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20 Aug, 2021
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Limited Rental Vacancies Lead to Increased Rent Prices

According to data revealed by SQM Research, the national residential rental vacancy rate for July 2021 has remained low, at just 1.7%.

However, rents have surged for another month across most capital cities and regions. The national combined week rent stands at $508 per week. This is an increase of 1.3% for the 30 days leading to August 12, and an increase of 13.7% over the last 12 months.

Vacancy Rates

The total number of vacancies across Australia stands at just 61,313 – the entire population of regional Queensland town, Rockhampton, at the time of the 2016 Census.

Melbourne’s vacancy rate grew 0.1%, to 3.6% in July, while Sydney’s vacancy rate dropped 0.1% to 2.7%. Brisbane, Canberra and Perth maintained a steady rate, while Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart maintained a below 1% vacancy rate

Vacancy rates rose across the Sydney CBD, to 6.1% - which may be the effect of the long lockdown gripping New South Wales presently. Rates fell across Melbourne CBD to 5.7%.

Rents

Across the month to August 2021 national rents rose to 1.3% for houses, to $526 per week, while units rose by 0.5% to $420 per week. It is believed that the national rise has been driven by increases in regional centres, rather than in City centres. SQM Research states that they believe lockdowns and restrictions across capital cities may be triggering a new wave of tree-changers.

Capital City Rents grew by 0.5% for houses in the last month and are up by a total of 8% in the past year. Rent for units was stable over the past 30 days have increased by just 0.7% in the last 12 months. Rents for houses in some cities have recorded immense increases, with Brisbane’s rent growing by 11.2%, Perth by 12.9% and Darwin by 25.3%.

SQM Research’s Managing Director, Louis Christopher:

It is likely that these increases across the board in regional and city areas are due to lockdowns continuing. This is likely caused by the urge for landlords to take charge over their properties by utilising them in new ways, offering them through Airbnb and Stayz rather than offering long term rent as was done before this pandemic.

20 Aug, 2021
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Brisbane Olympics, 2032: Your Guide to Development & Infrastructure

Brisbane's Olympic Goal

Brisbane’s bid for the 2032 Olympics was a sure thing. With no other serious contenders, it was of no surprise that Brisbane’s bid was given the green light by the International Olympics Committee (IOC).

With only 11 years until the Brisbane Olympics, a joint Olympic Infrastructure Agency has been established with representatives from Federal, State and Local governments, and is already sounding the starting siren for a plethora of pre-planned development and infrastructure projects to begin.

While Olympics are renowned for being overly costly, disruptive and wasteful to the Host City, Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics will abide by IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020, to deliver the games through an “advanced games concept”. This concept has a renewed focus on sustainability, which involves utilising current infrastructure and facilities rather than building new. Brisbane perfectly fulfils this focus, with official IOC documentation outlining between 80 and 90 percent of the venues used to host events already exist in Brisbane, and surrounding locales in the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast areas. Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has narrowed this figure down more particularly, stating that 84 percent of venues to be used for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics are pre-existing, will be refurbished, or will be constructed temporarily for the Games.

Although the total cost of the Brisbane Olympics is still an unknown, organisers of the Brisbane games have estimated that it will have an operating budget of $4.5 billion. An independent economic assessment by KPMG estimated that the Games will cost nearly $7 billion – paying for itself with a delivering of over $8.1 billion to Queensland, predominantly via the tourism industry. The total economic benefit for Australia is estimated to reach $17.61 billion. According to Dr Judith Mair - a tourism and events expert at The University of Queensland - the only dilemma with these estimations is that they don’t account for the cost of security, upgrading public transport, nor of the new road infrastructure necessary to adequately host the Games.

