オーストラリア､シドニー､チャツウッド､ベットアンドブレックファスト､日本人の民宿

本日の新聞によるとオーストラリアで不動産投資が熱い。

先週も同じようなこと載っていたけど都心または副都心の駅のそば､または道路､バスなどの便がいい所で雇用状況がいい地域がよろしいそうです。



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Parramatta株上昇中

Confidence returns

Isobel King Skyroketing rents bring investors back to the market.

Fortune favours the brave, so they say, which should be a cautionary note to anyone timidly waiting for the next big boom. By then, you've probably missed the boat. The housing shortage is continuing to drive up rents, providing secure - and rising - rental returns. Latest figures from Australian Property Monitors show an 11 per cent jump during the past year for Sydney's unit rental market, giving a median weekly rent of $400.

Experts agree that prices in select hot spots - especially inner city and beachside, and area with strong population growth and solid infrastructure plans - are primed for healthy capital growth when the market takes off again, signalling a good supply of underpriced properties.

Capital growth is still unpredictable but Tim Lawless of RPData says rental yields are definitely up, with gross renturns of about 6 per cent not uncommon. "In the past few years that would have been very difficult to find," he says.

THE GROWING CONCERN
However, a strong and reliable rental yield is just part of the equation. "The real key is about capital growth." says Lawless, who recommends holding on to property for at least a couple of years, preferably five, to see returns.

He advises bargain hunters to target undervalued areas. "If a suburb has a median price of $600,000 and the next door has a median price of $500,000, that would indicate an area potentially undervalued compared to its neighbour," he says.

"With strong population growth throughout the country, inner city areas will always have strong rental demand."

Alex Henderson, of buyer's agent Prosper Group, echos the advice of most experts when he says infrastructure is key. "You want to be looking for property near shopping centres, transport and some kind of hub, with cafes and restaurants," he says.

With soaring fuel prices, renters want to be within walking distance of the fundamentals. Veron says town planners call it "the five-minute rule - five minitues to shops, transport and amenities".

WHERE TO LOOK
In Sydney, Lawless says apartments in North Sydney, Surry Hills, Haymarket and Pymont are good investment options.

"Those markets haven't shifted a great deal since 2004, so they're very well positioned for capital growth and strategically located near the city; they're area with high rental demand."

The outer suburbs provide affordable buying but require extra research. Target areas with population growth and infrastructure plans in place, with a large working or industrial core.

"The most important thing when buying further from the city is that it's located along a transport corridor - such as a good arterial road network, train line or decent bus route - because getting into the city is probably one of the most important things," Lawless says.

Property commentator Michael Mcnamara recommends areas such as Parramatta and nearby Harris Park in the 20-kilometre radius from the inner city.

"They're close to strong local economies, on existing rail lines and have experienced a lot of softening in property values over the past five years. Apartments there are achieving over 6 per cent rental yield."



Retreat to bricks and mortar

Susan Wellings

With interest rates static or likely to fall and share returns heading south, houses are back on investors' radars.

Property or shares? Shares or property? The pair have been slugging it out for the ivestment crown ever since Adam Smith was a boy.

But today, with market conditions in Sydney, there's an increasingly loud chorus proclaiming property investment the king of the ring, with many more happy returns.

"We see the returns from residential property being above pretty well all other asset classes, in risk-adjusted terms," says economist Dr Alex Joiner, of ANZ Economics and Markets Research, who explains that risk-adjusted means the nominal yield is adjusted for the volatility of the asset class.

"We see the next six to 12 months as a period of softness in Sydney - and nationally - but the overall fundamentals will continue to tighten."\

THE BEST INVESTMENT?
Property expert Margaret Lomas says the key to success is to ask the right questions when hunting the perfect investment house: What's the cash flow? What's the population growth? What are the rent trends? Is the property for sale at its true market value?

"Rental yields are increasing incredibly, which makes being in property now a good opportunity," says Lomas, the founder of Destiny Financial Solutions, who's just released a new book, '20 Must Ask Questions For Every Property Investor'.

"It also means that when things do take off, you are already there; you aren't competing with hundreds of others."

But it's vital, no matter which property is chosen, that the investor be in for the long haul, says valuer Gareth Woodham, the NSW manager of the WBP Property Group. I'm biased towards property as an investment but it's more important than ever to look at it as a long-term investment," he says.

"There are no quick bucks to be made - and anyone who tells you otherwise has an ulterior motive. But with super and shares savaged, now is a good time to secure property for a rental income."

His top tips property in Kensington in the east, because of its variety of housing stock and its proximity to the university with lots of students wanting rental accommodation; Newtown in the inner west because of its proximity to the city, good public transport and lifestyle facilities; and Hurstville, where there's recently been plenty of money poured into infrastructure.

"I also really like Bankstown," Woodham says. "Rents are around $320 a week for a bashed-up two-bedroom house, so yields are great, plus there's a lot of migrant population growth and good infrastructure."

