It’s hard to value an expert’s services when you don’t know much about their industry. Here’s a few tips. There’s a joke I’ve always loved. ‘A machine breaks at a factory. It’s a vitally important machine and activity grinds to a halt. So they call in the repair guy. The repair guy arrives and spends […]
Does the plumber even care?
I remember quite early on in the journey I got an email from the plumber: Dymphna, Have finished other jobs ahead of schedule. Can make a start on your bathroom this week if that works. Rgds Terry I was shocked. (And no it wasn’t about a tradie finishing work ahead of schedule.) It just felt […]
Why is Reno TV so popular?
Ok, quick survey guys. For my own interest, why is Reno TV so popular in Australia? I’m genuinely curious. Something big is happening. Last year, the only TV shows more popular than Renovation TV were the footy finals. And if you were to look at the top 10 TV shows last year, you would conclude […]
Firm hand kung-fu
“Someone had even written the C-word on one of the bedroom walls.” That was Anna, talking about the last property inspection she’d done. She owned an investment property near one of the Universities in Brisbane, and had rented it out to three students. And now it was a mess. She showed me some of the […]
Are you really a renovation genius?
“$140,000.” That was his answer. The question was, how much did he make on his last renovation. This is at a recent workshop I was running and this was a new student. He was a nice enough chap I guess, but he seemed to be more interested in telling us what he knew that learning […]
Reno Rule#1: Buy low, pull to the middle
When thinking about manufacturing growth through renovations, there’s a principle I always keep in mind: “Buy low and pull to the middle.” The ideal is to take bottom rung properties and bring them up towards the middle of the market. In a market with a $500,000 median price, you’re probably going to do better renovating […]
Two Duplexes…Or One 4-Plex?
As a beginning real estate investor, once you get those first few rental homes in your portfolio… Almost inevitably, your next goal is to start buying multi-family properties, isn’t it? And why not? Multi-family properties give investors more bang for the buck, right? The answer is…it depends. On the face of it, buying four rental […]
The Reno/Demo Dilemma
It’s a question that the real estate investor asks himself often… “What’s the best way to make money out this property?” Sometimes, the answer is easy… The property might be a duplex in need of a bit of a scrub and some paint… Or a PPR on two blocks of land that can easily be […]
Should Your Hire A Project Manager For Your Reno?
One of the first things that you will learn as a real estate investor is that things don’t always go smoothly… Especially when a reno project is involved. With most reno projects, it’s more likely that things won’t go according to plan rather than will… It’s just the nature of the beast. Your reno budget […]
Make Sure Your Cash-Cow Is Really Cash Positive!
Last time, I talked about how important it is for you stay on track in order to meet your goals for success… By the number of your comments and emails, my message was right on point for quite a lot of you. Even though you’ve made yourself Market Ready, many of you still need the […]