The future of Australian property prices

[trainspotter]

Hi all, long time reader, first time poster. my partner and I have a business, and are currently renting a home also. We have been looking at getting a commercial property (buy or rent) and trying to live in it also. From what I can gather, a business is allowed to have '24/7' security which appears to be the loophole people use to live in commercial property. We also may be able to sway it so that I purchase the property, and the business (in her name) could lease it from me. Anyone's thoughts or experience on any of this?

Hey paulyy - Not sure on the "living" arrangements in commercial property but I know that local councils etc. frown upon this matter. I have spent many a night sleeping in a commercial property (read too pissed to drive) but it was never a long term thing even though there was an ablution block internally. I have heard of people living inside the shed in a caravan and getting away with it as the caravan is movable / transportable?

Maybe a phone call to the local council/shire and to your accountant might clear this matter up for you.

 

[Julia]

Hey, magoo, how about a 'tiny house'? I've been hearing about a lot of people finding this a solution.
http://tinyhousesaustralia.com/

 

[McLovin]

Hey paulyy - Not sure on the "living" arrangements in commercial property but I know that local councils etc. frown upon this matter. I have spent many a night sleeping in a commercial property (read too pissed to drive) but it was never a long term thing even though there was an ablution block internally. I have heard of people living inside the shed in a caravan and getting away with it as the caravan is movable / transportable?

Maybe a phone call to the local council/shire and to your accountant might clear this matter up for you.

I'm pretty sure the council will tell you it's a no-goer. Twenty four hour security is not the same as setting up camp. Aren't there differences as well wrt to fire safety?

 

[sptrawler]

Hey paulyy - Not sure on the "living" arrangements in commercial property but I know that local councils etc. frown upon this matter. I have spent many a night sleeping in a commercial property (read too pissed to drive) but it was never a long term thing even though there was an ablution block internally. I have heard of people living inside the shed in a caravan and getting away with it as the caravan is movable / transportable?

Maybe a phone call to the local council/shire and to your accountant might clear this matter up for you.

A mate of mine lived in his factory unit for 30 years, bought himself a house 6 months ago. As far as I know, he just kept it low key and flew under the radar. That was a factory unit with 10k's of Perth CBD.

 

[qldfrog]

keep low is the key, but nothing prevent you having proper kitchen/toilet/shower in your office and a bed to have a nap;
It is done indeed
would be different if you have a family with kids etc but as a single or maybe even couple...

 

[trainspotter]

I'm pretty sure the council will tell you it's a no-goer. Twenty four hour security is not the same as setting up camp. Aren't there differences as well wrt to fire safety?

Well it's a definite no-goer due to health regulations and commercial sheds are classified as non habitable areas (Class 10a Building Codes of Australia) http://www.abcb.gov.au/

 

[Value Collector]

Well it's a definite no-goer due to health regulations and commercial sheds are classified as non habitable areas (Class 10a Building Codes of Australia) http://www.abcb.gov.au/

What about those retail strip shops that have flats attached for the owners to live in?

 

[tech/a]

It's all about ZONING

 

[sptrawler]

IMO The implosion in Perth has commenced, I think 2015 will be ugly in W.A.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/25989147/perth-rents-take-a-tumble/

 

[stockGURU]

With the Australian dollar on the decline, will this make Australian real estate more attractive to overseas buyers and help support prices by increasing demand?

 

[waterbottle]

To the property experts: Do house prices ever reach a limit, even with continuous rate cuts?
I would imagine that price is ultimately dependent on what people can pay, and this is dependent on how well people can service a loan, which in turn is dependent on what people can earn.
So if income never increases, even with falling interest rates, is it possible for house prices to remain stagnant? Has anything like this happened before?

 

[sydboy007]

http://www.thebull.com.au/articles/a/51688-queensland-worst-for-mortgage-defaults.html

Queensland was the worst performing state, with five of the worst 20 performing postcodes by number of bad mortgages, and eight of the worst 20 postcodes by value.

Four regions in the state's south east - Ipswich, Logan, Gold Coast East and Gold Coast West - have been among the worst performing regions for mortgage repayments since March 2011.

