During our recent vacation in Perth, we dropped by to visit our relative’s family who had been staying there for longer than a decade. They lived in a nice southern suburb 20 minutes’ drive from the Perth CBD. It was a quiet and friendly neighborhood with residents from middle or upper middle class. The houses were all single-storey detached with big front yards and back … [Read more...]
4 burning property investment questions answered
There are four commonly-asked questions often raised by followers of my blog at PropertySoul.com and readers of my book No B.S. Guide to Property Investment. So I decided to give some quick answers here for easy reference. Q: Is it a good time to buy properties now? A: It depends. If you are a savvy property investor with many years of experience, if you have the financial … [Read more...]
Lessons learned from a property investment trap
I was in Jakarta when I saw an article on the front page of The Jakarta Post with the headline “Property firm deceives thousands of buyers” (May 27, 2015). Another story of property investment scam A property consulting firm known as PT Royal Premier Internasional marketed to the public investment opportunities of 12 complexes across Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta, Bandung … [Read more...]
When property hotspots become ghost towns
The original meaning of ghost town refers to a village or a city that has once been populated but is abandoned due to bad economy, high unemployment, or natural or human-caused disasters. In recent years, the media have given ghost town a new definition: a new city that has been built and ready for resident occupation but no one moves in. It has been abandoned even before any … [Read more...]
Foreign properties: Why long-distance relationships fail
Tonight inside this dimly lit bar with deafening music, you emptied a bottle of liquor without uttering a single word. Guys drink when they stress over money and relationship. Obviously, you have no luck in both now. First impressions are deceiving From day one when you told me that you fell for this high maintenance girl from a foreign country, I knew you are going to … [Read more...]