Money Magazine's Best of the Best Quantity Surveyor of the Year!!!

Hmmmm well not really. I can't really see this category appearing anytime soon :)

BUT if this was a category this year - I reckon we'd win it.

You see, to have the Editor of Money Magazine write her editorial about Washington Brown and 4sale4investors twice in 6 months - is something I am EXTREMELY proud of.

I'm proud of this because Money Magazine is so independent. You can't pay Money Magazine to write editorial, the amount of advertising you do with them is irrelevant when it comes to content.

That's why their annual Best of the Best awards are so coveted. And that's why when you win one....your marketing quickly centres around the Best of the Best logo!

Anyway I can dream...

"I'd like to accept this award on behalf of Washington Brown. I'd like to thank my staff for all their hard work over the year.

I'd also like to thank the team at Money...It's obvious we share the same goals - Independent Expert Advice.

But most of all...I'd like to thank my wife, Sandy, who for close to 20 years has had to listen to my waffle on about property tax depreciation. How's that for patience!"

Disclosure: I have met the Editor of Money Magazine, Pam Walkley, and she is a nice person.

The Property Puzzle: is it positive or negative?

With interest rates falling fast, property is nearing a point where it pays you to own it -once you factor in the negative gearing and depreciation benefits.

But how do you work out whether a property is cash flow positive or negative?

Follow these 4 simple steps:

Step 1

Open the Property Investment Calculator and enter in the property details such as rent, purchase price, interest rate and approximate expenses. Pause at the depreciation entry.

Step 2

Open the Depreciation Calculator and enter the purchase price of the property, where it is, standard of finish, quality and approximately when it was built.

Step 3

Enter in the results of the Depreciation Calculator into the depreciation field of the Property Investment Calculator. (If you enter 5 years – your property will be anlaysed over a longer period)

Step 4

Press CALCULATE on the Property Investment Calculator.

The results indicate how much the property will cost or pay you to own on a weekly basis.

These tools are designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying your next investment property.

Tyron

PS – No other calculator on the market can be as accurate – ONLY Washington Brown has the key ingredient – the depreciation allowance based upon the intended purchase price.

PPS – Best of all these calculators are free to use!

4Sale4Investors - A Premium Property Resource

Hello and welcome to my first blog!

About 2.5 years ago I was using a well-known property portal, and I was frustrated.

I was searching for a unit to buy in a new development, and struggled to compare each project as I was led to 50 different developers individual websites. By the time I scanned one developer's site after another, I'd forgotten what I was looking for!

Also, I wasn't very impressed with the way some developers advertised their projects. Having a pretty girl sipping champagne by a pool might look good, but it doesn't tell me much about the potential investment.

I wanted data. I wanted to know how much the unit would cost me to own, based upon my salary.

I wanted to be able to easily access relevant information about the development from the website. I wanted someone to tell me why this was a good investment.

I didn't want to be bombarded with useless advertising cramming all available space on my computer screen.

There are enough of these websites already cluttering up the market. And the recent decline of MyHome indicates there is no room for a "me too" property site.

I don't have the Rivers of Gold that Fairfax enjoys - neither do I have the clout of Mr Murdoch.

What I do possess is a life-long passion for property, a degree in Construction Economics and a client base of close to 25,000 property investors I have advised over the last 15 years.

So why not have a property portal set up by someone who actually knows something about property - not just a site where the focus is on advertising revenue?

You see, I know stuff. Weird stuff. Like how claiming the ITAA1997 Section 43 allowance affects your Capital Gain, and what the implications of S.262A(4AJA) of the transfer of information act means to your property.

I even wrote a thesis on Property Tax Depreciation when I was 23.

Not much of a dinner party topic let me tell you! "Ok and what does your wife do?"

But, as with many businesses, it was out of frustration that I decided to create my own property portal.

In hindsight, I didn't realise what a massive task I was embarking upon. You must realise, I'm the type of person who still thinks MySpace is my loungeroom and can't understand why my GenY staff want to look at a book full of faces all day?!

On the eve of our launch to Washington Brown clients, I am very proud of what we have achieved. Most of all, I believe we have created a site that allows investors to focus on investment.

But this is just the beginning. I have long term plans for this site and your feedback on how we can improve this site will be the key to its success. This blog will detail my plans as the site evolves. I will also be writing articles on property investment.

So hopefully you will subscribe to this blog and website as I plan to make it fun and informative.

I will be encouraging select developers to launch quality new projects on this site, giving you early access to priveledged information.

All the best.

Ty