Come 2032, the work currently being undertaken on large transport projects like Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro and Coomera Connector will be completed and fully operational, however work will need to be done to upgrade public transport so that spectators can easily access sporting venues across the state’s South-eastern corner. Schrinner also commented that part of the reason for the Olympics bid was to enhance transport infrastructure and accessibility across Brisbane. Many of the recommendations in Brisbane’s 30-year plan will need to be brought forwards so that they are ready in time for the Olympics in 2032, Dr Mair shared. Furthermore, Dr Mair emphasised that while there are currently plans to duplicate the M1 to the Gold Coast, a similar project needed to be developed heading toward the Sunshine Coast too. According to CBRE, the majority of the capital investment will occur in the second half of this decade, averaging $800 million to $1.1 billion per year between 2027 and 2030.

"You literally couldn't buy the type of name recognition that the Olympics would bring to a city," says Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. With name recognition comes soaring property value, and with the boom predicted for the latter half of this decade, now is the best time to contact us to assess your options!

Venues:

A summary of the total proposed locations for each sport is below.

Brisbane Zone:

Brisbane is the proposed location for 22 sporting venues, with many location clusters across the Zone.

Brisbane River Cluster

The Gabba (rebuild, 50,000 capacity) Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Woolloongabba’s Stadium is likely to be at the centre of Brisbane’s Olympics, and it predicted to host the opening and closing ceremonies, in addition to all athletic events.
Although The Gabba, as it is affectionally known, will be 137 years old by time the Olympics make it there in 2032. It has undergone 2 renovations since 1993, with the most recent being the construction of a 24-bay grandstand in 2005.
Thanks to the success of Brisbane’s Olympic bid, The Gabba will receive a long overdue renovation which will upgrade capacity from 42,000 to 50,000 spectators. This renovation and redevelopment of surrounding areas will cost $1 billion and will also include a new pedestrian plaza linking the stadium to the Cross River Rail station, a revamp of the western end, making it the obvious major entry location, an elevated podium on level three, a new media halo around the top, massive video boards on either end above a standing area, plus an upgrade to corporate boxes and function rooms. The underside of the roof could also have its own 360-degree media halo. Additionally, a new warm up track has been proposed at a park adjacent to the Gabba.

International Broadcasting Centre (new, broadcasters only)

A new precinct is being planned on the land previously occupied by the Parmalat milk factory on Montague Road in West End, which will act throughout the Olympics as an International Broadcasting Centre, and afterwards, will be converted to parkland.

South Bank Culture Forecourt (temporary, 4000) Archery

South Bank Piazza (existing, 4500) 3x3 Basketball

Brisbane Convention Centre & Main Press Centre (existing, 6500) Table Tennis, Fencing, Taekwondo, Badminton

Brisbane City Cluster

Brisbane Arena (new, 15,000) Swimming, Water Polo

Earlier this month, plans for the upper elements of the new Roma Street Cross River Rail Station have been approved to include an indoor arena to host swimming and some water polo events for the 2032 Games. After this, the temporary, indoor pool would be dismantled, allowing the Arena to host netball, basketball and other indoor sporting events. New residential housing, and both cycling and pedestrian paths will be constructed around the Arena, which will also have outward-facing retail opportunities and a ‘Sky Lounge’ function space. Alongside this development, 2ha of public space will be added to Roma Street Parklands, in addition to a new public plaza beside the Station.

Suncorp Stadium (existing, 52,500) Rugby Sevens, Football (Finals)

Northshore Hamilton Cluster

Athlete’s Village (new, 14,000) Olympic & Paralympic Athletes Residence

The Athlete’s Village will be constructed on land which has long been earmarked by Local and State governments as a Priority Development Area. Due to its proximity to Brisbane CBD, the newly upgraded Kingsford Smith Drive, and the Gateway Bridges, providing immediate thoroughfare to both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast venues. It’s pristine, waterfront location and many transport accessibility options make it a clear winner for the main Athlete’s Village. Additionally, two separate locations, one in Robina on the Gold Coast, and one on the Sunshine coast will serve as smaller Athlete’s Village residences, with the latter being a day residence only.

