Thursday, June 10, 2010

Group G and H

Click the tables below to see how each country performs:

Group G
Group H

Monday, June 7, 2010

2010 Property World Cup - Group F

Today I'm pesenting Group F with our neighbours New Zealand. As you can see property is still cheaper in NZ. The conditions for foreigns to invest in Aukland or Christchurch are ideal with a relativly stable economy and excellent protection of property rights.

Have a look how other countries perform, just click the pic:


For those who visit my blog for the first time, and need some instructions how to read the table - please see the previous post!
Only two groups to go!!!
Have FUN!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

2010 Property World Cup - Group E

With Group E today, we have seen 5 out of 8 groups so far.

Enjoy Group E, just click the image.



How do I read the table?

Short version:

- the more houses a country has got, the cheaper the average property price
- the more balls, points and mascots, the more attractive is it for foreigners


Extended version

The header of each column tells you what it is about.

- Team vs. Australia – the first team in the table is South Africa. The average price for a property in Australia is $450,000 (at the time of the research). The same amount can buy you on average 1.5 properties in South Africa. Which means, on average, properties in South Africa are cheaper by 33%. Please understand, this is just a guide and very general!!!

- Attractiveness for foreign Investors – 1 ball = don’t touch it!
5 balls = very attractive

- Long Term Investment rating – 1 Zakumi (mascot) = run away!
5 Zakumis = great

• Economic Freedom Rating - Scores are from 0 to 100, higher scores are more desirable i.e. more conducive to economic growth. The lower the score, the greater the level of government interference in the economy and the less economic freedom a country enjoys.
Free 80 - 100; Mostly Free 70 - 79.9; Moderately Free 60 - 69.9;
Mostly Unfree 50 to 59.9; and Repressed 0 - 49.9

• Property Rights Index - A subcomponent of the Index of Economic Freedom, the property rights index measures the degree to which a country’s laws protect private property rights, and the degree to which its government enforces those laws. Higher scores are more desirable, i.e. property rights are better protected. Scores are from 0 to 100. The index also assesses the likelihood that private property will be expropriated and analyzes the independence of the judiciary, the existence of corruption within the judiciary, and the ability of individuals and businesses to enforce contracts. I consider protection of property rights as a significant factor affecting the desirability of a residential real estate investment

Monday, May 31, 2010

Group D - the Eyeopener

Group D is proofing once again how fortunate we are to live life in Australia. Who would have thought that Germany, the country where I grew up, is less attractive for property investors than Australia.
I'd like to add a little story to that which emphazises my point even more. Two months ago I was in Germany for a visit. By the way the trip took longer than I anticipated due the volcano 'Eeeaafffiyeseusejkdhakjdha' in Iceland. While I was waiting for my return flight back to Brisbane I used the time and visited my sister in Munich. It was a great time alltogether, being able to drink German beer every day (and night).
However my point is, I wanted to buy a weekly or monthly property magazine or newspaper. I went to a number of Newsagencies in Munich. I couldn't find ONE!!! Just for your information - Munich is as big as Brisbane. That story pretty much highlights how mainstream property in Germany is! Propably as popular as German beer in Australia.
Now, you enjoy Group D - and I have a beer


Thursday, May 27, 2010

2010 Property World Cup - Group C

2 weeks to go till the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. My '2010 Property World Cup' has already started. The '2010 Property World Cup' shows you how much property you could buy in another country. I studied 32 countries/teams - the same teams competing at the FIFA World Cup.
This is based on an average Australian property price of $450,000. In other words, how many houses (on average) can you buy in another country for $450,000! I considered property rights which investors have in a country, as well as the economical risk/economical freedom in a particular country.

Overall, my study gives you a good idea how worthwhile it would be to consider an investment overseas. (Disclaimer: please don't take my blog as advice to make any investment decision)

Let's have a look at Group C, click the pic:



If you have missed out on Group A & B - they are available on the right hand side. For a more detailed explanation on how to read the tables, please see my post from the 18th of May 2010 or feel free to contact me.


Have an amazing weekend!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Group B - first surprises!

After last weeks start of the '2010 Property World Cup' I'm proud to present Group B today. I have to admit, last weeks Group A was pretty average. The four countries in Group A are relatively stable in comparison to many other countries on the planet.
Political and economical instability, corruption and an insufficient law system are to blame for many property investors to stay out of certain countries.

If you missed out on Group A, please see my previous post or go to the right, to the picture section of this blog.
Just as a reminder - all figures collected in the tables are based on research and give a good indication where a country stands on a global scale.

