1) Can I invest in Australian Property if I am not a Australian Citizen or permanent resident?
Yes. The Australian Government welcomes foreign investment as buyers who wish to purchase residential real estate has a direct economic benefit to the country.
2) Do I need any approval on purchasing an Australian Property?
Yes. Overseas buyers need to get Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval before they purchase any Australian Property.
3) Is there any restriction on what kind of property I can purchase?？
You can check the updated requirements at www.firb.gov.au for details. Starting from 2009, as a general rule, foreign buyers are only permitted to purchase new residential properties or vacant lands which will commence construction within 24 month in Australia.
4) Can I sell my property to another overseas buyer?
No. FIRB prohibits the re-selling of a property to another overseas buyer.
5) Can I rent the property out or leave it vacant?
Yes. There is no restriction on renting or leave the property vacant.。
6) When is the best time to purchase an Australian property?
Different from financial market, which is highly depend the “Timing”, the time to buy and the time to sell, property market most of the time depend on “Time in”, when you enter the market. Australian Property is highly worth investing as one of its outstanding benefits is capital growth with minimal risk. Historically, house prices in Australian cities have risen by an average of 7%-9% over the past four decades.
7) Do I have to know the property market deeply to invest?
No. Property investment is a long-term activity. It is not as speculative as any investment in the financial market. You can simply appoint related professionals to do all the work if you prefer not to work too hard. The returns from property are huge and steady so that you can hire someone to do all those things for you with the benefit of getting all the expense your paid back through tax deduction.
8) Should I consider buying a property in Australia for my kids to live in when they study in Australia?
If your children are currently studying in Australia, it is a good way to get all the money back through property investment. You save the rental expense, enjoy the capital growth. After 5-7 years, which is the average time for a child to finish his/her study, you can simply sell the property at double the price you paid for, which most likely can cover all the living and education expense.
9) Is property investment a good investment if the economy is slow?？
Yes, certainly. When people compare the property market to the financial market investment, which give a high yield in return, they seems to forget about the high risk that is involved in the financial market. At the time when economy is slow, if you can afford to invest in property market at its bottom of the cycle, you will get a higher return with minimal risk compare to the financial market.
10) What if interest rates rise?
Most of the Australian banks offer a fixed interest rate loan. This is a great facility to secure your investment. We normally recommend the fixed-interest only loans for your investment properties. As if the interest rate increases, you can save some money on the relatively high repayment. In the case when interest rate decrease, you should not worry so much about how much extra you pay on the mortgage repayment, as the property prices normally goes up when the interest rate goes down.
11) What if real estate prices drop like the financial market?
Many people afraid the property market will crash like what happen to the U.S financial market. You simply don’t need to panic. Before you purchase an investment property, make sure you understand an investment is different from a speculative activity.
Expect to hold on to a property for at least 7-10 years to ensure a buffer against any cycles in the market. Make sure you don’t get panic about any short-term market hiccups.
Some reports show that property price in particular areas dropped significantly. That might be the case for a short-term.
Remember, if you choose the right investment property, you should expect an average capital growth of 7%-9& annually, as the material cost and construction cost won’t shrink half and your land will never depreciate.
12) What is a "negatively geared" property?
The term "negative gearing" is a situation where your cash outflow is greater than your cash income from the investment. A negatively geared rental property is a very effective tool to claim tax return.
13) Am I entitled to any government subsidies i.e. stamp duty rebates or exemptions?
You may be eligible for a Government Concession, such as the First Home Owner Grant, stamp duty rebate or some other special consideration if you are an Australian Citizen or permanent resident.
14) How can I make sure my property investments perform well?
The key to successful property investment is reducing your expenses and increasing your capital growth. We can assist you with this.
We make sure ：
You choose the correct mortgage.
You choose the property with a high capital growth potential
支付合理的价格
收取合理的房租
合理的避税和退税
15) 我是否应该买最好的地段，因为房产的位置是人们一直所强调的？
在我们看来，您完全不需要购买最好的区域的物业。影响房屋价格的因素有很多，而通常在最好的地段的房屋的确会有相对高的升值可能，但实际房租收入可能远远不够支付房屋贷款。这种情况下，当您的现金流出现一定问题时，您很可能必须低价出售此物业。
16) 单位和公寓是否比别墅更值得购买?
这和很多因素相关，包括您的个人喜好。
通常，别墅的租金回报率相对单位和公寓较低，而房屋增值率却因为土地占有率，远远大于单位和公寓。
另外，很值得考虑的一个因素是，当您支付了订金购买市中心的高层公寓时，您可能要等若干年才可以享受到一定的租金回报。而同样的，您支付订金购买土地房屋套餐，房屋一般在12个月内便可完工。
这不是一个简单的是或否的问题。在您购买投资物业前，应该确定您所预期的投资回报率。
17) 我应该买一套$700,000的物业 还是两套 $350,000 的物业?
“永远不要把鸡蛋放在同一个篮子里”。总的来说，您应该购买更多价格相对便宜的物业。
一个便宜的房产通常意味着便宜的房租，而便宜的房租，通常会吸引更多的租客，因而会有利于现金流，给您带来比较理想的房租收入。当您决定出售此物业时，也相对由于价格便宜及大小适宜而吸引更多的投资者和第一次买房者。
18) 我很担心，万一我们找不到租客入住该怎么办？
第一， 在您购买投资房产时，请确定您所购买的物业靠近主要的公共设施，例如，交通，商店，学校，商务区。
第二， 确保您所购买的物业所在区域有足够的人口增长。
出租物业一般有一定的需求，通常用“空房率”来衡量，高空房率意味着物业相对比较难出租。
好的物业管理公司会建议您在找不到租客的情况下，降低房租以吸引潜在租客。
目前，墨尔本的平均空房率在0.9% ，这个数据表明了墨尔本的租房市场供不应求。
您大可不要担心，澳大利亚租房人口占总人口的34%，而这个数字在逐渐增长，租房市场不会一夜之间消失。