Royal Queensland Golf Club (existing, 15,000) Golf

North Brisbane Cluster

Brisbane Entertainment Centre (existing, 11,000) Handball

Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre (new, 7000) Boxing

Herston Cluster

Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre (new, 12,000) Basketball

Tentatively pencilled in for development in Herston or Albion, the Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre will be the home of basketball for the 2032 Olympics. With a capacity of 12,000, the Indoor Sports Centre will be built in a similar fashion to the Gold Coast Sports & Leisure Centre, and the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre – both of which were used at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. While not a great deal is known about this facility now, it is clear that this venue will become a 12-court facility and community sports hub after the Games.

Ballymore Stadium (upgrade, 10,000) Hockey

Although Ballymore Stadium is the current home of Queensland Rugby, in preparation for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, this venue will be transformed into a 15,000-capacity hockey venue, with some redevelopment to modernise the stadium already underway.

Brisbane Showgrounds (existing, 15,000) Equestrian

Victoria Park (temporary, 5000/25,000) Freestyle BMX, Equestrian

Chandler Cluster

Chandler Indoor Sports Centre (rebuild, 10,000) Gymnastics

Originally named the Sleeman Sports Centre and built for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, the Chandler Indoor Sports Centre will replace what is now the Chandler Arena. With a capacity upgrade to 10,000, this upgraded centre will host basketball and netball games, in addition to being the official home of Gymnastics for the entirety of the 2032 programme.

Brisbane Aquatic Centre (existing, 4300) Diving, Water Polo

The Brisbane Aquatic Centre will undergo a massive revamp before the Brisbane Olympics, to be reimagined as a world-class indoor swimming centre. Formally part of the Sleeman Sports Complex, the reimagined Chandler Aquatic Centre will have plenty of grandstand seating in tiers around the pool.

Anna Meares Velodrome (existing, 5000) Cycling

Brisbane International Shooting Centre (existing, 2000) Shooting

East Brisbane Cluster

Redland Whitewater Centre (new, 8000) Slalom Canoe

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (existing, 10,000) Sailing

South Brisbane Cluster

Queensland Tennis Centre (existing, 6000) Tennis

Ipswich Stadium (under construction, 10,000) Modern pentathlon

Scenic Rim

Lake Wyaralong (existing, 14,000) Rowing, Sprint Canoe

Owing to the distance between Lake Wyaralong and the three proposed Athlete’s Village sites, a small Athlete’s Village has been proposed for the rowers, to be built at Kooralbyn.

Gold Coast Zone:

Gold Coast will host several the events for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, including aquatics, beach volleyball, golf, judo, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling. Due to the expansive register of events booked for the Gold Coast area, an area in Collyer Quays has been tagged for the proposed Gold Coast location of the Athlete’s Village. This location is quite close to all bar one of the proposed locations and is only 2 minutes from the Cbus Stadium.

Broadbeach Cluster

Broadbeach Park Stadium (temporary, 12,000) Beach Volleyball

Gold Coast Convention Centre (existing, 6,000) Weightlifting

Broadwater Parklands

Broadwater Parklands (temporary 5,000) Triathlon

Carrara Cluster

Gold Coast Leisure Centre (existing, 7500) Judo, Wrestling

Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast (existing, 15,000) Golf

Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (existing, 25,000) Cricket – if it is added as an Olympic sport

Coomera

Coomera Indoor Sports Centre (existing, 11,000) Volleyball

Robina

Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (existing, 27,400) Football

Sunshine Coast Zone:

Kawana Cluster

Sunshine Coast Stadium (upgrade, 16,500) Football

Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre (new, 6000) Basketball

The Kawana Cluster, consisting of Sunshine Coast Stadium and the proposed Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre will work in conjunction with the Brisbane Games, hosting the footballs and basketball preliminary events.
The Sunshine Coast Stadium is pegged for expansion and has the majority of funding for this project sorted. This expansion will see the venue’s capacity rise to over 16,600 and will include an improvement in facilities for athletes and officials, more change rooms, new coach and media boxes, camera platforms and a production area, as well as improved first aid and hospitality spaces.

Alexandra Headland

Alexandra Headland (temporary, 5000) Road Cycling, Race Walking, Kiteboarding, Keelboat Sailing

Alexandra headland will act as the host location for road-based events (cycling, racewalking, marathon) all of which attract many spectators. Additionally, the kiteboarding and sailing competitions will likely be based at Alexandra headland, or across the Whitsundays in Far North Queensland.

