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Cost of renos I am convinced the vendors chip in under 50% of what they end up getting. The balance would be made up by the sponsors with their terribly subtle advertising and Lifestyle. The pitch to the vendors by Lifestyle would surely be "chip in $30K and you'll get a Reno and staging...

I hope it goes I agree. It needs to go. Housing costs in this country are ridiculous. I would love to see a major drop. It will be painful in the short term but ultimately better for the economy and society. We should not have so much money tied up in a non-productive asset.

For auctions, reserve should be published at start of campaign Yes, vendors may want to change their mind (the age old argument against this) and they should be permitted to, but if they do so within a week of the auction, the auction is delayed a week. If there is more interest than they...

No idea but... One of the things I hate about apartments as an investment is that if the body corp lets the communal areas go to **** your investment loses value. Of course, you don't need internal corridors for this to happen, but it helps. There's something about internal areas with filthy...

Mornington Peninsula I agree with the suggestion of Dromana - or just the upper part of the Mornington Peninsula generally. There is a fair bit of employment in Mornington and Frankston, (not sure what you do though) and it's a very pleasant place to live. With the Peninsula Link it will be...

Local council In Vic, ours keeps a register of all transactions within their jurisdiction. I think it isn't super-current, but it might be a good place to start.

You won't listen to this, but... DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A few years ago I sanded my floors and stained them with a lovely black/brown mix. I am now in the process of going back to a mid-depth colour. The dark colour is elegant but the maintenance is horrendous. A small hair ball...

Expensive In Melbourne, on a tight site in the inner city with a heritage building, a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom would be a bargain at under $150K. It might be more like $250K when all is said and done. Going up isn't cheap. Re planning, talk to local builders, ask at the council...

Not sure as an investment But agree with PP that it's surprisingly good for lifetsyle. My mother just moved to Highett (one suburb closer to the city I think) and it's super convenient to everything. In fact, I live much closer to the city (but in the same direction) and I find myself spending...

Keep the toilet! They're expensive and a second toilet is a great thing to have. I have very little storage, so I know how your wife feels, but if you put to your mind to it you can find creative ways to get more storage into a house, like shelves/cupboards above doors, beds with drawers...

Layout isn't great, is it? The toilet off the kitchen(ette) is pretty awful.

Foreign ownership Is restricted in some countries in SE Asia too, isn't it? In Indonesia you need a local to buy the property in their name and then assign their rights to you in a separate agreement. No thanks!

I won a voucher to the value of $4,500 to be used on items from the Mitre10 Imagine kitchen/laundry range. I believe the prize includes delivery to the Melbourne metro area. It looks like reasonable stuff, but I can't use it right now. Mitre10 have told me that I have until the end of May...

Or if you don't want to rent Just look for a smaller version of your current house, but with a garden and sun. Then if you decide to stay longer, you'll at least be living in a well built house. Good luck!

Good point about the other costs of relocating. Also, depending on where you are, now might not be a good time to downsize. The best time to downsize is when property values are increasing, so you can maximise your gains from selling the bigger property. In my view, the issue isn't how old it...

Tricky one I've faced a very similar dilemma with a small fibro investment property I own and sometimes holiday in (it's a holiday let). I know the house will probably be pulled down when I eventually sell, although I find it a very pleasant house to spend time in because of the great layout...

Yes, quite right There is an exemption where costs are expected to be low (I think it's closer to $800 now), but in my experience (I used to be a solicitor), solicitors don't rely on the exemption because the fees so quickly add up, and it's not good practice.

Melbourne In Victoria, a solicitor must discuss fees with you before doing any work. It is very unusual for them to forget, because it means the client can get out of paying them. Are you SURE no fee estimate was given? Perhaps you don't express yourself very well in writing, but your posts...

Cost I think it's generally under $1000 for a sky tube type one and over $2K for the clear Velux ones. These prices are installed. The Velux ones require plastering, painting etc after installation too.

Cheap way to do it This wouldn't work for every property, obviously, but a townhouse near me used an awning blind as a car shelter. It was attached to the side of the (brick) house and extended downwards pretty much to the fence. It was black, so it wouldn't stain. I doubt they needed any...