the lease for annual rent rises?
  11. Puppeteer

    Going to Europe! any hot spots to check out?

    Just got back from our honeymoon. We loved Dresden, that was our favourite place in all of Europe. Other places that we enjoyed were Berlin (except for the hotel), Heidelberg, Salzburg, Lucerne and Turkey. Places we'd skip next time include Paris, Calais, Hungary. Prague was OK, but we...
  12. Puppeteer

    What's the biggest problem with dogs?

    Some dogs like to eat reticulation. That's been my biggest problem with them. I've vitually replaced 4 complete retic networks due to various dogs. I don't allow pets in the houses I have any more mainly because of this, and the resultant damage to the garden when they don't get watered.
  13. Puppeteer

    FAQ: The dreaded Land Tax

    Interesting Read, but I'm not quite sure how this would relate to Australia. There's no taxation on buildings as it currently stands (at least for Residential property in WA), with the possible exception of council rates which is either calculated on Gross Rental Value or Unimproved Lot Value...
  14. Puppeteer

    FAQ: The dreaded Land Tax

    b) will work, while there's more land to be released, but it is a short term fix at best. Without the decline in population the overall trend is still for more people with the same amount of land. Land value will increase eventually. I think you may have forgotten some words from point c...
  15. Puppeteer

    FAQ: The dreaded Land Tax

    You bump into the strangest people in the strangest places.... MoooOOOoooo @ Lev ;) (private Joke) Anyway Unfortnately Relative scarcity of land is not going to be changed by any taxation policy, except perhaps to tax children. Land is a fixed asset. The population is growing. The acreage...
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