Have a look at Group B, click the pic:



If you need some instruction on how to read the table, please see the support section in my last blog!

Any other questions, please feel free to drop a line!!! Have a great week!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Property + Soccer = My “Property World Cup”

Welcome to the Property World Cup.

With the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup being just around the corner, I thought I present something special to YOU. The information I put together over the last couple of weeks is really cool, as well as informative, useful, surprising and FUN!

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll explain. From the 11th of June till the 12th of July is held the biggest sports event of the year in South Africa, the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. 32 national teams from around the globe compete against each other to win the trophy.
That’s pretty much the most important bit for you.


What is the “Property World Cup”?

I was interested how other countries from different continents, with different political systems and economical conditions would perform against Australia in regards to property (property prices, attractiveness for investors etc.)
I tried to put the information together as simple and visual as possible. The groups I will present over the next couple of weeks are the real groups, played in the World Cup.


Where did you get the information from?

Most of the information I got from a website,
called www.globalpropertyguide.com. The website gives you a great overview of each country’s property performance.

Now, let’s have look at the first group, Group A - click the pic!


A friend of mine lost a $50 bet on a TV football play. He lost another $50 on the instant replay. Haha :)


How do I read the table?

Short version:

- the more houses a country has got, the cheaper the average property price
- the more balls, points and mascots, the more attractive is it for foreigners


Extended version

The header of each column tells you what it is about.

- Team vs. Australia – the first team in the table is South Africa. The average price for a property in Australia is $450,000 (at the time of the research). The same amount can buy you on average 1.5 properties in South Africa. Which means, on average, properties in South Africa are cheaper by 33%. Please understand, this is just a guide and very general!!!

- Attractiveness for foreign Investors – 1 ball = don’t touch it!
5 balls = very attractive

- Long Term Investment rating – 1 Zakumi (mascot) = run away!
5 Zakumis = great

• Economic Freedom Rating - Scores are from 0 to 100, higher scores are more desirable i.e. more conducive to economic growth. The lower the score, the greater the level of government interference in the economy and the less economic freedom a country enjoys.
Free 80 - 100; Mostly Free 70 - 79.9; Moderately Free 60 - 69.9;
Mostly Unfree 50 to 59.9; and Repressed 0 - 49.9

• Property Rights Index - A subcomponent of the Index of Economic Freedom, the property rights index measures the degree to which a country’s laws protect private property rights, and the degree to which its government enforces those laws. Higher scores are more desirable, i.e. property rights are better protected. Scores are from 0 to 100. The index also assesses the likelihood that private property will be expropriated and analyzes the independence of the judiciary, the existence of corruption within the judiciary, and the ability of individuals and businesses to enforce contracts. I consider protection of property rights as a significant factor affecting the desirability of a residential real estate investment

I know how you're feeling now!?

I hope that helps. If some explanations need further clarification, please feel free to contact me!


So, did you like it? I can tell you already, this group is a pretty ordinary group. I promise, there are more surprises to come over the next four weeks! Don't go too far, otherwise you end up "off-site"!!! (it meant to be a joke)


And of course, the disclaimer: the information provided are not suitable to make any buying decisions.
If you have any questions or want more information in regards to property in Australia, please feel free to contact me on my mobile phone or via e-mail! I look forward to hear from you!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thunderstruck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a night! What a show - AC/DC in Brisbane! 45.000 fans - Sold Out! The 137th concert of this World Tour! My biggest compliment to Angus Young (the lead guitarist). This guy is turning 55 next month and has energy for 55 people!!! I'm sure he'll be on stage for the next 55 years! Pure energy and passion for the guitar! It didn't matter that the organizers were charging $6.00 for XXXX Gold (that's suppose to be beer)!
So, what does it have to do with property? I don't know! Maybe the message of today's blog is: If you provide extra-ordinary service, you can ask for extra-ordinary compensation!

My passion is investing in property and helping other people to invest in property too! Help other people to get what they want and you get what you want!

I know I want to see AC/DC again in 55 years! If you want to visit Empire Property Investors, please see the right column!

My gift to you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X80Qjh9Yivs

Friday, February 12, 2010

Special-Event Review

WOW! What a night! Empire Property Investors first Special-Event this year was a Mega-Success with 102 people booked and enjoyed a great seminar. The feedback we received after the event and today was above our expectations. THANK YOU to everyone attending last night! We had a mix of people from all kinds of professions, ages, nationalities and level of knowledge. Some of our valuable audience were very experienced already, some are just about to start building their portfolio. Whatever the level is, Empire Property Investors is eager to support everybody to achieve their financial goals! Because thats why we do this!!! BUT: No results without ACTION! For everyone intersted in our next event which will be very different, please see my announcement in the right column!

