<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><atom:link href="http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;Type=RSS20" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><title>Hot Property News</title><description>Hot Property News</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/</link><lastBuildDate>Sat, 26 May 2012 08:32:17 GMT</lastBuildDate><docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss</docs><generator>RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/</generator><item><title>QLD's New Million Dollar Homes</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Queensland is quickly becoming one of the nation's leading real estate markets, with more and more people looking to invest in the sunshine state.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And while their southern neighbours come to terms with the slowing pace of a post-GFC economy, it seems that the mining boom is continuing to strengthen the state's domestic economy and real estate market.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But despite a number of experts coming out of the woodwork to put in their two cents about where and when the money will be made, it is doubtful whether anyone was expecting The Courier Mail's February 22 headline about a couple wanting to sell their home in Capella for a breezy $1 million.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On first impression, Steve and Ruth Franettovich appear to be your average Australian couple, but if the property sells that may become one of the country's savviest investors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"We've always known the house, land, million-dollar view that she has out the back and the one-off opulence of the home make it a prestige home," commented Mrs Franettovich.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"We've just been waiting for the economy in the area to lift."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The pair initially decided to sell more than two years ago when mining activity in the area began to pick up, having a direct impact on living costs and driving up house prices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Figures from last year's September quarter show that the median house price in the central highlands, where the Franettovich property is located, went up by 16.1 per cent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is an impressive result by any standard, but even more so when you compare it to the state's capital Brisbane, which fell 5.9 per cent in the same period.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Franettovich's are prepared to wait for the right price and are said to be regularly meeting with would-be buyers, but have yet to put pen to paper and sign on the dotted line.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=82900&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fQLD's_New_Million_Dollar_Homes%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/QLD's_New_Million_Dollar_Homes/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:11:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>TOP 5 Property Hotspots Confirmed!!  </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style="color: black !important; background-color: initial; padding-top: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; background-image: url(http://thinkmoney.com.au/images/bg.jpg); margin-top: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; text-align: left !important; word-wrap: break-word !important; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat;"&gt;
&lt;h1&gt;Gladstone, Townsville, Toowoomba, Rockhampton &amp;amp; Mackay Confirmed As The Top 5 Hotspots in Australia by YIP Mag.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;(Your Investor Property Mag Dec 2011)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As presented by Jack Childs at his QIBC Property Showcase, these areas are proving to be ideal for investors! Make a time to discuss your property investment options with Jack. He has several positively geared investment options to invigorate your property portfolio. These properties are going fast. Contact Him Today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Next Property Showcases will be on&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sunshine Coast : Sunday 13 November at the Waterfront Hotel, Maroochydore at 1pm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rockhampton : Saturday 26 November at the Kershaw House Rockhampton at 9am.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Fill out the form to reserve your seat or to make a time to see Jack.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;
&lt;form name="catwebformform18673" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" action="/FormProcessv2.aspx?WebFormID=18181&amp;amp;OID={module_oid}&amp;amp;OTYPE={module_otype}&amp;amp;EID={module_eid}&amp;amp;CID={module_cid}" style="background-color: #efefef; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"&gt;
    &lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;bull; Required&lt;/p&gt;
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                &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;
                &lt;option value="156198"&gt;MS&lt;/option&gt;
                &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/select&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="easyas" style="text-align: left;"&gt;
&lt;table style="border:1px dotted #cccccc;border-image: initial;"&gt;
    &lt;tbody&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
            &lt;td style="border:1px dotted #cccccc;border-image: initial; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 1px;"&gt;&lt;img alt="" src="/QIBC logo_final_2.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;border-width: 0px;" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
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            &lt;td style="border:1px dotted #cccccc;border-image: initial; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 1px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #5d5d5d;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #5d5d5d;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;Contact Details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;7 Ocean St&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;Maroochydore&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;ph: 0418 794 512&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;fax: 07 5335 1219&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;jack@qibc.com.au&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
            &lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"&gt;	&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.qibc.com.au" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: #0085cc;"&gt;www.qibc.com.au&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
