Raising the initial capital to buy into real estate can be difficult for some investors, so can tempting to bypass identifying professionals whose help will be needed. Real estate investment is much like running your own small business. Whether you have 1 or 100 properties in your portfolio, you will need to make decisions about tenants, property management, and maintenance and keep thorough records of all transactions and dealings.

Prospecting for new, feasible development sites is hard. Which is why Real Estate Investar is excited to be partnering with Archistar. We aim to make identifying and assessing small scale property development opportunities as quick, painless and accurate as possible. We are thrilled to be adding Archistar's deep-dive property development software to our already powerful suite of tools to make property development easier for investors. Level the playing field and use the same platform that Mirvac, Frasers and other major property developers are using to assess their next site! Real Estate Investar members will have access to the Archistar "Starting Out" package with the following features: National access Find Sites - search, site details, filter and digital planning library Map Visualisations - base package which includes zoning, overlays, heritage, building height, contours, flooding, bushfire and basic satellite imagery Assess Sites - quick estimate (residual land value) and due diligence reports Domain Listings and Suburb Insights Commercial Real Estate Listings

There is no way to guarantee that the property you buy will increase in value, but in order to increase your chances, you need to carry out detailed research on the property you are interested in and the suburb it resides in.

Subdivisions are a great strategy to manufacture equity and provides property owners with a number of options - land banking, sell the land or build to sell and/or hold. Read more about 2 lots on 1 title lots and also download an exclusive free suburb report identifying suburbs with the highest percentage of listings for sale with 2 lots on 1 title

An excellent property manager can be an important asset to your property investing team - so choosing the correct one is a crucial decision that you need to research thoroughly.  If you're planning on managing your property yourself, you should be aware of the common pitfalls too that you will need to avoid. 

Managing your own property instead of using a professional property manager can save you 5-9% of your weekly income, but you’ll need to be aware of the legal implications, tenancy legislation and paper work to avoid the pitfalls and common mistakes.

The resurgence in the Australian property market has continued in October, with dwelling values increasing in all states except Victoria.

There’s been plenty of attention on this week’s Federal Budget after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg put a clear focus on creating jobs and lifting the economy out of recession. However, was there enough in the budget to help property markets?

While Australian property presents itself as a lucrative, retirement-securing investment strategy, first purchases are generally the confirmation that this may not be the walk in the park you hoped for. Deciding what to buy and calculating growth trends are just the iceberg’s tip when it comes to researching and purchasing an investment property. Here are five mistakes both rookie and veteran property investors make and how to avoid a disastrous start to the pursuit.

September marked a striking turn in housing market sentiment; consumer confidence increased, new listings rose, and six of the eight capital cities recorded a rise in home values over the month, according to the Core Logic Home Value Index.

In the current climate, we are starting to see a big push away from CBDs, with both investors and homebuyers looking to regional areas and even interstate to find properties. With the low level of stock on the market, it is causing a number of buyers to put in offers on properties without ever seeing them. For many people, the idea of buying property sight unseen could be a scary proposition, however, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you’re mitigating any risks.

Although ‘upgraders’ once dominated the Australian house buyers market, there has been a rapidly growing trend over recent years for turning a home into an investment property and building a small yet strong portfolio.

To own, or to rent? That's the question many investors and home owners ask themselves. So how do you know which option is better for your hip pocket, now and for your future?  The location of your property can help determine which avenue is smarter. This infographic shows the top three suburbs in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales that make more sense to purchase than to rent. 

Renovating an investment property can lead to a tidy profit when done strategically, and has become more popular as property investors seek to create their own opportunities to add value to their portfolio. In this article you will find seven tips to help you plan and execute your next renovation, an infographic and links to helpful renovating resources.

For new property investors, the jargon can sometimes get confusing. This quick video includes some of the most commonly used property investment terms to help you get started.