2024 Recap

As 2024 draws to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit some of our more popular newsletters from this year.

In each case, these topics originated from client problems – and hence they are worth revisiting to help ensure that you don’t fall foul of the same problems.

Independent Inspections under Domestic Building Contracts.

In May we explored some of the tricks that domestic builders play to prevent proper independent inspections of their work.

Given many building contracts are for hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not more) and the law was changed to give owners this right this seems quite wrong for builders to seek to remove this right.

If you are about to sign a building contract – you can revisit this newsletter by clicking here.

Private Mortgage Lenders

Private mortgage lenders offer greater flexibility than traditional banks – but usually in return for higher interest and fees.

When used appropriately, private loans can be an important source of funding.

However, this year we have seen some private lenders become much more aggressive in their behaviour and there loan terms. 

If you are thinking about borrowing from a private lender – you should revisit the newsletter by clicking here.

Land Tax

Increasing land values and unchanged land tax rates have seen many clients paying increased amounts of land tax.  This has been compounded by the Victorian government reducing the threshold and also making technical changes to the rules to increase land tax revenue.

In an attempt to assist clients access concessions and exemptions where possible I wrote a number of newsletters about little known land tax exemptions.  The July newsletter that covered exemptions when changing your principal place of residence was particularly popular – and led to one client saving more than $10,000.00.

You can access this newsletter here.

Preventative Law

A favourite topic of mine is preventative law – one of the principles that underlies my legal practice.

After all, you wouldn’t be very happy with a doctor that just told you about your heart attack after you had it.  In a similar way, we offer the service of reviewing many contracts before you sign them at a fixed fee.  This way we can help explain them to you, remove unfair terms and tailor them to your needs.

You can access the newsletter here – or contact us directly for a review.

Solicitor’s Certificates

In August our newsletter addressed solicitor’s certificates and offered some tips on how to make the process of getting them signed as efficient as possible.

You can access our newsletter and review these tips here.

Concluding Thoughts

This is our last newsletter for 2024.  

I will be back in 2025 with new topics, tips and stories designed to help make you a better property investor – whether you are a first home buyer, a sophisticated developer or somewhere in between.

In the meantime, I wish every one a wonderful Christmas season with family and friends and a prosperous New Year!

(Our office will close at 5:00 pm on 23 December and reopen at 9:00 am on 20 January, 2025)

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