    &lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;QIBC - Queensland Investment Building Corporation -&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.qibc.com.au" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: #0085cc;"&gt;www.qibc.com.au&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Working with quality builders for the investor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
QIBC prides itself on the high standard of construction and research the company puts into each area. We see too many companies construction houses with poor workmanship in average locations. The inexperienced investor can easily get caught out buying one of these homes only to find it doesn't rent easily or it takes months to sell - at a discount!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you would like to be notified of QIBC&amp;rsquo;s most recent builders' projects please leave your details below:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;
&lt;form name="catwebformform18673" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" action="/FormProcessv2.aspx?WebFormID=18181&amp;amp;OID={module_oid}&amp;amp;OTYPE={module_otype}&amp;amp;EID={module_eid}&amp;amp;CID={module_cid}" style="background-color: #efefef; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div class="contact left" style="width: 107px; height: 190px; color: #5d5d5d; float: left;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=79512&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fTOP_5_Property_Hotspots_Confirmed!!_%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/TOP_5_Property_Hotspots_Confirmed!!_/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:32:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>State Budget 2011 - New $10,000 Building Boost &amp; Transfer Duty Rates</title><description>&lt;p style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 9.5pt; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"&gt;Bligh&amp;rsquo;s $140 million Building Boost to stimulate housing sector&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 9.5pt; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"&gt;Premier Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser have announced major reforms to the state&amp;rsquo;s housing sector to boost construction jobs and make new housing more affordable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 9.5pt; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow;"&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Queensland Building Boost&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;is a six month, $140 million initiative that will provide a $10,000 grant for all Queenslanders constructing or purchasing a new home up to the value of $600,000, with first home buyers also eligible for the $7,000 first home buyer&amp;rsquo;s grant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 9.5pt; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"&gt;&amp;ldquo;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Queensland Building Boost&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;will be available for six months from 1 August. I would urge anyone looking to build or purchase a new home, particularly first home buyers, to get in quick and make the most of this opportunity.&amp;rdquo; Said The Premier.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt="" src="/Picture 1_New.png" style="border: 0px;" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Changes to Stamp Duty - Get in Quick&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;bull;Hurry home buyers-&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;No home concession from&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;31 JULY 2011&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;bull;First Home Concession will still apply but at different rates.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;bull;First Home Owners Grant of $7,000.00 still available&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;bull;Changes to stamp duty from&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1 AUGUST 2011&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;bull;Building Boost Grant of $10,000.00 available to any person or corporation buying or building a new home for less than $600,000 to live in, or to rent out for investment purposes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Available only from 1 August 2011 to 31 January 2012&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;This is good news for first&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;home owners&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;who are looking to buy or build a new home to live in as they may be eligible for a bonus of&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;$17,000.00&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; the First Home Owners Grant and the Building Boost Grant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is also good news for&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;property investors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;as a corporation may apply for the building boost grant as well as individuals.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The rates for transfer duty will change from&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1 August 2011&lt;/strong&gt;. The amount of stamp duty payable for properties with a purchase price of less than $550,000.00 will generally be lower to take into account the removal of the home concession rate.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The First Home Concession rates will also change from&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;1 August 2011&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;and will increase to offset the removal of the Home Concession rate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/current-budget/tax-reform/transfer-duty-rates-building-boost.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img alt="" src="/Qld State Budget 2011-12 - Transfer-duty-rates-building-boost_New.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: initial;border-width: 0px;" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 15px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/current-budget/tax-reform/transfer-duty-rates-building-boost.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 15px;"&gt;Click&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Here For a Summary of the Changes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 11.1px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal times; color: #221e1f;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"&gt;For more information on the Building Boost grants or transfer duty reforms visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/taxreform" target="_blank"&gt;www.budget.qld.gov.au/taxreform&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: calibri, verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: 11pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=73682&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fState_Budget_2011_-_New_%252410%252c000_Building_Boost_Transfer_Duty_Rates%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/State_Budget_2011_-_New_$10,000_Building_Boost_Transfer_Duty_Rates/</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:26:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Budget announcement won't slow this market</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;The budget has been the main talk for this month. The return to surplus in 3 years is a tall order and one that is reliant on the mining boom continuing as well as both parties not blowing the budget in their campaigns prior to the next election.