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177 | Get Rid of Settlement Headaches Once and For All – Chat with Lisa Dowie

No one wants their most expensive decision to be fumbled, delayed or up-in-the-air come D-day… so today, folks, we’re giving you the settlement solutions BEFORE you need them!

And it’s a little bit like taking a peek into a future that’s just around the corner.

How do we know? Well, joining us today is Lisa Dowie, Chief Customer Officer at Property Exchange Australia Ltd (PEXA), Australia’s online settlement platform. No, she didn’t arrive by a hovercraft or drop in via teleportation, BUT, yes, she’s talking about the digital future in settlements that’s here (and in use) right now and WILL take over the simple A4 paper and pen in less time than you think.

Think digital signatures. Think e-Conveyancing. Think transfer of titles in minutes, not to and froing between your conveyancer, mortgage broker, lender and everyone else involved in making that property officially yours.

In a nutshell: the online property exchange network lets us lodge documents with Lands Registries and complete financial sentiments ELECTRONICALLY. Yep: PEXA is property transactions through the wonder waves of tech territory!

So we’ve got Lisa on to tell you the latest and greatest in property — like what specifics you need to know for a smoother settlement process, why buyers and sellers need to welcome the digital shift and, let’s be honest folks, WHEN all this is seriously going to rock the boat.

 

But before we tell you what you’ll get out of today’s knowledge-packed segment … we have a huge big announcement. Yep. Huge and Big.

WE’RE DOING A LIVE PODCAST IN MELBOURNE!!!!

Free Live Podcast in Melbourne — CLICK HERE to Find out More

It’s true, folks! Our tribe of listeners who came to our Sydney Live a couple of weeks ago enjoyed hearing us ramble on about property investing SO much we thought, hey, we’ve gotta be fair to our hometown of listeners!

Our Live Podcast in Melbourne is happening on Thursday, July 5th at 6:15 pm – 9.30pm. We’ve even dedicated time on the night to have a chat with you, hear your story and give you a high five before we give you some red hot property, finance and money management tips!

BOOK NOW to Reserve Your Seat – Limited Seats Available

 

Huge Big Announcement over and out! So, back to today’s show.

 

Here’s what you’ll learn:

… or last month in May, say?

  • What date can we expect ALL transactions to be in digital form?
  • Does title theft happen?
  • What’s the benefit for the vendor?
  • What’s the benefit for the purchaser?
  • Should you ask property professionals if they use PEXA? Why?
  • What’s the app, SettleMe?
  • What’s happening to land title reservations?
  • What else is new in the tech space?

 

176 | How to Prioritise Your Property Investment Journey and Still Have a Life — Sydney LIVE Podcast ft. Q & A

If you’re reading this, you’re probably keen on property investing — regardless of whether or not you’re a beginner or a multimillion-dollar property portfolio owner… or somewhere in between.

And chances are you also like to have a life too, right? Because folks, at the end of the day, while hard work’s rewarding and a passive income’s exciting, there are also other factors competing for your time and attention, and — let’s face it — other things you’d prefer to do, like put your feet up (and watch the Pies and the Dockers if you’re us), or simply relax with your loved ones doing what YOU love most.

Realistically folks — if you invest in property the right way from the get-go, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your life. It’s that simple. But it’s not always easy to get this balance right.

So, that’s where today’s VERY SPECIAL episode comes in. Yep, it’s very special because…

  1. It’s OUR LIVE SHOW IN SYDNEY where we answer our Property Couch Tribe’s questions… which just might be very similar to the ones YOU have!
  2. It’s a LIVE GUIDE to help you prioritise your property investment journey AND still have a life!!

 

Yep. Reclaim market confidence, get through the “messy middle”, cut the noise and let’s get some good ol’ honest advice!

 

*** Oh, and folks — make sure you tune in till the end for a special announcement from Ben! ***

Back to today’s questions answered at OUR LIVE SYDNEY PODCAST…

Question about Staying the Distance from Louise:

My single biggest challenge with my property investment journey has been keeping the momentum and not getting distracted or bored along the way. Property investing for the long term seems to sometimes move at a glacial speed and it’s easy to get a bit disheartened when you don’t see obvious progress. It’s also easy to let life get in the way and not prioritise my investment journey. I delayed on a purchase by two years (missing out on some great capital growth) because I was distracted by family and work life.