Maroochydore

Athlete’s Village (new, unknown size) Olympic & Paralympic Athletes Day Residence

Maroochydore will be the home of the Sunshine Coast Athlete’s Day-Village.

Parklands

Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Park (existing, 10,000) Mountain Biking

The Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre will be the host of the mountain biking competition at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Other Locations:

Townsville

Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville (existing, 25,000) Football (Preliminaries)

Cairns

Barlow Park, Cairns (upgrade, 20,000) Football (Preliminaries)

Toowoomba

Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba (upgrade, 15,000) Football (Preliminaries)

Sydney

Sydney Football Stadium, NSW (under construction, 45,000) Football

Melbourne

AAMI Park, Melbourne VIC (existing, 30,050) Football

15 Jul, 2015
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4 steps to building REAL wealth

Anyone can buy an investment property. But, if you want to build real wealth through property, it’s important to get four things right…

We follow a tried and proven system that will teach you how to create wealth through investment in Australian property, safely and securely. We have over 2,000 clients that have worked with us to build multi-million dollar portfolios and, in doing so, changed their financial futures. They prepared their wealthy future and in return received the benefits.

Have you registered for the brand-new “Prepare Your Wealthy Future” seminar yet? We’re getting close – be quick to Secure Your Seat!

– Sally-Ann Benson & The PWF team

06 Jul, 2015
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Melissa’s Success Story

It's Sally-Ann here and I'm very excited to be sharing a special story about our client Melissa.

Here at PWF, our role is to navigate our clients safely and successfully through the complex world that is wealth creation and give you complete guidance that’ll enable you to reach your goals sooner than you thought.

Melissa is one of our many clients who was able to experience this process first hand. As a team leader for Child Support, Department of Human Services and a single mother of three, Melissa has a life goal of ensuring her family is financially secure at all times.

Prior to working with PWF, Melissa had one investment property of her own purchased through Defense Housing. Melissa purchased property with the goal to retire on the rental income that she received from her property investments but this property was costing her more money every week than what was going into her pocket. It was negative geared.

Melissa needed a solution, as she knew investing this way would not provide her the financial security she was striving for.

Click the PLAY button below to discover how simple it was for Melissa to turn her situation around and start preparing a solid financial future…

If you’re like Melissa and want your investments to start giving you the results you want for your future then register for the next Prepare Your Wealthy Future seminar today.

We follow a tried and proven system that will teach you how to create wealth safely and securely. We have over 2,000 clients that have worked with us to build multi-million dollar portfolios and, in doing so, changed their financial futures. They prepared their wealthy future and in return received the benefits.

Secure your seat to the next Prepare Your Wealthy Future Seminar

- Sally-Ann Benson and The PWF Team

14 May, 2015
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How To Maximise Return On Property Investment

Return on Investment is the best measurement to determine whether your investment is good or bad. The logic is very simple: the higher the returns relative to the money you put out, the better your investment.

In Australia, property is arguably the most popular investment vehicle, so it’s not surprising why many have thought about investing in property. The challenge for most is that home values in the country are among the most expensive in the world. This means that an investor will most likely need to raise quite a huge capital in order to get started.

Therefore, maximising property investing returns is very important if you want to offset your debt and earn profits as soon as possible.

Improving Rental Returns For Better Return On Property Investment

The culture for most investors in the country is to gear investment properties negatively. This means that the investor charges a rental income lower than the cost of their investment loan. The monthly losses can be used for tax breaks. And in an ideal scenario, those tax breaks accumulated through the years will offset the monthly losses when the investor sells the property at its appreciated value (say double its original price after a decade or so).

However, life is usually more complicated than the ideal scenario; and in a practical sense, losing money each month can be very taxing on four personal finances. At the end of the day, are you truly willing to lose an average of $50 – $100 per week for an annual tax break?