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;What we don&amp;rsquo;t know is how China will manage its economy over the medium term as it battles with high inflation. The most likely scenario is China&amp;rsquo;s economy slowing but not enough to dampen its hunger for our commodities. With the new mining tax announced some areas of Australia and in particular, Queensland are worried the government has just killed the economy. Regional areas linked to the mining industry are hoping this won&amp;rsquo;t send the big mining companies overseas. We will wait to see whether this will affect the property market in these areas. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;The only budget announcement directly related to property was the unveiling of the new tax in NSW for properties over $500,000. This will have very little effect on investors. A property worth $600,000 will incur an additional $200; hardly a deal-breaker.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;The main property markets on the east coast are unlikely to be affected much by this budget as we continue to see supply struggle to keep up with demand. Areas with good infrastructure and strong yields will still hold their value.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;Ultimately, we see very little effect on the housing market. Things will slow down over the coming months and interest rate rises take effect but prices and demand will continue to rise over the next few years. Brisbane will be the next mover, with predicted 30% gains over the next 3 years!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=55950&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fBudget_announcement_won't_slow_this_market%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Budget_announcement_won't_slow_this_market/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 10:46:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Rate rises are not all bad</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Mainstream news reporters love to tell how bad things are when property prices fall or interest rates rise. But as always, there is two ways of looking at it. When interest rates rise, the economy is improving. Inflation needs to be kept in check so the Reserve Bank raises interest rates. The good news for investors is two-fold.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Firstly, improving economic conditions and a growing housing market mean capital growth. Also as rates rise, rents usually rise too giving investors a cushioning against the increased payments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Secondly, interest payments are tax deductible for investors so interest rates have much less effect on investors than owner occupiers. In fact, with tax deductions and increasing rents, it is safe to say the effect of rate rises is next to nothing. The only times investors will feel the pinch is if they have very little taxable income and therefore will not enjoy the full tax deductible breaks of a negatively-geared property. Also when a property has a very low yield and rents are only a small portion of the interest payment, this can cause interest rate movements to be of greater affect. Speak to a wealth coach to find ways to minimise rate rise effects.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=54186&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fRate_rises_are_not_all_bad%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Rate_rises_are_not_all_bad/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:22:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Interest rate rise signals improving economy</title><description>The Melbourne Cup rate rise, which brings the RBA cash rate to 3.5%, &lt;strong&gt;is a good indication that property and the large economy are well and truly on the rise too.&lt;/strong&gt; Of course there will be a few people who think this is the doomsday calling for what the property markets have done since October 2008, but we think&lt;strong&gt; it is the perfect sign for buying more property.&lt;/strong&gt; If you were too scared to get into property back in October when the start of the increased first home buyers' grant begun, then there must be enough signs and confidence by now...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We are looking at a sustained rally in house prices across the board for the remainder of 2009 and 2010, after that nobody really knows. The RBA is raising the cash rate one quarter of a percentage point each time so as not to upset the apple cart. This will lead to banks' raising rates at a gradual pace meaning rates will stay below average until at least the end of next year.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="color: #c00000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If this isn't a good time to buy then when is???&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=47537&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fInterest_rate_rise_signals_improving_economy%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Interest_rate_rise_signals_improving_economy/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:37:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Market recovery</title><description>We're well into the property recovery now with first home-buyers leading the charge giving a boost to house and unit sales but in particular, new construction.&lt;div&gt;The RBA has left the cash rate at 3% for another month showing confidence that the economy is turning and no change is necessary. For property investors, leaving the cash rate unchanged is the best news possible. Interest rates remain low making the cost of new purchases more exciting but without the doom and gloom in the media. This has created the first wave of investors back into the market which will be followed by increasingly conservative investors as they realise the sky is NOT falling and they had better get into the market before they miss out (usually at the time, savvy investors are beginning to sell again!).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;But enough about the future - now is a very exciting time in property in Australia after the country was voted the country to come through the global economic crisis the best (see June's newsletter and research report for more on this). We are seeing the best buying conditions the country has seen since 2002 albeit in selective regions. Sydney has begun leading the charge followed by Melbourne. Brisbane is fairing well as is the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;We've got some exciting developments in Wollongong (South of Sydney) as well as Brisbane through our partner firm &lt;a href="/partners.htm"&gt;Virtual Fortune&lt;/a&gt;. Come along to one of our &lt;a href="/seminars.htm"&gt;seminars&lt;/a&gt; to see the latest offerings.&lt;/div&gt;
