Search results

Hmmm. Just been doing some more reading and it seems that house prices have fallen short doubling in value over the past decade. However, they are not far off. If you compare mid 98 to mid 2008 then they went up by 100%. Units don't seem to have done quite as well though. Any suggestions on...

ps. Not a gambler myself, but I actually made around $10k worth of bets a couple of years ago -- and came out nicely ahead. The trick was arbitrage betting... ie. betting both for and against a result with different betting agencies. There is a very small possibility of things going wrong (eg...

Thanks again for your opinions, all very useful! I've just been looking at some data for the median price in various Sydney suburbs over the last 10 years. It's actually hard to find a suburb in which the median price has doubled during that time. Have most properties in Sydney not actually...

Hehe, well I hope you're right. I'm not sure whether people are going to start stressing about home loan rates until they get over 7% and are still on the rise. I guess it will depend how well the economy kicks along in 2010.

Good tip. While I am not working is actually a perfect time to spend doing research.

Ha, thanks. Lakemba has been on my list along with one or two others. Not sure how quickly I can buy in, because I'm between jobs. May have to wait until Feb/March. But I agree.... if I am going to buy, I need to buy soon. Thanks for the tip.

Ha, ok, well don't sugar-coat it will you?! :) I'm beginning to sense that the answer to this thread in the minds of most investors here is "no". ;) And that's really the crux of it. In posting this thread I was keen to get a feel for how many folks here think that the current property market...

You may be right. I'm aware that the property market has been in a minor downturn, tracking sideways for a number of years and with small falls in most markets. But it has been coming off a very high base, and there are very few people around who would argue that property is under-valued. That's...

You can actually get a 2bd apartment for that kind of money. But in any case, it's a good question to consider. Is it better to go for a 2bd apartment closer to the city, or a 3bd house further out? I guess it would depend very much on the specific suburbs in question. But in general I would...

Yes, I fully subscribe to the buy in gloom scenario. If prices has fallen 20% in the past year, then I would be in like Flynn. But we're not really in a gloom scenario right now are we? And when was the last time house prices in Australia fell by 20%? Was it back in the early 90s? I don't want...

It's quite doable I think, depending on what you want to buy! Lakemba is 15km from the Sydney CBD and it's not hard to find properties there for under $300k I believe. Units, of course.

lol, yes, prices have a habit of rising... until they start falling! Your points are good ones though and are all on my list. I'll make sure I have things set up so I can ride out big hikes in interest rates and significant falls in value of the property. I think the plan would be to wait 12...

Only going down by 50% is exactly what concerns me! Because of the volatility of shares I haven't been game to apply any leverage. So when my shares lose 50% of their value I do too. They may go to zero (actually they won't because I only invest in passive broad-based index funds), but that's...

thanks Thanks all for your comments. I'll try to respond to a few of the points raised below, but it is all good food for thought. Yes, I realise that prices in Sydney and much of NSW have been flat for the past 4 years or so. What I meant to convey was that many investors have benefited...

Hi folks. Been lurking a while and just signed up for my first post. :) I'm pretty keen to get into property investment in Sydney (and elsewhere) and have been doing plenty of background reading in the past couple of months. I feel ready to dip my toe into the market except for one thing...