So rather than gear your property negatively, it’s more practical to charge rental rates that can cover your loan and, ideally, yield you profit at the same time. Ensuring passive income is the start of maximising return on property investments.

Granted, rental rates will vary depending on where your property is situated, so location is very important. Typically, demand is strong in the inner suburbs because people like to live in areas that are close to work. Moreover, blue chip suburbs usually have a variety of shops, restaurants, clubs, parks and other recreational places, which make these locations all the more appealing. The higher the demand for these areas, the better the rental rates.

Structure Your Finances Wisely

Aside from improving rental income, another factor to consider in maximising return on property investment is how quickly you can pay-off the debt you’ve incurred when you bought the property. This is something most people overlook since people simply tend to pay off the mortgage as structured by the bank.

However, because banks earn most of their profit from interest, it is beneficial for them to structure their loans where you, the borrower, end up paying the most interest.

If you want to minimise your debt to boost your net profit, it’s important that you pay off the principal on your loan as quickly as possible. This can be done by structuring your finances strategically so that most of your investment’s income goes towards paying off your loan. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can shave off the years from your mortgage once you focus on paying off the principal.

These are just some practical tips to help you yield better return on property investment. For more investment tips, register for our ‘Prepare Your Wealthy Future’ seminar at www.pwf.com.au/prepare-your-wealthy-future-seminars.

14 May, 2015
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Layman’s Guide to Financial Independence

When people hear ‘financial independence’, most think about making a lot of money or having a high net worth. However, these two notions aren’t exactly accurate.

For instance, picture an entrepreneur that makes $5 Million a year. Most people will think that that entrepreneur is wealthy. But what if he needs to spend 5 Million-and-one dollars to make that 5 Million? Will you still think he’s wealthy?

The same can be said for a person who owns a multi-million dollar property. Suppose that person is already a retiree and living on a pension. Chances are, most of his pension is going to the insurance and taxes of that mansion of his. If so, how much cash will be left for himself? On paper, that multi-million dollar property owner is ‘wealthy’ even if he is struggling to sustain that property despite not owing anything on it.

Understanding Financial Independence

Creating wealth is more than just the money and the net worth. Real economic wealth is having financial independence – the freedom to do the things you want, when you want.

It is important for you to understand this whenever you chart out your goals and financial plans. Unless your plan will give you more time for yourself and your family, then what’s the point of following that plan?

This is the problem many people face when they buy properties. They don’t have a clear idea on what they want to do with the property. Their focus is too much on just securing it and then hope everything works out from there.

Unfortunately, without a specific plan, properties will most likely take money from you rather than make money for you. Just ask those that have been forced to work extra jobs the more they expanded their property portfolio.

On paper, having two, three and four properties under your name may look impressive. But if you end up working 16 hours a day just to sustain those properties, then it defeats the purpose of why you invested in the first place.

So before entering the property market, it’s important that you sort out how your property will earn you money. If you are having the property rented out, do you know where to find tenants? Do you have any basis of screening to avoid problem tenants (delinquent in paying rent or those who don’t take care of the place)?

Another point to consider is how you will structure your finances. The common practice is negative gearing where the investor chooses to lose money each week to qualify for tax breaks. But are you really willing to lose an average of $50-$100 each week for tax breaks? Or would it be better for you to gear your property positively so that you earn a weekly profit instead?

These are all very important factors to consider if you wish to benefit from your investment. If you are interested in learning about how to achieve financial independence through property investment, register for our ‘Prepare Your Wealthy Future’ seminar at www.pwf.com.au/prepare-your-wealthy-future-seminars.

14 May, 2015
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How Home Ownership Can Contribute To Wealth Creation

Why Some Investors Struggle

According to the 2014 Global Wealth Report of Credit Suisse, property makes Australians the world’s richest people in the world. It’s a nice statistic for sure, and it also reinforces the notion that investing in property is the smart thing to do.

Despite being labeled the richest people in the world, many Aussies don’t feel wealthy. In fact, there are property investors in the country who feel the exact opposite. In their experience, the more houses they invest in, the more they have to work extra hours just to make ends meet.