</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=42637&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fMarket_recovery%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Market_recovery/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:31:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>First Home Buyers Boost the Market</title><description>All we've seen in the news lately is how the first home buyers are buying homes in droves buoyed by the government's increased grant. I have friends in Melbourne who are trying to buy their first home in Preston, 10kms from the city and they are struggling to get an offer in before properties sell! Properties they are looking at are selling quickly and often above the asking price.&lt;br /&gt;
We are seeing the same sort of response here in Queensland with numbers up by over 300%.&lt;br /&gt;
This is exactly what we said would happen back in October when the grant increase was announced. See &lt;a href="/_bpost_2110/NEW_FHOG_GIVES_A_SHOT_IN_THE_ARM"&gt;FHOG gives shot in the arm.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left; undefined: "&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE than 42,000 people have taken up the federal government's first home buyers&lt;br /&gt;
grant since extra money was poured into the scheme last October, new figures reveal.&lt;br /&gt;
Under the government's $1.5 billion first home buyers boost, the first home buyers grant&lt;br /&gt;
was doubled from $7000 to $14,000.&lt;br /&gt;
Those first home buyers who purchase a new home receive an extra $7,000 to take the&lt;br /&gt;
total cost of government assistance to $21,000.&lt;br /&gt;
Australians have been taking up the boost at a rate of more than 12,500 a month,&lt;br /&gt;
Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek says.&lt;br /&gt;
The boost combined with low interest rates has meant that thousands of first home&lt;br /&gt;
buyers are entering the market.&lt;br /&gt;
"A strong housing market is critical for underpinning confidence and supporting jobs in&lt;br /&gt;
the Australian economy," Ms Plibersek said.&lt;br /&gt;
NSW has seen the highest uptake, with 14,404 first home owners receiving the boost,&lt;br /&gt;
followed by Queensland and Victoria (9,319 and 8,632 respectively).&lt;br /&gt;
About 4,200 first home buyers have entered the market in Western Australia since&lt;br /&gt;
October, more than 3,300 from &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left; undefined: "&gt;&lt;span style="color: #0000ef; font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: #000000"&gt;South Australia&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;and 1,135 from Tasmania.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Both territories recorded the lowest uptakes with 703 grants awarded in the nation's&lt;br /&gt;
capital and 404 in the Northern Territory.&lt;br /&gt;
"First home owners, builders and developers have been telling me that the &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #0000ef; font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: #000000"&gt;First Home&lt;br /&gt;
Owners Boost&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arialmt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;is working. Some builders are also starting to see signs of more second&lt;br /&gt;
and third home buyers," the housing minister said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
March 28, 2009 - AAP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left; undefined: "&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left; undefined: "&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=37694&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fFirst_Home_Buyers_Boost_the_Market%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/First_Home_Buyers_Boost_the_Market/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:22:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Growth on the Coast</title><description>I have uploaded the latest My Property Review cover story - it can be found in the &lt;a href="/freeresources.htm"&gt;Free Resources &lt;/a&gt;section.&lt;br /&gt;
The article discusses the changes planned for the Horton Park Golf Club as they relocate to a much larger site in the Kunda Park district. This will allow the current site to be redeveloped and has very exciting possibilities. Plans are to have a mix of residential, commercial and industrial development with plenty of green space. The 54 hectare site is close enough to Maroochydore CBD to make a huge impact on the look and feel of the city. Council is seeking input on the plan over the next few months.&lt;br /&gt;
If you have any comments you'd like to make here as to what you think should be introduced to the area, please feel free.

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=36669&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fGrowth_on_the_Coast%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Growth_on_the_Coast/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:28:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Infrastructure Changes</title><description>Last week's My Property Review cover story was the second part in a two part series on the coasts infrastructure and how it will change the face of the Sunshine Coast. It's a interesting read and will give you an insight into Council's plans for the region as well as pressures from developers and communities.&lt;br /&gt;
Read the entire article here - &lt;a href="/freeresources.htm"&gt;"Work in Progress"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
- By the way, you'll need to be a member of the site to download the article but it's &lt;strong&gt;free &lt;/strong&gt;so &lt;a href="/becomeamember.htm"&gt;join now!&lt;/a&gt;

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=35835&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fInfrastructure_Changes%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Infrastructure_Changes/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:38:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>It's Official. Australia will ride the storm.</title><description>In the latest report from BIS Schrapnel, Australia, due to its strong population growth and housing demand will continue to show strength in the face of the global financial crisis. Meanwhile our overseas counterparts are suffering a domino-effect econonomic downturn.&lt;span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: helvlight"&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;“The US, UK and parts of Europe &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;and Japan are being caught with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;over-investment, a collapse in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;property prices and bank balance&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;sheets, problems of bank &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;insolvency and weakening &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;construction, which will mean &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;periods of declining growth for &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;&lt;em&gt;these regions."&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