WORST 10 POSTCODES FOR LATE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS, BY NUMBER
1 - Kingston, Qld (postcode 4114)
2 - Cessnock, NSW (2325)
3 - Goodwood/Montrose, Tas (7010)
4 - Aldinga, SA (5173)
5 - Green Valley, NSW (2168)
6 - Laidley, Qld (4341)
7 - Mount Isa, Qld (4825)
8 - Hillside, Vic (3037)
9 - Budgewoi, NSW (2262)
10 - Corio, Vic (3214)

 

[sydboy007]

With the Australian dollar on the decline, will this make Australian real estate more attractive to overseas buyers and help support prices by increasing demand?

I tend not to want to buy an assett in a curreny that is likely to fall strongly against the AUD.

It will be interesting to see how the Chinese react, especially since they're losing massively in the currency wars with their major pegging against the USD.

If you can get the money out before any devaluation occurs you could make some good profits.

Still for a lot of Chinese it's just getting the money out of the country that's important. The return on investment seems to be a very secondary consideration.

 

[waterbottle]

I tend not to want to buy an assett in a curreny that is likely to fall strongly against the AUD.

It will be interesting to see how the Chinese react, especially since they're losing massively in the currency wars with their major pegging against the USD.

If you can get the money out before any devaluation occurs you could make some good profits.

Still for a lot of Chinese it's just getting the money out of the country that's important. The return on investment seems to be a very secondary consideration.

x2 why would you invest in AUD when you can invest in USD? All they would be doing is exposing themselves to a greater downside currency risk

 

[moXJO]

Prices have surprised to the upside in my area. I was expecting the heat to come off a bit/lot about june 2014. Man was I wrong.

I am seeing a lot of middle class families struggling though at the moment with regards to money/work. Half a dozen I directly know that cannot afford eating dinner every night. Not sure what the mortgage/bill stress is overall but it must eventually have an effect.

I think those that are under stress in sydney sell then move out to cheaper areas from others under stress with the same idea. At the moment the market is still holding up fine. Haven't looked at the rental figures though.

Friend sold their house the other day in the first hour of opening (told them to bump the price up by $50k as it was to cheap). Agents seem to be drastically under quoting what a house is currently worth just to get the sale.
Still a sellers market by a mile.

 

[ROE]

I sold a property recently and it is a hot market, sold within a week
low interest rate is having another resurgent in price after a year or two of sleep.

and Tuesday rate cut, it is a seller market right now.

The doom slayer has to stay low for while before predicting another crash

 

[Tyler Durden]

Been talking to a couple of Chinese friends who have friends and relatives from China buying property here, and they said the Chinese still think the prices here are cheap.

 

[CanOz]

Been talking to a couple of Chinese friends who have friends and relatives from China buying property here, and they said the Chinese still think the prices here are cheap.

TD, they're correct in their thinking. Its not easy to compare apples with apples though. For example, the place I'm living in now in northern China, across from a major international hotel, alongside the river, would cost about 3-4 milion CNY. That would buy a house on the beach on Magnetic Island in QLD. No CBD, no Chinatown though. No great schools, or shopping.

So lets take a big city, second city to the capital, say Sydney. Close to the CBD, apartment for apartment i reckon would be the closest to apples and apples, say a nice townhouse in Randwick, 1.6 million. Shanghai, 15 million for a comparable place not too far from the CBD.

They don't get rural, they just don't understand rural land. You could pick up 120 acres in QLD not far from Brisbane. They're not looking at rural unless they're looking to raise dairy cattle and export milk.

How about the GC, 1-2 million for a high rise on the GC. That's not going to get you much here for that lifestyle...not the clean air, clean water, lack of crowds, pleasant climate.

Then on top of all this, you've got the currency difference. A million doesn't equate to allot of value here. So when you tell them that a house is a million bucks in Australia, they're skeptical and are thinking maybe we should look for a bigger house, or better location...

Lots to compare, but difficult to compare.

CanOz

 

[banco]

Been talking to a couple of Chinese friends who have friends and relatives from China buying property here, and they said the Chinese still think the prices here are cheap.

All the more reason to enforce the laws and keep them out.

 

[Mrmagoo]

I sold a property recently and it is a hot market, sold within a week
low interest rate is having another resurgent in price after a year or two of sleep.

and Tuesday rate cut, it is a seller market right now.

The doom slayer has to stay low for while before predicting another crash

Okay mate you keep believing that when the economy goes to **** and prices crashed you already sold out right ? To the next sucker. I wouldn't listen to a guy giving advice if that advice makes HIM rich.