So you and your partner are going your separate ways, and after negotiations, legal advice, court orders, and all that jazz, it is decided that you will be taking over the mortgage.

“I can just ‘take them off’ the mortgage, right?” Wrong.... In Australia, you must refinance your current home loan from joint names into your sole name. This requires a full application for finance, including an updated valuation on your property, to ascertain your equity position, and verification of your income and a serviceability calculation to ensure you can afford the repayments on the loan by yourself.

When your investment property lies vacant for even a short time, your earnings can take a big hit. So how do you get the best out of your property in a competitive market?
Here are some tips to make your property stand out from the pack.

What tenants want

Property managers and agents know that many tenants judge properties based on the property size, the state of the kitchen, air conditioning, and storage options.

By Charlie Bellow, Grange Realty Group

A number of clients have recently asked me whether they should put their houses on the market now, or wait until next year. Of course, they are looking to maximise their sale price, and my advice varies from client to client depending on their particular situation.

Generally, we find that there are buyers actively looking for homes all the way up until the end of the year, and our office has been known to sell properties right up until Christmas Eve!