Marathon Madness

LJ Hooker City Residentials very own Clayton Gibbs and Brendan Smith have been training hard for the past 4 months to ensure they are ready for this Sunday’s Bunbury Marathon.

So what drives someone to want to run 42 km’s non stop… We asked the boys….

Clayton Gibbs -

Let’s hope Clayton looks this fresh on Monday

1. What drives you to want to run 42kms?

For me it is twofold. I come from a distance running family, Dad has completed more than 30 marathons and my Mum and sister have also completed marathons. So I didn’t really have a choice if I want to stay in the will I guess.  The second reason is to tick another thing off the bucket list. A marathon is another one of those things that you can look back at and be proud of, a real accomplishment.

 2. What is the most rewarding thing from all of the training you are doing?

There are two 5:30’s in a day. If you have seen a sunrise over the Swan River then you know what I am talking about. I have also got a kick out of talking with people who have run marathons and sharing similar experiences.

 3. How has it improved your business?

Since I have started training I have developed a fantastic understanding of the importance of a few things that translate to business. Goal setting and having the true desire to achieve that goal, developing a plan to achieve that goal and sticking to it and making yourself accountable to someone else who’s goals are in line with your own.

 4. What would you say to anyone else thinking about starting to train for a marathon?

There are a few of key things that have helped me.

1. Pick a marathon you want to do and put it in the calendar. Commit  to it before you start training.
2. Have a running plan… …and stick to it! – These are available online or you can speak to experienced runners. They are designed to give you the distance training without the injuries.
3. Team up with a running partner or distance running group. There are a lot of hours out there pounding the pavement, it’s nice to have the company and someone to be accountable to.
4. Don’t think about 42km at the start. Think about 10km or 15km and start there. After three months training you won’t believe you use to be scared of that distance. The funny thing is that they become ‘small’ runs.
5. Put everything in balance including your diet and sleep. You are going to need all the fuel and energy you can get.

The marathon is only a couple of days away now and I can tell you the excitement is amazing. With the training and preparation completed, I can’t wait to get out there and tick it off.

 

Brendan Smith

Brendan’s wife and Business Partner Sharon will be at the finish line with their two boys cheering Brendan on.

1.       What drives you to want to run 42kms? The challenge of doing that distance and finding out where my potential lies

2.       What is the most rewarding thing from all of the training you are doing? I think its knowing you have committed to something and seeing the physical and mental benefits of a running program. It    then gives you the confidence on race day knowing what you’ve put in.

3.       How has it improved your business? I think its made me look at things clearer and given balance back in to my work. Being too focused on work makes you lose opportunities and stepping back with a different focus allows you to see them again.

4.       What would you say to anyone else thinking about starting to train for a marathon? I would say definitely do it. The hardest thing is committing at the start, but once you’ve done that, its generally a very good ride to be on. Also get someone who knows what they’re doing o set the training for you.

The team here at LJ Hooker wish their 2 superstars all the best…. I’m sure they will be a little sore on Monday so we promise to go easy on them.

L J Hooker commitment behind business growth

L Janusz Hooker, Deputy Chair of one of Australasia’s most recognised real estate names, describes the most successful agents as people committed to the industry who deliver exceptional customer service and share their expertise and local knowledge with clients.

LJ Hooker City Residential’s Principal Frank Newton explains why his team is committed to clients in Perth.

“Delivering exceptional customer service is what I expect of my team, and of myself,” said Frank ,“whether an agent, property manager, property finance or administration has many years of experience or is beginning a real estate career.

“We have 29 in the team whose collective experience is over 140 years and this group mentors our newer team members, supported by the intensive, comprehensive and ongoing training LJ Hooker provides.”

Frank says mentoring, training and rewarding achievement nurtures commitment to customers.

Lisa, Margaret, Kaylee, Brendan, Mandy and Hayley are the most recent in our office to be recognised in the top (seven per cent/15 per cent) of the 690-strong office network.

 The LJ Hooker group strengths are highlighted via ‘10 Reasons why customers chose LJ Hooker’.

 “A real estate group that sells one property every three minutes and sold $15.5 billion worth of property last year is a great benchmark in the customer’s eyes.

 “With a website that attracts more than 450,000 unique visitors a month and LJ Hooker’s online listing service means vendor’s properties automatically reach an extra 2.5 million potential buyers.

“Our team’s commitment and local market knowledge drives home the  ‘10 reasons’ why LJ Hooker is the most trusted brand in real estate with locals in East Perth, Perth.

What To Look For In A Property

When you’re thinking of buying, your requirements will vary depending on your personal circumstances and on the sort of property you wish to buy.

You may be looking for a family home, a “sea change” property or a holiday home. Once you have found the property of your dreams, you may want to pause for a while and reflect before making an offer or signing on the dotted line.

Consider the following checklist:

• Before you decide on anything do you have your loan approved?

• Will you enjoy living in the neighbourhood?

• Is the house sound? If you have any doubts

at all, hire building and pest inspectors to check

• Is it in an area likely to hold resale value or benefit from capital growth?