 

Question about Location and Investing in Cashflow from Yuna:

Ben and Bryce always talk about how location is the key and that most of the time 80% of the lifting is done by location. If my property investing strategy is cashflow rather than capital growth due to my circumstance; how do I apply the location theory to this equation? Or does location come first or my strategy during the suburb research?

 

Question about Off the Plan and Exit Strategies from Jeremy:

A ‘friend’ (who may or may not be me…) has purchased an off-the-plan, high-density unit, in Brisbane’s middle ring northern suburbs — 10km from the city. The area has a Westfield, a hospital and a bus line, but isn’t within walking distance from any of the new transport infrastructure projects. The build date has been pushed back from 2018 to 2019, because the developer, who was also the property spruiker, had difficulty getting pre-sales. Since that time I (or my friend) have discovered The Property Couch and have listened to as many back episodes as possible. It’s obvious to us that we can pretty much check off every mistake in the book. The spruiker was selling in Sydney with a focus on bling, tax depreciation and yield. The suburb is not investment grade. The property is not investment grade. Lifestyle drivers are not there. Income is lower than the QLD average. And so on. The unit was sold with a vendor discount: “stamp duty paid,” (yes we know…now), so on settlement is likely to be valued significantly less than the purchase price. With the over-supply situation that exists in Brisbane and Brisbane-North’s very low population growth rate (1%), what, if any, exit strategies exist?

 

LIVE Question about Knowing When to Stop:

How do you know when to stop investing in property? Because it’s pretty addictive!

 

LIVE Question about The Budget Changes to Tax Depreciation:

This is a bit more of a specific question, around the latest budget changes around tax depreciation. I have 2 properties that were purchased prior to the changes— so I have depreciation reports, and claiming all that’s all good. But I have bought 1 that settled with the changes the latest budget. I’ve heard on various podcasts about being able to claim the cost of plant and equipment as capital gains at the end if you sell, but I don’t understand the connection between these? Do I need a tax depreciation report for a property purchased after the budget last year to know what I owned when I purchased it to at the end when I sell it?

 

LIVE Question about Spruikers and Not Knowing How What to Do:

I’ve got a friend who is helping people buy property in Brisbane — they’re friends of ours — and they’re Off the Plan stuff, just terrible stuff really, and he works for a company where they deliberately fence people in, cross-collateralise, deliberately put them to their Buyers Agents who are hooked up with developers, and it gets me a bit angry. I can’t do anything about it because I have no credentials — I’m a Tradie — but I’ve been listening to your podcast for a number of years and I do have a lot of knowledge. Do you have any advice for someone who is witnessing these terrible things happening to people that I care about?

 

P.S. Want us to come to your city? Let us know what state/territory you live!
(We promise not to stalk you)

P.P.S. Want our industry to be regulated so we can get rid of the spruikers and dodgy investment advice? Join PICA  it’s only $5 for 1 Year Membership!

 

 

175 | Five Foolproof Ways to Conquer your Finance in this Changing Landscape

What an episode we’ve got for you today, folks!! We’re letting you in on the 5 FOOLPROOF WAYS to conquer your finance!! Yep, we’re dead set serious. Why? Because we know in this day and age it can be a little more challenging to get a loan than it used to be!

With APRA’S handbrake on the lending sector, what banks look for can mean you’re jumping through a few more loops just to get approval…  so are there ways to make getting finance easier??

… We think there ARE.  And that is what today’s episode is all about — ways to boost your lending potential. We’ve scoured the corridors of our business to give you some Mortgage Broking Secrets AND a few little odds & ends of our own!!

So … what do you need to know?

 

 

Also folks, don’t forget,

… we’re chasing your MONEY HACKS and FEEDBACK on The Money SMARTS System (good & bad) so you can get the biggest benefit from our new book coming out!!!

CLICK HERE to send us your Money Hacks & Feedback

 

 

 

 

174 | Stop! Don’t sign the contract until you’ve listened to THIS! – Chat about Strata, Body Corporates & Legal Stuff with Tim Graham

Folks, it’s a SERIOUS episode today… jam-packed with nothing but serious GOLD!! (Please no contract-signing until you’ve swallowed this stuff first.)

Why? Today we’ve got Tim Graham, Partner at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, to discuss all things Real Estate Law … especially Strata!!

Strata? What do we mean? Think Off the Plan. Subdivision. Owner Corporate (Body Corporate). Townhouse. Apartment. Unit.

