Hi, Markabe !
The agents themselves have access - presumably paid - to a database
that tells them what each recently sold property realised, but that's
after the event.
For listings throughout Australia try Home Sell at:
http://www.homesell.com.au
You select your State etc. Looking up my own suburb gave a good range
of listings though not comprehensive . They have a email service to
notify you as appropriate listings come in.
Property.com.au also seems comprehensive, and can be found at:
http://www.property.com.au
You don't have to know your suburbs to search their site (though it
still helps). Looking up my suburb, some of their prices seem a touch
high to this local.
A similar site is Domain, which is the Sydney Morning Herald's real
estate section online, and is at:
http://www.domain.com.au
It covers New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. and of course is
not linked to any one agency.
OK - from here on I'm assuming you don't live in Australia, so forgive
me if you do, and know some of this already.
A very high proportion of properties here are sold at auction, so
prices are not advertised though price range may be. Even sales which
apparently have a fixed price are always open to negotiation. Prices
between different agencies do not vary much and the major agencies are
represented in all areas , so for a rule-of-thumb price for an area,
Hookers or Ray White's are fine. "The lowest prices for the country"
will be for simple, elderly weatherboard (clapboard) or fibro
(sheetrock) cottages in very out of the way rural villages. If you are
looking for investment that is probably not the way to go.
The highest prices are in Sydney, New South Wales, followed by the
other capital cities, with Brisbane still offering a good lifestyle at
reasonable prices, and reasonable investment returns. Investment
properties here attract significant tax concessions, which may not
apply for an overseas investor.
It is, as they say, a "big country", so you need to know what
lifestyle you are looking for before you start - or what style of
investment you are after. The States and Territories vary as to
climate, terrain and life-style. Don't forget Tasmania, if you are
after a milder climate and a (slightly self-conscious) "English" feel
to the way of life at good prices.
Most information is available on a state by state basis.
None of the agencies seem to really sell through their websites. The
delay involved in photographing and then uploading details when the
number of people who are genuinely interested in any one property in
limited to five to ten probably makes it uneconomical and they tend to
restrict their web listings to their very best (and most difficult to
sell) properties only. Most inquiries are generated through newspaper
advertising, and often this is through a local, rather than a
metropolitan newspaper. The lower the price, the less likely it is to
appear in a major paper - after all, it is the vendor that is paying
for the advertising.
You could also look at the real estate section of "The Trading Post"
at:
http://www.tradingpost.com.au
Search Terms: "Australian national real estate" |
Clarification of Answer by
angy-ga
on
13 Mar 2003 02:34 PST
Oh, OK, right, Mark - I'll have a think tomorrow - I'm finishing up
for the day just now and will probably get back to Google late
afternoon, otherwise Saturday.
My obvious question though,if you live here, is are you looking at
urban or country property?
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Clarification of Answer by
angy-ga
on
14 Mar 2003 00:22 PST
Hi, Mark !
When looking for cheaper properties that are likely to be good for
investment, properties near the regional universities are a good bet,
particularly those near newly developing campuses, such as Ourimbah.
Already tenanted properties have the advantage that you can show an
existing income to the bank if you are applying for a loan.
Consider using a reputable local real estate agent to manage the
property - we've found that well worth while. Try to set aside about
10% of the rent as a poultice against necessary repairs, and don't
forget that you pay the rates on the property, not the tenant. If
buying a unit, be warned, Body Corporate levies have a habit of going
up - and up - and you will have little control over when they decide
to strike a "Special Levy" to cover some unforeseen emergency repair.
Remember most costs are tax deductible, including the interest
payments on the property (but not payments against the principle
borrowed.) Remember too that you can "Negative Gear" an investment
property; that is, it is permissible for the tax deductible cost in
any one year to exceed the income derived from it.
As far as online data bases go, I really haven't found anything better
than Property.com.au for ease of use and range.
http://www.property.com.au
You can search by price range and have the results displayed sorted by
price, as well as a number of other criteria. I asked for Australia
wide properties between $120,000 and $250,000 and it found places in
Adelong NSW, Aberdeen NSW, Albany WA, Abermain NSW, Adventure Bay TAS,
Aitkenvale QLD - including one with tenant, and lots more. The first
twenty were all 150.000 and below.
You can specifically search for investment properties. Searching for
investment properties under $100,00 turned up - among others - a house
near the University in Armidale NSW - a very good rental possibility -
for $80,000+. Unfortunately that one's sold, but it's a good example
of what's out there.
There are photos and details for each property available by clicking
on "View Property".
There is a loan calculator on the left of the site.
Click on the ladybird -"Bug Me"- to arrange to be notified whenever a
property matching your criteria is listed on the site.
There is a sister company Realtor Australia who have a website at:
http://www.realtor.property.com.au/
Here too you can search for an agent (click on "find an agent") then
narrow down the area in which you are interested and it will then give
you a list of agents in the area and then show you some properties
they have listed. Looking in my own area the list of agents was
comprehensive, but the range of properties was limited. There is
really very little motivation for an agent to post details of an
easy-to-sell property. However, keeping in mind that the properties
shown are likely to be at the higher end of the price range for the
local area, this is another way to browse and get a feel for what's
out there.
You can also click on "Notify Me" (left) to arrange to be notified
when a property matching your criteria is listed. I signed up for this
service and found that I could search by price range on a state and
region basis
You can also perform a Queensland Lands Title Search online at a price
Clicking on "Find a Home" (top) will take you to back to
property.com.au
Their parent company appears to be RP Data who claim to be
"Australia's largest property information services company"
News Limited have a similar site at:
http:www.realestate.com.au
Unlike Property they insist on your search being performed by state
although you can specify price range. Prices do not show up in the
results, so you have to take it on trust that it's sorted correctly.
Advanced search allows you to narrow the ranges.
It's not as useful a site, and slower to load, but may give you some
additional information. Again, you can arrange to be alerted of new
listings that match your criteria.
Good luck in your search.
Search terms:
Australian Real Estate data base
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