Have a wonderful weekend

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Brisbane is changing - and YOU?

Today's blog is just about our Special-Event at the Hilton Hotel on Thursday. The feedback has been overwhelming already with a lot of bookings and questions asked. If you are still undecided if this might be a worthwile seminar or not - do it!
You can only achieve your goals by gaining more knowledge or educating yourself. What is more convenient than going to a well-organized seminar, listening to experts, enjoying excellent food and maybe win a Mercedes-Benz for a weekend! Just for showing up!

The only think you may miss out on is "The biggest loser" on Channel 9 at 7.30pm, Thursday night!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bad News are Good News

A survey conducted by Citibank reveals that most Aussis love affair with property shows no signs of faltering.

74% believe now is a good time to invest in bricks and mortar (I agree)!
Shares and managed funds were the least popular with 50%

I am not surprised after all the drama over the last year. The group of people which suffers the most is without doubt the baby boomers generation. Personally, I have met quite a number of baby boomers. Numerous baby boomers are forced to continue working because they lost up to 40% of their Super! In one particular case a guy lost over $500K which is over 10 years of his retirement! By the way, he didn't have any investment property!
On the other side, many baby boomers did ok because they diversified their investments! Those are the ones which you can see playing golf 8 o'clock in the morning when you go to work!

What's the message of today's blog? If you are a Superfund Manager and you are thinking of changing jobs, please don't hesitate to contact me!!! :)

Have a successful week

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Kids are back to School - Investors back in the Market!

Rrrring, Rrrring! It's time to get up! NO, we can't sleep in this time! It's 8 o'clock already! The Property Clock is running fast!

For those who haven't heard of the 'property clock' yet:
3 o'clock means - declining market,
6 o'clock means - bottom of the market,
9 o'clock means - rising market and
12 o'clock means - boom

The latest data shows clearly that 'the recession we didn't have' (officially), didn't do much damage to the Australian residential property market at all! We recorded some dips in a few selected areas but far away from the figures recorded in overseas property markets!
What I found is that pretty much all experts predicting a strong year for the Australian residential property market.


There are a number of reasons, just a few could be:

1. Continuing population growth - the key factor!

2. Increasing investor confidence in the property market

3. Severe shortage of new properties being built to cope with our growing population

4. Still tight lending condition for developers - not enough new stock

5. Rising interest rates, which means rising cost for investor, which leads to rising rents, which makes investing in property more attractive

6. Overseas investors find Australia's property market attractive, easy to invest & secure


These are the most important reasons but not all of them!

Now, it's 8 o'clock, not 5 to 12! It's your ride!

Oh, I forgot to mention - Goodbye 'Scary Thursday'!


Have a spectacular weekend!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Funny Monday - Happy Australia Day!

Hi Followers, are you ready for Australia Day tomorrow? Unfortunately I won't be able to participate in any celebrations are parties this year! My diary says, that it's time to review my property portfolio. Being in a great mood tonight, I'd like to share my property portfolio with you! A few of them require some maintenance! Let's have a look:




I have to sell one property due to cashflow reasons! But I am not sure which one! Which one of those properties do YOU think I should sell?

Thanks for YOUR advice!

Bis Donnerstag

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

"Scary" Thursday

Last nights Wealth-Creation Workshop was a huge success (again)! Bottom line result of all those kind of events is always - YOU have to ACT! ACTION is the key word.
You can go to a thousand seminars and workshops and remain in the group which will never make it because they don't ACT! Unfortunately, this group makes 95% of the entire population. In other words 1 out of 20 will be financially independent - one day!!! 19 people out of the 20 have to live of a minimum pension, depending on friends or family or even worse - they have to continue working for survival!!!
SCARY??? YOU decide!! I don't think it's scary - not at all! We live in Australia, the second most popular country on earth, in terms of lifestyle, security, economical freedom! Imagine for a moment having to live in Sudan, Iraq, Haiti or Afghanistan! Yes, they don't have interest rate rises or increasing land taxes! You choose which bag you wanna carry - a Sudanese or Australian bag?

Have a great weekend

Hasta Lunes

Monday, January 18, 2010

"Cool" Funny Monday

What a day! Record-breaking high temperatures everywhere in South East Queensland.

Well, as we all know, everything on earth is in equilibrium. Where is good, there is bad! Where is a high, there must be a low! Where is hot, there is cold!

I thought it would be appropriate to present something "cool" to my followers! Yes, that's a blog about property!!! Let's have a look how my followers in the Northern Hemisphere making use of the extrem weather!





