sharpemeyers.com.au

Holiday Office Hours

smadmin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:38:43 +0000

The team at Sharpe Meyers wish you a joyful & peaceful Christmas & Holiday period.

Our office will be closed from the 23rd December 2011 to the 6th January 2012.

During this period we will however have staff available, for any emergencies or urgent enquiries please contact the office on 02 92674499 or Ken on 0414589945.

FHOG Update

smadmin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:26:21 +0000

From the 1st January 2012 first home buyers in the Sydney property market will no longer avoid paying transfer duties for existing homes & apartments under $600,000. The NSW coalition government’s 2011-12 budget measure has been welcomed by Property Developers however not as warmly received by first home buyers. The budget measure will see stamp duty exemptions only apply to ‘brand new’ and ‘off the plan’ homes purchased in an effort to stimulate buyer activity in the new home market segment and building activity.

The $7000 first-home-buyer grant will continue to be available to all eligible first time buyers seeking owner occupation however the revision of the scheme will provide full transfer duty exemptions only for newly built home costing up to $500,000, and partial duty exemptions for homes worth between $500,000 and $600,000.

“In the short term we expect to see a lift in the number of first home buyers entering the market as many prospective purchasers move quickly to secure a property prior to the budget revisions on 1st January 2012″ said Grant Lee of SharpeMeyers Estate Agents

For further details contact Grant Lee on 0431 211 874

Applying to Rent

Max — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:40:43 +0000

If you have recently inspected a property for lease and decided that the property meets your requirements the next step is to complete an application for tenancy. The application for tenancy is a brief outline of who you are and what you do and is the information on which the landlord will decide if they wish to lease you the property. When completing an application for tenancy it is important to provide accurate and up to date information and also to complete all relevant sections of the tenancy application, applicants will be required to provide identification and dependent on personal circumstances may also require proof of income, savings or enrollment to study.

To apply for a rental property through Sharpe Meyers please follow the link below to our application for tenancy:
SM Application for Tenancy

If this is your first time leasing a property it is also a good idea to update yourself with current legislation and regulations which apply to tenancies in NSW. The following documents may be of assistance:

New Tenant Checklist
Standard Tenancy Agreement 2011
Residential Tenancy Act 2010
Residential Tenancy Regulation 2010

New Website…

Max — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:05:35 +0000

Welcome to our new website!!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via the contact us page or send us an email.

The Team at Sharpe Meyers.

Adding Value To Your Investment

Max — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:00:10 +0000

To get the most out of you car you would have it serviced every 10,000kms spending money on parts and maintenance ensuring it runs smoothly and retains value but when was the last time you serviced your investment property ?

Whilst surprising to many & occasionally back in fashion original 1960′s features unfortunately no longer attract premium rents or premium values, be it a major or minor service updating your property will ensure strong demand from quality tenants and minimise the chance of diminishing future returns.

In general we have found that well maintained and updated properties return around 30% beyond their original counterparts and attract a return on the investment of renovations in a range of 20-30%

A minor make over may include items such as paint, carpet, new knobs & handles, blinds, tap wear, and lights as potential improvements which can be easily updated or replaced with in a specified budget. A mini make over will generally cost in the range of $3000 to $4000 with results of up to $60pw -$80pw extra on an average $550 pw rent. Further more your accountant will be able to advise you of any tax savings through deductions of costs & depreciation of fixtures & fittings.

Major make overs of kitchens and bathrooms whilst more costly can substantially increase returns and with the assistance of an experienced property manager and tradesman should be hassle free.

Properties which are updated on a regular basis will attract premium rentals and quality tenants; with this in mind it makes good sense to allocate a proportion of rental income towards future updates and to ask your property manager what they would suggest could be improved in both the short and longer term.

CASE STUDY

Oxford Street Apartment

Located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst the subject apartment featured an original kitchen, bathroom, paint & carpet. Completed in the early 1980′s these fittings & finishes were older than the majority of prospective tenants inspecting the apartment being a market of young professionals working in Sydney CBD. After a quick discussion between the new owner and there appointed property manager, some careful consideration & calculation it was decided that an affordable make over was in order to maximise returns and attract a higher calibre of tenant.

Post renovation the final result was an increase in rental from $515 to $725 per week being a staggering $210 per week increase and an approximate 40% increase in return. The approximate cost of the renovation including new bathroom, kitchen, paint, carpet, lighting, electrical, laundry fittings and balcony tiles was $28,000.