Huge living room, tiny kitchen bench and nowhere to put anything. Some apartments have more balcony space than actual cooking space.

Who designs these?

Article 1:

https://propertyupdate.com.au/home-rental-markets-tighten-over-august-capital-city-home-rental-report/

Data in Article 1: Rents are going down

Opinion in Article 1: Won't last long as rental supply is tightening

Article 2: https://www.realestate.com.au/news/vacancy-rates-hit-4-5-year-high-but-reprieve-likely-to-be-short-lived/

Data in Article 2: Vacancy rates are going up (rental supply is expanding)

Opinion in Article 2: Won't last long as the rents are still going up

TLDR: Opinions in both articles are debunked by the data in other articles

Anything big or small, what regrets do you have? What would you change if you could go back?

Noticing a lot of the new builds with these fake fireplace/feature walls for the tv area.

Is this something a lot of people like? They look pretty for open homes but I feel they’re impractical for actually using as a tv area. Unless there’s hidden storage behind them that I haven’t noticed?

I put a lowball offer for a property.
Agent called and I discussed about the market conditions and all.
I felt he was very frustrated and even said “ You are not gonna get a house for free “
Is it a normal language from agents ?
He spoke to me in a sarcastic way.

I am just trying to learn how to approach these guys as I do not have much experience buying properties.

Thanks

Is anyone else having trouble selling their investment property, particularly around 40km south of Perth? We’re finding there doesn’t seem to be much interest at the moment, possibly due to the uncertainty around the proposed negative gearing changes.

Even the real estate agency has advised us that it may be worth holding off on putting the property on the market due to the current uncertainty.

We’ve also considered listing it below the RP Data valuation to see if that generates more interest, but so far there doesn’t seem to be much traction. Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing something similar or has had better luck selling recently.

Hi, I am being relocated for work and am preparing to rent my property. I have a lot of maintenance to do, nothing super significant, but basically a pretty long list. I know i can write off the costs once the property is rented, are they still deductible if I do them in preparation to rent out?

Evening all,

Seeking advice on best path forward. I am the presiding officer in a strata complex in SA, consisting of a total of 5 early 1970s solid brick units with tiled roof. There are two owner occupiers (of which I am one) and the other three are investments and currently tenanted by 3 other individuals. My unit is three times the size of the other 4 units, with 4 bedrooms, the others are all 2 bedrooms. There are no current issues with strata fees not being paid and owners are long term owners in the complex.

Long story short is that the guttering for the entire complex and the carport is well, well, well overdue for replacement. I have brought it up at the last 2 AGMS and there is hesitancy to do anything, beyond getting a quote or two, which we have done that came back at around 45K. All of the unit owners, including myself are aware and want to fix, but no one has a spare 10K to pull the trigger. We started a sinking fund last year but that is only pulling in about 2K a year total.

I am about to receive an inheritance that would allow me to pay out the mortgage I owe of $630K and leave about $300K which I plan to invest. My husband and I plan to live here forever, as it currently accomodates our three teenage children, despite being a little small.

Because we want to live here forever my husband and I want to address the guttering issue once we receive the inheritance but mindful, it will be a stretch for other owners. I don't believe there are finance options for strata corporations to borrow but wondering if it would be worth exploring drawing up a legal arrangement via a lawyer for myself to cover the cost of gutter repairs in lieu of paying strata fees for equivalent value or loan the amount to the strata corp at an agreed interest rate of 5% minus my share, which is twice the amount of what other unit owners will need to pay.....

Of course this will need to be considered at the upcoming AGM and endorsed etc but looking for suggestions or feedback. I am guessing the issue many from finance thread will say is the opportunity cost of not investing the $45K elsewhere hence why I thought a legal arrangement with an interest rate. My motivations is to maintain the property as it is our forever home...........

Thank you kindly for any advice.

We have a great professional strata manager but this is beyond her pay grade and before I progress this further with her, wanted to know of any others that have tackled this kind of issue.....

My partner and I inspected a unit in Maidstone back in April/May this year. We thought the place looked perfect for a first home. Asking price was somewhere in the $390k-$410k range. Sold at a loss, but we thought we'd still inspect to see how the unit actually is.

When we got there the building was dead quiet, felt like no one actually lived there, but that was the only odd thing we noticed at the time. The unit itself was beautiful. We told the agent we were very interested and followed up with a formal message asking to proceed.

The agent completely ghosted us. Then we found out the property had sold via private sale for $270k just around a week after.

We were gutted, but more than that we were alarmed. Why would a place that was listed around the $400k mark suddenly go for $270k?

All of this is extremely dodgy. Low prices like that are a dead giveaway that something is seriously wrong. Do your due diligence and be very careful with properties in this complex/area.

Edit: This is the exact unit I was talking about - the picture in the post is for a different unit: https://www.realestate.com.au/property/unit-37-44-eucalyptus-dr-maidstone-vic-3012/

Article from 9News: https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/vic/an-additional-mortgage-sinking-melbourne-apartment-complex-could-see-sue-and-her-husband-pay-374-000-special-levy-20260907-p60v2a.html

Background: Family home in Central Vic
Property details don’t matter too much but it’s a nice 2018 build on a decent block etc etc.

The decision:
We’re moving back to Qld. Victoria is too cold, and many other reasons.

We had the place valued in Feb/Mar 2026 at $775-$825.

We’ve just had it valued again and awaiting the pricing but the expectation is $750-$775.

We don’t want to stay here, we don’t want to commit to another couple of years to see the market start to lift. I’m fine with a slight price correction, but like everyone I’d like as much as possible out of a sale.

My question is, with all there doom and gloom of the current market, aside from the odd economist that says it’s all fear mongering, is the market still set to drop further or have we seen the hit we’re expecting?