Asset Rich, Cash Poor: How Does Home Ownership Contribute To Wealth Creation?

One of the reasons why people struggle despite having a property portfolio is that they have no idea how property ownership contributes to the creation of wealth. Most people think that the value of the house is wealth in itself. While this is technically true, this ‘wealth’ isn’t something you can actually utilise in a practical sense.

Think about it: Assuming you own a $500,000 house and you lost your income today, will you be able to get by with that $500,000 property? Probably not if you factor in monthly mortgage payments and maintenance costs. In that scenario, your house feels more like it’s eating away at your wealth than something that generates wealth.

Many people are in this dilemma. They are asset rich thanks to their house, but they are cash poor with few options to get by if something goes wrong such as unemployment or an unexpected medical expense.

Moreover, the common practice of negative gearing makes it all the more difficult to sustain a property portfolio. Rather than create cashflow, investors end up losing money each month to qualify for tax breaks. With the cost of living increasing, how can people afford to lose money on their properties each month?

Changing Our Wealth Creation Framework

The bottom line is this: left alone, your property won’t generate you wealth. In fact, it becomes a source of a mountain of expenses if you don’t know what to do with it. This is the reason why it is very important to have concrete financial planning. You have to have a clear idea on what to do with your property so that it puts money into your pocket – not take money from your pocket. In other words, you must have a detailed plan on how ownership of your investment property will contribute to the creation of wealth.

The only way to do this is to gear your investment positively. Investment Properties are easier to maintain if it brings in profit. Rather than look for ways to pay for your property, the property ends up taking care of itself and, if the cash flow is big enough, bring extra into your bank account. Isn’t this the reason why people want to invest in the first place?

If you want to learn more about how home ownership can contribute to wealth creation, register for our ‘Prepare Your Wealthy Future’ seminar at www.pwf.com.au/prepare-your-wealthy-future-seminars.

14 May, 2015
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Why It Makes Sense To Invest In A Cash Flow Positive Property

Negative gearing is the common practice among property investors. In simple terms, negative gearing is when an investor borrows money to invest, and the income from that investment is less than the cost of owning and managing the investment.

For instance, a person may purchase an investment property and his mortgage is $500 per week. If his rental rate is $400 per week, then that investor is losing $100 per week. That $100 loss will be eligible for tax breaks. The rationale behind this is that in a decade or so, the value of your property increases and you’ve accumulated tax breaks in all those years thereby negating the losses you’ve incurred.

If that sounds complicated, that’s because it is. Somehow, when people hear something complicated, they seem to just nod their heads and trust the finance expert. After all, the numbers presented with all the fancy calculations can’t be wrong – right?

However, there are times when common sense should prevail over fancy Math. If there’s one common complaint people make year after year, it’s that everything seems to be getting more and more expensive. With cost of living rising, can you truly afford to lose money in your investment on purpose just to avail of a yearly tax break?

People say that a good investment is based on its rate of return. A negatively geared property yields a negative return. Despite that, many people still think that that is a good thing because of the tax breaks. But ask yourself this: Would life be easier if you were earning $100 extra each week or losing $100 each week? In a practical sense, making money weekly is always better than losing money weekly. Additionally, is not earning money the main goal when you purchase an investment property?

Why take a hit for 52 weeks just to get that one annual tax break? Besides, that annual tax break ends up paying for your previous losses rather than going to your savings anyway.

Keep in mind that the average weekly losses in a negatively geared property can amount up to $50 – $100 each week. So if you purchased five investment properties, which are all negatively geared, then your potential losses will be up to $500 each week. That’s a lot of money to burn.

Won’t it be more sensible to purchase an investment property makes you money now rather than a year from now? If your investment property is positively geared, then you won’t have to worry about the cost to sustain that property. The property takes care of itself and brings in money to your pocket each week. What’s not to like?

If you are looking to invest in a cash flow positive property, but are not sure on where to start, register for our ‘Prepare Your Wealthy Future’ seminar at www.pwf.com.au/prepare-your-wealthy-future-seminars.