 

Yep. Tim practices exclusively in the areas of strata and subdivision law, Owners Corporation and dispute resolution with almost 20 years of experience! He’s the President of the Australian College of Community Association Lawyers (ACCAL), a Fellow of the College, named in Best Lawyers™ Australia for Real Property Law and has been recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Property and Real Estate Lawyer. He is also a Council Member of Strata Communities Australia. It’s enough to make your jaw drop, especially when you think about his know-how when it comes to domestic and commercial construction law, contractual advice and building defects claims, insurance reviews, repair & maintenance and Water Act cases in the VCAT and the Courts (and then some)!

Basically, Tim’s a heavy hitter who absolutely knows his stuff (Which’s exactly what you want from someone dealing with the “the fourth form of government”).

Quick heads up, folks: You might need to put this one back to 1 speed because there is some GOLDEN but TECHNICAL tips flying around. At the end of the day though, it’s crucial you know this stuff (why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars only to throw more money at a legal dispute?!)

 

Sensible disclaimer: Folks, the gold you’re about to hear is general advice only. So, please DON’T do anything rash, make sure you seek professional advice before making any legal or property investment decision!

 

Your dot point debrief….

 

We’ve also threw in a few Case Studies for Tim to comment on as well:

  • What can you do if someone’s having loud parties on your block?
  • Who’s responsible for cleaning the outside windows?
  • Can you erect a pergola in the backyard of my townhouse?
  • The visitor carpark is always empty, can I use it?
  • What if the complex has a pool and you don’t use it … do you still have to pay?

 

Pheww! What an episode, huh??

And a quick shout out to our previous guest, Nicole Faid, for sending the legendary Tim our way! (You can suss out her episode after: How to Avoid the 7 Costly Mistakes when Buying a Property – Chat with Nicole Faid)

 

P.S. Folks, don’t forget…
Send us your Money Hacks

Let us know if The Money SMARTS System has worked for you!
Tell us what SPENDING HABIT YOUR MOST STRUGGLING WITH

… basically, fill us in on what will help you most & we’ll include it in our new book 😉 [email protected]

 

 

166 | How to Avoid the 7 Common and Costly Settlement Mistakes when Buying a Property – Chat with Nicole Faid

Back by popular demand! We heard from today’s guest back on Episode 107, and joining us again is none other than Nicole Faid, Principal and Founder of Accord Conveyancing, who has handed out accurate legal advice for over 25 years of industry experience! Just a heads up — we covered her awesome back story in that episode, so if you want to hear it (and it’s well worth the listen), go back and check it out!

So — Conveyancing — let’s take the mystery out of it, folks! Because a lot of people out there don’t know what happens once the documents have been handed over to a Conveyancer, especially one like Nicole!

And we jump straight into it, folks! So get pumped for the 7 common & COSTLY mistakes you really DON’T want to make…

(If this episode doesn’t cement the fact that it’s crucial to get a contract review BEFORE you sign, very little will!)

 

So, let’s hear it. What exactly are you in for?

  • In a nutshell, what does a conveyancer do?
  • What is the most important document that underpins a contract?
  • How many people don’t get the amount of land they thought they would when purchasing a property?
  • What happens if the discrepancy of this land is less than 5%?
  • What REAL LIFE EXAMPLE happened in Brunswick? (And how much did this mistake cost the buyer?!)
  • Why shouldn’t you rely on your own interpretation of “wear and tear”?
  • Are “back to back settlements” a bad idea?
  • What happens with the conveyancing rules if you’re a borderless investor?
  • What is a “caveat”?
  • If you’re purchasing through a SMSF, what title requirements do you need to be aware of?
  • What can happen in the settlement period that will seriously shock you?
  • Why is it important to distinguish between major and minor issues with the settlement process?
  • When should you conduct a Building and Pest Inspection?
  • How does the art of negotiation fit into all this?
  • What is the best risk management?
  • What do you need to keep in mind with the final inspection?
  • What is the legal requirement about having a granny flat?!

… Yep, it’s a hairy and very serious episode folks, because the mistakes we talk about in this episode can be VERY EXPENSIVE!!

 

TODAY’S TEASER:

P.S Missed yesterday’s Facebook Live?

We answered a couple of questions on your lunchbreak (in 15 minutes)!

WATCH it here.

 

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