Monthly Archives: March 2012

If you or someone you know lives in Sydney and is looking to move away from the hustle and bustle of city life to settle in a regional town like Armidale, then you may want to pass this information on…

Last year the NSW government introduced the $7,000 regional relocation grant for homeowners relocating from the city to established homes in regional areas of NSW. The big news now is that the grant also applies to those who want to build a new home as well as those purchasing existing homes. The idea is that the incentive will help boost the NSW construction industry and regional economies.

To be eligible for the grants, those who live in metropolitan areas would need to sell their city home and buy a parcel of vacant land valued up to $450,000, or a completed or off-the-plan home valued up to $600,000 in regional NSW.

For those who buy vacant land, the foundations must be laid within six months of completion of the land purchase and the home must be occupied as a principal place of residence within 12 months. The city residence can be sold within the 12 months prior to or after the purchase of the regional home.

For those who are currently living in Sydney, you may like to do some more research, and can visit newlifensw.com.au and www.osr.nsw.gov.au/benefits/rrg/ for more information.

Of course, for local market knowledge and property availability, we’re always happy to chat, so please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone, email, comment on this post, or visit the Professionals Armidale Real Estate website for property listings in Armidale and surrounding districts.

Armidale is set to be the star of a new comedy feature film about young men on a road trip.

 

The film will be called Bush Boys, and it is being written, directed and produced by Peter Cameron, who has recently been in Armidale scouting for locations to film scenes for the movie.

 

Bush Boys will focus on the story of four friends from Armidale, who decide to go on a road trip after one of them splits up from their girlfriend. The film will reportedly be along the style of films such as The Hangover and American Pie.

 

Armidale was chosen as a location for the film because Mr Cameron was attracted to our region’s picturesque surrounds and wants to show the contrast between our regional life and that of inner-Sydney.

 

Hopefully the movie goes on to earn success and shows Armidale in a positive light, and if you’re interested in seeing the film sets around town, the local scenes are set to be shot from April 10-13.

 

Lots of Armidale residents (myself included!) are looking forward to heading to this weekend’s Legends of League match, which will be played at the Armidale sportsground.

The match is the first of its kind for NSW and it will be helping to raise much needed funds for the Armidale Hospital.

Some of the players who will be heading to Armidale for the match include: Matt Rogers, Scott Hill, Sean Hoppe, Dan Nutley, Mark McGaw, Dean Widders, Denis Moran, Craig Wilson and Ros Conlon. All up there will be 40 NRL or State of Origin players here.

If you want to see the players before the game, they will be arriving on Thursday morning and doing school coaching clinics and visiting the children at the Armidale Hospital. You may also be able to catch them this Friday, where there will be a day of bowls at the Services Club for event sponsors. Friday night at the Services Club there will also be an official dinner and charity auction.

The players will also be out and about on Saturday where they will be on a float as part of the Armidale Autumn Festival and they will be holding an autograph signing session at the Armidale Plaza.

The main event will be kicking off on Saturday evening though, where there will be an afternoon of several local and junior rugby league games followed by the main game at 7pm.

It should be a great weekend, and it will definitely be a match not to be missed on Saturday night, so if you are interested in heading to the event or would like any further information then please get in touch with me on 6772 4549.

Have a great weekend!

For those about to invest in real estate, you may be confused about the differences between positive, negative and neutral gearing.

Each gearing option can be profitable for different reasons, so it is important to understand how each works before deciding which option will be the most suitable for you.

Here is a basic explanation of each gearing strategy:

Positive Gearing

Positive gearing is where the annual rental income from a property is higher than the annual loan repayments and costs. In this situation you are making an extra income from your property; however this income is taxable and hence needs to be declared at tax time.

Positive gearing can be very profitable for investors, especially where there are high rental yields, and fans of this type of investment argue that the profits made can then be used to help fund further investment properties.

With this type of property keep in mind that you will have to also pay capital gains tax should you decide to sell the property.

Negative Gearing

If your property is negatively geared then its rental income is less then the costs needed to maintain and keep the property.

Negatively geared properties are generally the first step for most investors and they are attractive because of the huge tax benefits.

The losses incurred on negatively geared properties can be offset against other forms of income as a tax deduction, therefore reducing taxable income.

Another benefit of negative gearing is that there is the potential to make long-term gains through capital appreciation. This is where the value of your property increases larger than the costs.

Over time though, many investors choose a negatively geared property with the hopes that it will eventually become neutral or positively geared.

Neutral Gearing

Neutral gearing is when the income from the property is exactly equal to the borrowing and maintenance costs. In this situation, the income is taxable, but the borrowing costs are tax-deductible.

Neutral gearing is a safe option for investors as there are little to no costs to keep the property, however gains can still be made from the capital appreciation.

Remember it is always a good idea to talk to an accountant or a financial advisor regarding the gearing strategy that is most suited to your financial situation. If you are interested in finding an investment property in the area though, then feel free to give me a call at Professionals Armidale Real Estate for further advice or information.

 

March is a huge month for events in Armidale. Last weekend the famous Armidale Show took place and while it’s sad that it’s over for another year, there are plenty of events to keep local residents busy for the rest of the month.

To help local residents figure out what events they want to go to and when I thought I would compile a list of some of Armidale’s most anticipated events for this month.

Here they are:

What: Cinema Under the Stars

When: Friday March 9 from 6:30pm

Where: Civic Park

 

What: A Day on the Green

When: Saturday March 10 from 2:30pm

Where: Petersons Winery – 345 Dangarsleigh Road

 

What: UNE 12 Hours in the Piney Mountain Bike Race

When: Saturday March 10 from 10am

Where: Armidale State Forest

 

What: Professionals Legends of League Charity Match

When: Saturday March 17

Where: Armidale Sportsground

 

What: Flix in the Stix

When: Saturday March 17 from 6:30pm

Where: Saumarez Homestead

 

What: Armidale Cup

When: Monday March 19

Where: Armidale Race Course

If you google any of the events above you should easily be able to find out more details about them and I’ll talk more information about the Legends of the League event next week, but until then I would love to hear what events you plan on attending in Armidale this month.