With Rudd's fiscal stimulus package and continued population growth, demand for property will likely strengthen over the next 3 years.&lt;br /&gt;
BIS Schrapnel, Australia's leading forecaster agrees.&lt;span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: helvlight"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial"&gt;&lt;em&gt;“...after the current shock, prices and construction will rise, not fall.”&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;Yes, in the short term we have seen and will continue to see some businesses tightening their belt with layoffs and wage reductions but the health and strength of Australia's economy will prevail.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=34810&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252fBlogRetrieve.aspx%253fBlogID%253d2110%2526PostID%253d34810</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=2110&amp;PostID=34810</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:14:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Looking ahead for 2009</title><description>As we contemplate 2008 and look ahead to 2009 it's hard not to see investors returning to faithful practices that have done them well in the past.&lt;br /&gt;
People tend to do more research at the start of an upturn in the market. They're more hesitant to jump in with both feet so they look for signs from experts or by doing their own research on infrastructure and job growth within a radius of the property they're interested in.&lt;br /&gt;
In 2009 we'll see certain areas do really well and other areas stagnate so it's important to get the facts straight.&lt;br /&gt;
Specific suburbs of cities will do well with new infrastructure as well as proximity to schools and jobs which will mean good rental demand. Southeast Queensland with it's diverse economy will continue to grow in 2009. Coastal towns on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast that have had strong rental growth without the corresponding price growth will do particulary well.&lt;br /&gt;
In fact as Bernard Salt says in his &lt;a href="/freeresources.htm"&gt;latest article&lt;/a&gt; the towns along the Australian East Coast are hot property in 2009.

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=33474&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fLooking_ahead_for_2009%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Looking_ahead_for_2009/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:07:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Affordability brings first home buyers back</title><description>As the RBA drops the cash rate a further 100 basis points, first home buyers are seeing opportunities in the property market. Affordability at it's best for years, buyers are cashing in on the government grant and prospects of low payments on their mortgage. Population figures are still rising and with that rental demand creating a windfall for investors as rents increase by 10-20% pa in most cities. We have entered the next property boom - no doubt about it.&lt;br /&gt;
All the factors are in place for a strong property market over the next 2-3 years as yields increase and capital growth rises as investors and first home buyers return to take advantage of low interest rates, government grants and good returns.&lt;br /&gt;
Many tip the Reserve Bank to lower the cash rate by a further 75 basis points when they next meet in February. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please download and read the article from RP Data in our free resources section!

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=32515&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fAffordability_brings_first_home_buyers_back%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/Affordability_brings_first_home_buyers_back/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:52:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Clock is Ticking</title><description>The &lt;em&gt;Property Clock&lt;/em&gt; has entered a new phase with property analysts confirming we are now on the upswing.&lt;br /&gt;
As we have predicted over the past few months, the downturn in the property market was going to be nothing like what the share market experienced. With strong fundamentals underpinning it, sales are starting to increase as demand returns.&lt;br /&gt;
Tim Lawless of RP Data-Rismark states, "The Australian property market has moved through the bottom of it's cycle."&lt;br /&gt;
We are likely to see fair growth for the first half of 2009 before double digit growth returns later in the year and into 2010.

</description><link>http://thinkmoney.com.au/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=2716&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=32208&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fthinkmoney.com.au%252f_blog%252fHot_Property_News%252fpost%252fThe_Clock_is_Ticking%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://thinkmoney.com.au/_blog/Hot_Property_News/post/The_Clock_is_Ticking/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:09:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>NEW FHOG GIVES A SHOT IN THE ARM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;To ensure the property market stays strong, the government has put in place some radical changes for 1st home buyers by increasing the grant by up to 300%.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1st home owners are a small part of the total property market and so we may think that the increased grant won’t affect things much. There are two
reasons why this will have a significant impact on the Australian property market. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;Overall confidence for investors because of rising demand.&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;The new grant is split into two parts. If you’re buying a second-hand home you will receive $14,000 dollars. But if you purchase a new home the government will give you $21,000.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The reason for this is to stimulate the building industry as well as increase supply. The result will be an increased demand for land and house &amp;amp; land packages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our clients who have land holdings in and around the southeast of Queensland and especially house &amp;amp; land packages should see an increase in demand over the next few months and into 2009.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Housing Industry Authority states on their website, “The increase in FHOG has invigorated confidence in the industry and lifted the spirits of many aspiring first home buyers looking at purchasing a new dwelling.  Already, builders are reporting an increase in inquiry levels. “&lt;/p&gt;

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