Rental properties are in such strong demand, he says, that some people are even driving up houses to have more sleeping spaces, so they can share the rent with others, by turning two bedrooms into five - illegal and dangerous.

Colliers International's Murray Wood favours areas with good transport links, around stations or on good bus routes, within a maximum 90-minute drive to the inner city. They should also be well served with shops, cafes, hospitals and medical centres.

He likes Coogee, Malabar and Matraville in the east, Pymble and Killara to the north, and Ermington, Rydalmere and Newington to the west. "It's good time to invest as you can take a long time to do your research and consider every opportunity on its merits, as there's not too much competition," Wood says. "With a 5 per cent rental return, the costs of ownership can be minimal."

Closer in, RO Data's Tim Lawless favours Surry Hills, Haymarket, Pyrmont and The Rocks. Parchase prices are a little higher but "the rental yields are very good because the demand for them is very high. Because there aren't many buyers around, you can make some cheeky offers and have a lot of room to manoeuvre."

Parramatta also has promise, with strong growth and its positions as a good emplyment centre. "Plus interest rates are almost guaranteed not to go up during 2008 and, with the latest retail spending fifures so low, they might even come down in the future."


A SUPER IDEA
With the superannuation information agency SuperRatings predicting super funds to return their biggest losses since records bagan, it's little surprise that there's been a flood of people taking advantage of new super rules to invest in property as an alternative.

"Before, you had to buy a property outright for the super fund," says Peter Kelaher, managing director of PK Property Search & Negotiators. "But now a self-managemed super fund can borrow to purchase an asset, anywhere from 60 per cent to 75 per cent of the value of the property."

The change was brought in by the Federal Government in September last year and banks, accountants and financial advisers have taken a while to come to grip with all the implications. Now, however, with PK Property running a series of accountants' seminars around Australia on the new rules, there's been a rush of people buying property through their super funds.

Accountant Doug Cheetham says he thinks it's such a wise move, he's done it, too. "I think it's a very good scheme for certain people," he says.

The advantages are that contributions to super are taxed at only 15 per cent, leaving 85 cents in each dollar to go towards a property, capital gains tax is potentially nil if the property is sold in the pension phase and it can be leased back to a business being operated by the buyer.

A person may also effectively receive a tax deduction, via salary sacrifice, for loan repayments on the principal, which can't normally be done.

But anyone considering buying an investment property with their super should talk to an accountant or financial adviser before they start the process， says accountant Peter Johnson， who advises on the tax implications of the scheme. "You can do comparisons from a financial point of view，" he says. "But you have to be careful. A financial planner might be loath to tell you to go into property because they mightn't get commission on the purchase in the same way they might for shares."

Kelaher says he's had a lot of buyers wanting to take advantage of the new legislation. "A lot of people have been burnt by the sharemarket and see property as a much more reliable safety net，" he says.
"People are now looking at building property portfolios as a nest egg， rather than shares."(2008.08.10 19:57:32)

Paul Fallon and his wife， Sharon， manage their own super fund. As with many people， they say that with the fall in share prices it's probably worth a lot less than it was at the beginning of the year.

"But bricks and mortar feel like a much sounder investment，" says Paul，48， who runs his own business， Fallon Plumbing.

"Everyone needs a roof over their heads." As a result， the couple just paid $470，000 for an investment property， a one-bedroom inner-city terrace house built in 1840， with approved plans for an extension.

They bought it through their super， as a result of changes to the legislation.
"We thought this would be a good investment for the long term，" says Sharon，44.

"It's a gorgeous-looking house and there's always lots of demand in this area for rentals."
The house is rented for $450 a week， providing a gross yield of almost 5 per cent.(2008.08.10 20:06:48)

＞Property commentator Michael Mcnamara recommends areas such as Parramatta and nearby Harris Park

その割には、統計上のMedian Priceが、まだ上がってないんですよね。ま、統計は半年～１年遅れですから、実情は、すでに上がっているのかもしれない。

今後、利子が少しでも下がることがあれば、お金が不動産に向かいそうな気がします。(2008.08.11 07:20:58)

manachan2150さん
さすがに投資家はParramattaの将来性を正確に見抜いていますね。あやかりたいものです。(2008.08.11 08:08:46)

chatswoodbbさん
＞"Everyone needs a roof over their heads." As a result， the couple just paid $470，000 for an investment property， a one-bedroom inner-city terrace house built in 1840，"
＞The house is rented for $450 a week， providing a gross yield of almost 5 per cent.

これは、いい投資ですね。４７万の家で、レントが週４５０、しかも、Extensionもできる。１８４０年築ということで、維持費が高くつくような気がしますが･･･

オージーの皆さんが、値上がり期待ではなく、賃貸収益を期待して家を買うようになったというのは、興味深い傾向です。そうなればなおさら、便利な駅の徒歩権の価値が上がってくるでしょう。ただでさえガソリンが高いんですから、電車・バス通勤の魅力も増しています。

(2008.08.11 08:09:00)