• Are there any long-term costs or issues such as body corporate fees, jointly owned driveways?

• What type of Title is the property? Is it Torrens Title, Company Title, Strata Title, or some other? Ask your solicitor to advise on the Title

• Does the entire house, including alterations, have the required Council permits?

• Is it built for the climate? Is it insulated? Will it be warm in winter, cool in summer?

• Have you asked your local council about planning issues like the possibility of any big developments planned or

construction of new roads nearby?

• If big changes are needed to make the property comfortable, then it’s a good idea to know the costs before you make an offer

• Is the house and land suitable for your

stage in life – are there too many stairs, is the garden too steep?

Then think about the detail:

• Does the house have enough bedrooms?

• Are you happy with the garden – or its potential?

• Will you have good access to the facilities you need such as schools, doctor, medical centres and shops?

• Are there enough bathrooms?

• Is there enough garage space? Is the garage accessible from inside the house?

• Will you have problems with traffic or noise?

• Is the kitchen serviceable?

• Is it safe for your family, eg children,the elderly or disabled?

• Is it suitable for pets?

• Are you happy with the building’s security?

• Check under the house – is it dry?

• Is the block well drained?

 

All the best with your property search….

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVESTMENT PROPERTY OWNERS WITH GESB ACCOUNTS

After much anticipation, the WA State Government has recently granted superannuation choice for all State Government Employees.  This means that they are no longer obligated to use GESB (Government Employees Superannuation Board) funds for their superannuation contributions.  Furthermore, funds held within GESB can also be rolled out to another superannuation fund.

 

This means that anybody who has ever worked for the WA State Government needs to make a decision as to the best course of action for their retirement savings. Anybody who owns investment properties or other assets that may have a capital gain in the future need to be particularly careful when making this decision.

 

This will no doubt create lots of discussion surrounding options for the future, and it has certainly opened up government employees to benefits they may not have been able to access in the past.

 

Empire Financial Group has had a long standing relationship with LJ Hooker City Residential. We are in the unique position of having an in house adviser with extensive experience in the GESB environment.  Chris Taylor has until recently worked with GESB for 4 years, so he is very well placed to provide an objective opinion drawing from his experience in both the government and private sector.

 

GESB has its benefits and its drawbacks.  Furthermore, there are different types of GESB funds available, which have different benefits, and it is imperative any decisions made are related to your specific position.

 

Before you speak to us about your individual circumstances, some of the pros and cons of the GESB accounts to be considered are outlined below:

 

Pros

 

• West State Super is not bound by the annual concessional contribution limit.
• You may have the potential to reduce the tax payable upon exit from the fund using any pre 1983 service.
• They are reasonably low cost funds depending on investment option, and particularly for small account balances.

 

An example where this may be of benefit when selling an investment property:

 

Jim, aged 45, has recently sold an investment property and has a $100,000 assessable capital gain. Jim earns a salary of $89 000 per annum, meaning the capital gain will be taxed in both the 38.5% and 46.5% Marginal Tax brackets (including medicare levy).  Jim, in consultation with his Empire Financial Adviser, decides to live off the capital gain and salary sacrifices his $89,000 annual salary to his West State Super.  Making these contributions means that Jim saves $21,635 in tax.

 

As Jim is aged 45, if he was to contribute to another superannuation fund, he would only be able salary sacrifice an additional $16,990 into superannuation for the financial year.   His employer would have already made $8,010 in compulsory contributions, allowing him to contribute $16,990.  This would reduce his tax by $4,713

 

Contributing the funds to West State Super has saved Jim additional tax of $16,922.

Cons

 

• Potentially higher tax paid on returns within the fund.
• Limited investment options  with no ability invest into direct equities, property or fixed term deposits, or choice of fund managers.
• Depending on investment options desired, and amount invested (particularly for larger investors) it can be a relatively expensive fund
• No ability to utilize tax advantaged dividends received from Australian Shares.
• Benefits tax is paid upon exit from the funds rather than entry
• Limited insurance options

 

An example of how this could be detrimental?

 

Jane has her superannuation funds invested in a Balanced Plan within West State Super. Jane’s superannuation have increased in value over a number of years so she will need to pay tax when exiting the fund. As she is in West State Super she is not entitled to receive any discounts on the capital gains meaning she pays the full 15% of the fund value upon exit. If she earned the same return with another superannuation fund she may be entitled to the 1/3 capital gains discount meaning she only pays 10% on the gains.

 

This has increased Jane’s capital gains tax by 50%.

 

 

So how do we get the right answers?

 

You may not have any GESB funds, however you will certainly know someone who does. To ensure you, or your friends and family, are making the correct decision regarding the GESB superannuation funds contact Chris on 9323 3000 for an initial discussion at our cost.
 
We look forward to providing you with the help required in this, not to be taken lightly, decision making process. 

 

LJ Hooker City Residential the First to Embrace Property Video Tours as Standard

LJ Hooker City Residential have been using proeprty video tours as a standard for the past 6 months and they are seeing the difference.

