The RBA is on holidays…. its one month we can breathe easy, enjoy the beautiful Aussie weather, with no concern in the world about possible rate rises, and how it will effect our finances. So why would I want to invade your “happy place” by mentioning Rates????

Some people follow football, I follow finance.

An AFL season is approx 7 months, my finance season is 11 months.

For the past 5 weeks I have felt like a football fan at the end of September. The Grand Final over and done with, the parades finished & now nothing…..Im sitting in a cold bath here!

Nothing to concentrate on, no hype, no media hooharr, and I am craving some type of news…anything!

So thats why Im invading your “happy place”.  Please tell me im not the only complete nut…if I am though…Im ok with it.

6 mistakes…better than last time!

I started my blog a long time ago…… that being said I have only made 2 posts in 2 years…. now that is absolutely shiteful.

I have bookmarked sites on how to blog & vlog, (and all the “how not to it” stuff) I loooove to write, connect with simular personalities, I understand the principles & would like to embrace it….so what the hell has stopped me?

I don’t know, but a sneaking suspicion tells me it’s because …drum roll….

I can’t spell & my opinions & views are sometimes fairly blunt (anyone that does know me, who disagrees - please call my mother, she will confirm its a very true statement).  Will I win “most rediculous excuse” this year…maybe … I think yes! And before anyone *nicely points out* that there is a technology advance this millennium called Spell Check….. I know….. and I consistantly forget to use it.

In 2010 I am to write a blog post a week, thats no biggy, or a new year resoultion… just something I plan to do. I’ve cut out a few blogs from my feeder, those Im not terribly interested in anymore & dedicating the “reading time” to my blog “writing time”.

If you can endure reading through spelling & grammar mistakes & don’t mind a sometimes different view of the world or current topics, then you may actually enjoy my little spot on the web. In basic terms there willl be no airbrushing of my writing, or touch ups on any braindump I decide to write about.

12 mistakes today… care factor doesn’t rate on my scale!

 Attending an Auction over the weekend I noticed a couple chatting…yes…I was eavesdropping. My ears pricked up when I heard

“I’m over looking at all these houses, if it’s just an investment, buy it and get it over with, I want our life back”. At this point my mouth dropped & I had to bite my tongue. The very calm gentleman responded with

“I’m doing this for our future, and you’re more interested in the next Target Sale” So my assumption is Mr Calm has been doing the hard yards & she’s been tagging along when she’d prefer to be shopping.

Priorities are obviously different, financial knowledge is different & boy oh boy they aren’t on the same page.   If you and your partner are putting big $$$$$ into an investment, why wouldn’t you take an interest? This property was in the $500K price range, so we’re not talking a $59.95 pair of shoes here. Again I am assuming, so on the flip side he could have had $500K in $100 bills rolled up in a duffel bag in the boot of his car…who knows!   In our relationship, I’m the researcher & the number cruncher, my hubby appreciates the time & effort put into the due diligence process. He understands the process & can easily do it himself, the difference is I LOVE doing it, and am the one with more time to dedicate to it.    On paper we go through each possible project together, discuss all options and strategies for the property & how it fits into our investment plan…but we do something different. We view the property separately. A couple of reasons why we do this, that make sense to us that I thought I’d share. 

1. We have different questions to ask the Agent/s.
2. We take note of different pro’s & con’s.
3. We envisage different improvements.
4. We view the property at different times of the day.
5. We’re not talking to each other & missing anything!

 I’d love to know who the investor is in your relationship is & what roles you play? Drop me a line   And by the way Mr Calm was out bid at the Auction, poor Mrs Get It Over With will have to endure tagging along a little longer!

Assume “property tycoon” means hard-nosed, cigar-chomping businessman? Well, think again, and meet four regular Australian women who’ve made honest millions by buying and selling real estate – rising interest rates and all. Here, they tell Anna Saunders how they did it…

The reno queen

Cheyanne Brae, 33, has amassed nearly $2 million worth of property through renovating.

“I’d accumulated $52,500 of debt. Looking back, I can see that after leaving home I embarked on a lifestyle I couldn’t afford, renting an expensive house and putting everything on credit cards.

But my debt-laden lifestyle was far from sustainable, and soon I faced two options: bankruptcy, or saving my way out of debt. I chose the latter. Then, as I gradually worked my way into the black, I became interested in property and the long-term financial security it offered.

Initially, I was overwhelmed by the possibilities: Should I invest locally or cash in on the WA mining boom? Should I buy in the inner city or the suburbs? So I started going to seminars, reading books and watching educational DVDs. The seminars advocated getting to know an area inside out before investing. After scouring the internet and newspapers, I chose a suburb popular with families. The old $240,000 four-bedroom house I bought would resell easily, but until then, I would live there and renovate.

Before and after: Cheyanne Brae’s bedroom renovations.Property investment is all about adding value, so although the house was incredibly run-down, with each room decorated in a horrendous array of pinks, cobalt blues and oranges, I knew that minor improvements, such as a slick of white paint and new floorboards, would make a huge difference.I did as much of the renovating as I could myself, to save money, but when I did hire tradesmen, I worked alongside them, constantly asking questions and learning. It must have driven them crazy! But all the hard work paid off when I sold the house within months for $392,000, making a profit of $152,000 (less the $28,000 spent on improvements).

Since then, I’ve taken a year off from my job as a flight attendant to buy and sell houses, always making money by renovating and on-selling within a few months. Once, as a kind of personal challenge, I even renovated a three-bedroom house in 32 days, increasing its value by $70,000.

It’s amazing the difference small changes can make, from replacing tired curtains to updating bathroom tiles. One of the most high-impact renovations is rendering a brick home – it can totally transform a house, so I often buy ’60s or ’70s brick homes.

Before and after: Cheyanne Brae’s kitchen renovations.In the future, I’d like to start developing bigger projects, and have just completed my certificate in building and construction management. Buying and selling quickly has worked for me so far, but I’d also like to start holding and leasing, too.”TIP 1: Treat your tradies well. Thanks to the renovation boom, they’re the new millionaires and should be treated that way. A hardworking team is invaluable, and I always provide tea, coffee and water.
TIP 2: Be specific about what you want and don’t settle for a property that doesn’t meet your requirements. Patience is a virtue in this game.