This report is authored by respected Queensland economist Colin Dwyer to give our investors an independent assessment on the short-to-medium term outlook of key regional markets. Colin is widely regarded as a leading economist and social commentator by business, the media and the broader community. We hope it will give you a good understanding of the factors currently in play and give you confidence in your investment decisions. Welcome to our investor update on Townsville, the first in our 2017 series of research reports specially commissioned for our investor clients. By way of introductio ..read more

Are you in the minority by owning a property? Domain seems to think so, and sadly, the data would suggest that they are correct! Is this right? Why are so few Australians owning their own properties? Is this really a question of affordability, or does it come down to a lack of knowledge? The HILDA (Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia) report, released just a couple of months ago outlined the changing dynamics of home ownership from the 2001 to 2014 period, with some disturbing results. From that 2001 period, home ownership rates per household have reduced by around 5 percentage ..read more

Should every individual have the right to own their own property? This very question was brought to the spotlight during discussion on negative gearing, with the suggestion that the process only benefited wealthy individuals. Could this be a sign that property is reserved only for a few? During late April Malcolm Turnbull had this to say about negative gearing and its effect on property ownership in Australia. Turnbull correctly suggests that negative gearing helps investors own property, with Leigh Sales also asserting that negative gearing is only really used by the highest 10 per cent of i ..read more

The Census has found itself off to a rocky start. As tax payers, we paid a fortune to have it go off without a hitch but with a number of difficulties in its execution it turned into a nationwide joke. However, the Census is a much needed part of governance and it makes perfect sense to keep it around. Here’s our thoughts. If you were to look at the controversy of the Census, it all comes down to two main things; privacy and ineptitude. These two factors have dominated the media’s enquiry into the Census’ failure, and it is what we have come to judge the process on. And for good reason too, it ..read more

Are you a goal setter? It almost seems cliché, but without specific goals that you can reach, you won’t get anywhere financially. With the Olympics still going, we can’t help but draw parallels between the drive of our Olympians and those who really succeed financially. If there is one thing which ties all our Olympians together, it is the idea that to succeed you first need the desire to win. By having the desire to come first, to get that gold, they know who they have to beat, the times they have to get, and the records they have to break. It is only by having those goals that they can actua ..read more

This month we’re looking at change, and what better way to examine it than to look at how the property industry of Australia has evolved over the years. Almost everyone is thinking about affordability at the moment, so let’s look into what forms an affordable property by looking at data from the past and understanding what drives up property prices. Have a look at this graph of the median Sydney house price from 1970 to 2003. Data has been gathered from Land Titles Office, Real Estate Institute of Australia and ABS The trend seems fairly clear; property has come from low price origins to bei ..read more

This August is all about change. We believe that change is a fundamental part of life, and to embrace change is to move with the times. To get ahead. However, for the most part, when change comes most reject it! Preferring instead to keep the status quo the same and not have to learn anything new. Why would anyone take this view? Last month we held a seminar on Rentvesting, a process in which weekly affordability can be reduced through the process of renting out an investment property and then renting a property yourself, benefiting from the tax breaks that investors receive but owner occupi ..read more

Investing in property is an excellent decision for building a strong financial future. But what investment is best, residential or commercial? There are definite pros and cons for both, however the main point to differentiate is the risk that you can take up. Looking to invest? See our list of 7 mistakes to avoid here! How risky do you think it is to start your own business? Most people say, ‘pretty risky’, and for good reason. A large percentage of start-ups fail, and they do so for a number of different reasons, but at the end of the day the result is the same. Now if I were to ask you how ..read more

 This Wednesday we held a conference on an investment strategy known as Rentvesting. We had an excellent reaction to the content, so we thought that we’d pass on some of the knowledge to our investors! You’ll find below a guide and brief overview of what Rentvesting is all about. At McCarthy we want to make a real difference to Australians’ financial futures. Whether it be securing lower interest rates, getting more deductions on tax work, or investing in a property, our goal is always centred around the individual. How can we improve your financial situation? To that end we recently ..read more

In June of this year, Townsville Enterprise created a comprehensive report outlining the key economic developments within Townsville. For those who already own a property in Townsville, this publication should help your confidence in the area. For those who haven’t yet invested, we believe that Townsville is a market set for growth, and by reading this publication, you might gain an understanding of why this is the case. There are a lot of reasons you would think that Townsville is a great place to invest. Not only have property investment magazines discussed the strength of the Townsvill ..read more