With nearly 3000 hits on their You Tube Channel, home open numbers and inspection are on the rise, along with prices achieved for these properties.

Here is an article from the Real Estate Business News Magazine regarding property video tours in Melbourne :

Melbourne’s boutique real estate agencies are leading the video listing charge, an executive from a property listing portal has said.

“We’re seeing some emerging trends around video, I think the best market for us is probably Melbourne,” Tony Blamey, general manager of real estate at Fairfax Media (Domain’s parent company), told Real Estate Business.

“A lot of the boutique agents have embraced video.”

“I believe ultimately it will become a standard across all listings.”

Listings with video have generated around three to four times the level of engagement compared to those with just pictures, he added, which means more views and more enquires.

And it’s not just prestige properties that are using videos, he said.

“We’re even seeing video on vacant blocks of land, whatever the agent can use to differentiate that property to give it more profile,” Mr Blamey said.

Mr Blamey also reported last week that one in five enquiries received by real estate agents with listings on Domain.com.au are from mobile devices.

“Real growth for us is around mobile, we’re rapidly approaching the one million downloads for our Domain mobile app,” he said.

“It’s generating over 20 per cent of all enquires, and they’re adding tremendous value back to real estate agents.”

Brendan Smith of LJ Hooker City Residential says that he has taken his business to the next level of professionalism using this as a standard on all of his listings.

Auctions Work In Perth….

Clayton Gibbs from LJ Hooker City Residential Perth speaks about our success with Auctions….

What an exciting time in the Perth property market. Rental returns are up, investors appear to be sneaking back into the market and buyer activity has increase. Are these some of the contributing factors to why Auctions outperformed private treaty sales for Perth in 2011?

I hear people quoting low Auction clearance rates and assuming that Auctions are unsuccessful in Perth. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Auction clearance rates rarely take into account properties sold before or after the Auction. If someone is willing to pay a premium for your property do you care if they come to us in week one, week four or week five? Of course you don’t.

Four Times Faster

At LJ Hooker City Residential in 2011 our average days on market for Auction properties was 28 days. The average days on the market for private treaty sales of units in East Perth, Perth & West Perth was 143 days on market. This is a remarkable 120 days difference, showing that on average Auction properties sell 4x faster than private treaty sales.

 

Selling for More.

When is the best time to sell? When the property is fresh to the market and there is great interest in the property? Or when the listing is old and stale and the market has lost interest? The answer is obvious. We are a lot more likely to get a great offer on a property when there are good numbers of buyers at a home open. This is what an Auction marketing campaign does for you. It captures the buyers when the activity is the highest providing us the perfect competitive environment to achieve a great price for you.

As you can see from the graph above, an Auction campaign will get you a result when the interest is high as opposed to private treaty after most of the interest has gone and more likely at a lower price than you initially advertised.

In conclusion there are two main ways that an Auction marketing program provides you with a better result. As we have seen, on average you will sell your property 4x faster which will save you money and stress. You will also sell during the period of highest interest, providing you with the best opportunity to achieve a premium price.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Auctions however with increasing numbers of Auctions being held in Perth you can see that the results speak for themselves.

For an open discussion on Auction marketing please contact Clayton Gibbs on 0420 488 814, cgibbs.cityresperth@ljh.com.au

Kaylee Ferguson offers a guide for new tenants.

Senior Property Manager

Regardless of which rung you occupy on the property ladder, renting can be an important step in the process according to leading East Perth Property Manager Kaylee Ferguson of LJ Hooker City Residential Perth.

 “If you’re fresh out of home becoming a reliable tenant provides an important opportunity to build a stable business relationship and references which will be useful when the time comes to buy,” Kaylee says.

“It is also an opportunity to get to know the area that interests you, to test out the lifestyle and feel good about it. That is why we have quite a few people renting who have already owned their first home,” Kaylee says.

Whatever your reasons for renting, not all rental properties are equal, so having a good understanding of what will be expected will help you pounce on the right one when you find it.

“It can be a complex process for the uninitiated,” Kaylee says. “There is plenty of paperwork to complete, financial considerations and so on. That’s why we’ve created a guide for new tenants on our website, ljhooker.com.” http://www.ljhooker.com.au/rent/first-time-tenants/quick-guide-for-first-time-renters?sid=rsn

The comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know, from the first step of completing an application and paying a deposit (usually equivalent to one weeks’ rent) right through to what to expect when you move in.

The best properties are always in demand so giving your application the best chance of success – particularly if you have no rental history – just takes a bit of planning, according to Kaylee. 

“Everyone has to start somewhere, and there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of being the successful applicant, She says).

“Arrange to visit the property and drop into your LJ Hooker office to fill in your application where possible or fill in an online application. We like to meet our prospective tenants. Ensure the property is affordable based on your income and also provide excellent written references or parental guarantees without being asked for them. That way your application ends up on the top of the pile.”

Once you have moved into your new home, Kaylee offers one some final words of advice to build your rating as an ideal tenant:

“Aim to pay your rent on time or earlier, communicate quickly with your LJ Hooker property manager about any maintenance issues and take care of the home as if it were your own.”