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Hi Mykie, I'm a professional commercial real estate broker and I use a BA for resi property. Many of my clients are Fortune 500 companies and they trust my advice when making decisions involving very large expenses and business risks. They also trust me to negotiate the best deal for them on...

Try the free research from the major commercial RE agencies - Jones Lang LaSalle, CBRE, Colliers etc.

Surely it is easier to make money in a market you know than half a world away? I've been living overseas since 2001 but still continue to invest in Australia because I understand the tax/financing/culture better than anywhere else.

Property services I run corporate accounts for a property services company - big multinationals outsource their property to us and I run the team that manages those accounts. Based in Shanghai.

Hi, I love the drive up Highway 1 from San Francisco. To me, it was even more beautiful than the Great Ocean Road. If you are into technology, then I suggest yolu visit Stanford and Palo Alto - it feels like the epicenter of the technical world. Cheers, Ben

Hi, I work as a commercial broker (in Shanghai) so I spend everyday, all day helping people solve their commercial property problems :) Firstly, you need to understand that yields in Australia are very tight at the moment. Large en bloc purchases are selling for as little as 6.25% and...

Here are some things that I have done or am doing to help me have the ability to keep growing my portfolio: Purchase a residential property and convert it to a commercial tenant. Use equity to purchase instalment warrants. Purchase houses with granny flats etc for extra rental income. Buy...

Well, I'm here Hi, I work for Jones Lang LaSalle in Shanghai. I'd be happy to meet up with you next time you are over here. The market is fascinating over here - different in every city ranging from fairly sophisticated in Shanghai to downright 3rd world in other places. Feels very...

Different approach Hi beetle, You are motivated and keen to learn and you have the time to make things happen. These are huge assets for you. There is more to investing than just buying assets - you need to have a goal, a plan and a way to get from point A to B. When I was 23 I spoke...

Data on allhomes.com.au Hi .toe, Yup, data is on www.allhomes.com.au (for ACT anyway). Here is a link as an example: http://allhomes.com.au/c/ah?a=uisush&i=359&y=2005 . Cheers, Ben

Control for land size? Hi, This is an interesting idea. Some things that occur to me are: 1. Normalise the data to $/m2 instead of using houses as the unit. This will help you control for different block sizes. 2. Compare land prices in the area to land+house prices so you can estimate the...

Unusual features Hi, I'm definitely interested in hearing about properties that have unusual features like being a subdividable corner block, room for a second house etc. etc. One service I would love is if there were a dedicated agent in my target area who took the initiative to notify...

Price and Value Hi all, Also, inflation measures price but not value. As an example, the cars we buy nowadays come fitted with airbags, AC, stereos etc. The price in real terms may have stayed the same but the quality of an average car has improved dramatically. Measures such as the CPI...

Buffett on Inflation Hi SC, I may have this wrong, but from a property investor's point of view inflation may be a good thing. This is because any debt you owe is fixed. If you borrow $100,000 in the year 2000 and inflation is a constant 3% for 10 years, then your debt will have been reduced...

Who was the agent? Hi, Out of interest - who was the agent who arranged the auction? Sounds like they did a great job of marketing a so-so property. Cheers, Bent

My experience Hi Marcus, Welcome to the forum. I have been living overseas for the last few years (currently in China) and have bought a couple of properties. I usually arrange finance and do research into different areas while overseas. When I return to Oz for a little while, I already...

Actually, that may not be right Hi, Fears over China's emergence are probably groundless. For a good rebuttal of that Asia Times article, look at this blog:Simon World. It is written by an Australian living in Hong Kong and provides a cogent counter-argument to the 'Chinese Dragon sucking...

Hi, It is important to remember that CG are part of the calculation as well, you cannot view rental yields by themselves. A high-yield area has lower CG built into the price (eat more cake now and have less later) but a low-yield area has higher CG built into the price (eat a little less cake...

I think all that wineing is just sour grapes. Ben

Hi all, I had the real estate agent go through my property recently to give me a rough idea of the value. The bad news is that the value of the house has remained pretty much the same over the last year (with a 2-6% increase in value). The good news is that with a renovation of the kitchen...