Episode Details

Are you concerned that values have dropped since you bought your last property?

Wondering how to find investment grade suburbs?

That's what we discuss in today's show.

Plus I have a very special Mindset Moment for you.

If you bought property at the top of the property market and you're concerned about falling property values, you'll want to hear my chat with Ahmed Imam. We'll be talking about what you can do and whether you need to be worried about your property values falling.

Even if you didn't buy at the top of the property market, our conversation will be of interest to property investors and homeowners who have concerns about their property market values.

I'll also talk to Brett Warren about how to find an investment grade suburb. Some suburbs just seem to outperform the others. But are they the ones that show up on those lists of top performing suburbs? We'll be discussing just how valuable those lists really are.

What Should You Do If You Bought at the Top of the Market? Ahmad Imam

• No one can pick the exact top or bottom
• Owners who are now realising that they bought at the top shouldn't panic
• Buyers need to remember that property is a long-term journey
• There's no need to check the performance of the property market frequently. Unless you're getting ready to sell, once a year is enough
• Sydney and Melbourne are the powerhouses of economic growth in Australia. It won't take long for the property markets to rebound in those places

Are you looking for an investment grade suburb? Brett Warren

You know…one where properties are likely to outperform and I'm not talking about hot spots, but suburbs that will outperform in the long term.

Well, they are there if you know how and where to look.

Recent property data has shown there are some very mixed results for Brisbane houses over the last 12 months.

Depend on where you find your data, the average house price in Brisbane has grown anywhere from 0.1% to around 1%.

But there are a number of suburbs that have achieved significantly higher growth than the average.

In fact, there are a number of suburbs achieving growth in the double digits.

I check to see that:

1. The local economy is providing new jobs.

A thriving local economy encourages people to move there and ensures locals have the job certainty and the money to buy or rent properties.

2. Local population is growing

Apart from more people, it's important to have the right demographic moving to the area – people in family formation stage of their lives and people of working age rather than an aging population.

3. Local infrastructure spending

When the local council plans to improve roads, public transport options and local amenity this create more local jobs, which boosts the economy and leads to more people moving to the location.

The Usual Suspects

It's interesting, but you will be able to identify these suburbs as they make the same list every second or third year.

They always seem to be powering ahead.

They make the list for two reasons – supply and demand.

When I say supply, it means there is less availability of land and therefore properties are in short supply.

And demand comes from a number of factors, including:

• People want to live in these suburbs – They are aspirational suburbs (as opposed to many of the cheaper suburbs where people chose to live because that's all they can afford.
• They are close to employment hubs where more high paying jobs are being created

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