Pretty creative, isn't it? How are you feeling now? In balance again? Excellent!

OK, regardless of the weather - on Thursday I'll review the most important information of our Workshop the night before!

It is still possible to reserve a seat!

Feel the heat of the night :)

"Cool" Bananas

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Scary Thursday

I told you so! After our 'Funny Monday', we've got the 'Scary Thursday' today! It's like EVERYTHING in life - there are UPS and DOWNS! Really EVERYTHING???

What about property prices?

I found an article where Peter Boehm, a Real Estate expert, predicts the Australian median house price to reach $1 Million in ten years from now!!!

Is he right? Well, let's have look at some data, provided by Residex:


City________Oct 1999__Oct 2009___% Change___Compound Growth

Sydney______$315,000____$615,000______95%________6.9%
Melbourne___$199,000____$519,000_____160%_______10.0%
Brisbane_____$150,000____$459,000_____207%_______11.9%


Now, that is the past. Let's have a look what growth would we need before the median price hit $1 million?


City_______Oct 2009___Oct 2019___% Change___Compound Growth

Sydney_____$615,000___$1,000,000___62.6%_______5.0%
Melbourne__$519,000___$1,000,000___93.1%_______6.8%
Brisbane____$450,000___$1,000,000__117.8%_______8.1%

Scary? It's up to YOU! Do you want to be a tenant or investor?

It's an easy decision for me! It's actually FUNNY, not SCARY!
I look forward to Monday!!!

Enjoy the weekend! Give 100 percent!!!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Money Funday - Funny Monday

Hi guys, a new week has started - how exciting! At least for me! I know Monday is not the most favourite day for many people. I thought I give it a go and try to get a smile from YOU!

Here are a few lines I found pretty cool:

:) The dream of the older generation was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today's young families is to get one.

:) How much are they asking for your rent now? Oh, about twice a day.

:) I have a temporary mortgage. What do you mean temporary? Until they foreclose.

:) If you think no one cares you're alive, miss a couple of house payments.

:) If you want to know exactly where the property line is, just watch the neighbor cut the grass.

So, that's five smilies from here. Now it's your turn! Feel free to add a few more below!!!

My next blog is due on Thursday - with even funnier topics like rental yields, capital growth and other important facts to consider when you are investing in property. That should put a much bigger smile on your face if you do your homework and invest in the right property and be able to enjoy the rewards!

Life is FUN! Have a awesome week!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Investing?! Yes! No! - I am not sure! Rather not!

Have you ever been wondering, how the wealthy and successful people invest such large amounts of money (at least for the majority of people) in times of economical uncertainty and still appear cool and relaxed?

I'd like to share a funny story from the weekend when I called my sister and her partner in Germany. He works in commercial property around Europe, she doesn't. When we were talking about the property market and the great opportunities I can offer my clients here in Australia at the moment, he was very interested. He saw the potential and understood how and why the Australian property market is different to the rest of the world. On the other hand my sister - I believe she was building up the "Berlin Wall" again! She was fearful and didn't know! Nothing against my sister - it's only human!

Why do I share this to you and what does it have to do with the wealthy and successful people (self-made ones)?

Well, they understand what it takes to get up to the top! So, how can YOU and I get up there too? I believe I know the answer: Investing, in ourself!
For example, we offer our clients, or anyone who has the desire to invest, great opportunities to become more competent and confident in the world of investing! This is the starting point! It starts with investing in ourself!
If you wish to join one of our events, we are more than happy to welcome you!

Monday, January 4, 2010

SURPRISE?! No, not really!

I’ve got some easy figures for you:

I found some interesting data, released by RP Data:
Brisbane recorded a median growth at 6.9 per cent for the first 11 months of 2009 with a median of $426,750.

According to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland

Brisbane's cheapest suburbs for the year 2009

1. Inala with a median price of $290,000
2. Acacia Ridge with a median price of $327,000
3. Durack with a median price of $332,000

Brisbane’s most expensive suburbs were

1. Hamilton with a median price of $1.19 million
2. Ascot with a median price of $932,000
3. Pullenvale with a median price of $932,000

The Gold Coast remains home to the southeast's most expensive suburbs with

1. Sovereign Island with a median price of $2.4 million
2. Hope Island with a median price of $1.235 million
3. Surfers Paradise with a median price of $1.3 million

What does it mean for the astute property investor?

Well, Brisbane is still behind Sydney and Melbourne, hence Brisbane offers some great investment opportunities for everyone!

Don’t miss the boat this time! Stay up to date with my blog!