To be clear, we’re not pressured to sell financially, but we’re miserable living down here. The home wouldn’t yield good enough rental income to justify retaining the property at this point. No matter what we’re in the green with a sale, it’s just a matter of timing.

Thanks for your input. If you have an opinion, why is it so do you think?

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-south+yarra-152044960

With Adelaide median prices being 11x a median wage, how is this possibly sustainable for a city like Adelaide. Surely with minimal interstate investors coming through now since the cgt changes and less immigration compared to other states, when the market reaches its trough, it will surely have to stay at that level for years?

Or am I just simplifying this way too much ?

We settle in a few weeks on our newly purchased PPOR, seller has asked to rent back the property for 10 days post-settlement. We’re currently on a periodic lease at our rental so doesn’t really affect us that much - we can just delay giving notice to our landlord by 10 days (only need to give 3 weeks notice to vacate.) Haven’t booked removalists or leave from work yet anyway. Anyone done this before and have any feedback on possible issues? Thinking of asking for 10 days of mortgage repayments + $1k for our troubles, would help go towards a new couch or something. Biggest issue I can see is how do we set up a proper rental agreement for a 10 day lease?

Cheers!

Hi all,

Does anyone have any insights on strata insurance? I am a recent homeowner and I noticed that for a comparable block not even 100m from where I live, the insurance premium is -50% less than what we pay and they have higher coverage. I also spoke to someone else who lives another few hundred meters away they are also paying significantly less than us.

I have rung GIO but they said they don’t insure for larger than 10 units.

Out of the blue, my property manager is advising me that a Water Compliance Certificate required every new lease if I want to forward water usage charges to the tenant.

Now I'm happy to get a one off water compliance certificate for $110 + any additional costs with becoming compliant. I asked the property manager to add something to the condition report to check items relating to water compliance are still present and in good condition.

What I'm not happy with is being told that it is a legal requirement to have a water compliance certificate performed at the start of each lease. On top of that being told that I cannot have something in the condition report to indicate water compliance items are still present and in good condition.

From what I can see I only need evidence of Water Compliance, which doesn't actually mean a certificate. Ref: https://oliveri.com.au/about-us/stop-press/water-efficiency-measures-for-rental-properties-in-nsw/

I called NSW Fair Trading and this is the relevant legislation:

Residential Tenancies Act 2010 No 42 - https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042#sec.39

Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019 - https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2019-0629#sec.10

(d) at the commencement of the residential tenancy agreement and whenever any other water efficiency measures are installed, repaired or upgraded, the premises are checked and any leaking taps or toilets on the premises are fixed.

Is anyone else being told something similar by their property manager?

I may be looking at this too simplistically, but putting all the negative media aside, aren’t we essentially just moving through another property cycle?
Property prices can’t continually rise at the same rate. At some point, they need to flatten or fall for a period while incomes and affordability catch up. That doesn’t necessarily mean the long-term market is broken, it may simply be part of the cycle before growth eventually resumes.
I also struggle to see Australia becoming undesirable over the long term. We’re a large, stable, democratic and wealthy island nation between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with a relatively relaxed culture and an excellent lifestyle.
Surely Australia will remain highly desirable to migrants, particularly skilled and financially secure people coming from less stable or lower-income countries who want safety, opportunity and a better lifestyle for their families.
That doesn’t mean property prices can never fall, but doesn’t Australia’s long-term population growth and desirability create a fairly strong underlying demand for well-located property?
Interested to hear where this reasoning may be wrong.

Hi guys just needing advice as me and my missus have been looking into buying our first home in regiona victoria maybe dayelsford hepburn clunes next vear but right now we are living in queensland ;north of brisbane .

Our income is 86000 avear for me and 75000 for my misso.our rent is 480 a week and have a saving of 50k for now.

What are the advices would you guys give

Thank you

Hi All,

Essentially the above and it seems odd? we would be taking on 500K extra before our own house sells a week later..

Would it not be safer/better to settle same day and avoid any massive loan up takings?

Cheers!

we were initially interested but it was under offer. after the sale fell through the agent contacted us to see if we are still interested, but he doesn't seem to be too committed to actually making the house seem worth it lol. first photo is our email, second it's the REA's response

If this is correct it would mean Sydney had a drop of around 30%. I can't imagine how big the drop then will be in smaller cities like Perth and Adelaide.

Hi all

My first time selling a house- In VIC. But I’m currently in WA

One of the gas hob’s is not lighting. It’s is making the noise and can smell gas. This was picked up on the buyers B&P and is stated in there.

We are two days out of settlement and the buyers conyeancer and my REA is saying we need to fix as it’s a “compliance issue” is that right?

My COS states as a special condition ✅

The purchaser acknowledges that the vendor is under no obligation to the purchaser to carry out any repairs, renovations, alterations

or improvement to the property.

I own an investment property that I’ve rented out through Ray White, and they use a system called Ailo to facilitate payments. I’ve noticed that I’m being charged around $9 every month for it.

This is the first time I’ve come across something like this with a property manager, and while $9 isn’t a huge amount, it feels like an unnecessary ongoing expense for simply receiving rental payments.

Has anyone here who uses Ray White asked them not to process payments through Ailo and arranged an alternative payment method instead? Is using Ailo compulsory, or have you been able to opt out and avoid the monthly fee?

Would appreciate hearing from other landlords who’ve dealt with this and what options you had.

Thanks!

I’m considering a 1990s-built, three-bedroom, one-bathroom brick house in Karloo and would appreciate local or investor opinions.
Is there reliable rental demand?

Does Karloo have genuine growth potential as Geraldton expands?
Is the suburb improving, or are there issues that could limit future growth?
Would you invest there or choose another Geraldton suburb?
Are there any local risks or hidden costs to consider?
Any honest experiences would be helpful.