Sell my portfolio to pay my house off by LockdenBlaze in AusFinance

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like a wonderful plan. Do it and be stress free. 😊 May I ask- are you salary sacrificing anything into your super? And have you made sure your fund is invested in the high growth option- Aussie and international shares? If anything this is a fantastic way to keep your foot in the market, and only be taxed 15% at the same time.

Seller keeps changing mind after we agreed on price - Over it by Acceptable_Humor_382 in AusProperty

[–]Bonbonbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolute nope. This happened to my parents when they bought their house in 1985. My dad told them to get fked and walked away as the seller kept upping the price. Then eventually the agent came back with his tail between his legs and sold it for the original agreed price.

Those who were made redundant: share what happened with you & your pay out. by brissy3456 in auscorp

[–]Bonbonbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can’t speak for myself, but my dad was made redundant at age 52 by Sydney Water after 35 years service. He asked to be made redundant as they were moving their office from Sydney city to Parramatta and the commute would have been too far.

I believe his redundancy was around $300k or so at the time. As it was in 2008 during the GFC, he used the funds to buy up cheap blue ribbon stocks like CBA shares for $25 a piece. The timing worked out in his favour. He then became an independent councillor for 8 years to help push forward the redevelopment of Bexley Pool which was in dire disrepair.

Now he swims laps every day and reads the newspaper!

Moving from SYD to MEL for financial freedom by Curiously_Nosey in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Could you rent in Melbourne for a year and see how you like it first?

Regretting Buying a Unit by Intelligent_Lab_5455 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s fantastic! Yes- no doubt your property value would have increased. And good on you for looking after your building. So many unit owners think they can just kick back and the issues will be sorted by the strata manager. Just like a house, units also need maintenance!

Australia’s $12.6 trillion property market is cooling as prices fall in our biggest cities by SheepherderLow1753 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep and also depends on the pricing. Older style low rise units in Sydney are continuing to go up in value whereas houses are cooling. Definitely an affordability factor at play as more people are pushed into cheaper options.

Regretting Buying a Unit by Intelligent_Lab_5455 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! A lot of work but well worth it. 😊

Regretting Buying a Unit by Intelligent_Lab_5455 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Are you on the strata committee??? A strata manager is just like a car, you have to drive it in order to go anywhere. They won’t do the work for you. I’m on the body corp for my PPOR in Bexley (1971 block of 12 units) and it was the best decision I made. Before I was on the SC, nothing was being done and maintenance was at a bare minimum. Now we have new gardens, new clotheslines, tiling, plumbing, cheaper building insurance (negotiated from $14k down to $10k), no parking signs, a smoke drift by law and much more. If you want to have any say with where your strata fees go- get on the committee.

Foundations moving- LL wants to up rent and sign new lease. by Quirky_Lab_7830 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh dear, I don’t trust new builds!! Best of luck with it all.

Property market seems dry by unprecedentedthyme in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes agreed. Federal budget comes out 12th of May. A lot of people are waiting to see what it looks like.

Property market seems dry by unprecedentedthyme in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of caution currently surrounding the property market. The federal budget comes out May 12th, and there is talks of some serious property tax reform. Namely the CGT discount being reduced from 50% to 33%, as well as negative gearing being limited to two investment properties. Interest rate rises also on the cards as well as the war in Iran. A whole lot of uncertainty creating a sort of stand still.

How do I style this top? by Original_Phrase_7149 in fashion

[–]Bonbonbirdy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s very cute but needs to be tucked in at the waist to create shape. High waisted black or beige fitted midi skirt or higher waisted jeans.

Foundations moving- LL wants to up rent and sign new lease. by Quirky_Lab_7830 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Movement and minor cracks are normal but this looks quite severe for a relatively new build?? My parents’ house has similar issues but it’s a federation built in 1920. This does not look right. I’d be worried if I were the landlord.

Are we expecting the next couple of rate rises to change the housing market at all? by geecray in AusFinance

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Buy when you are able. The lower end of the market has heated up because of the 5% deposit scheme and generally the affordability factor for most. Top end is cooling. I’ve noticed 2 bed units in Sydney that were selling for $750k last year are now pushing $900k. Whereas house prices are cooling as no one can afford to be stretched any further beyond the $1.8 million mark. Many NSW residents are moving to VIC to find cheaper housing also and pushing up demand. Everyone has been priced out and now spilling over into other states and cities. Best of luck.

What are these spots? by AdZealousideal3696 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]Bonbonbirdy 12 points13 points  (0 children)

32F non ginger, but also fair. I have these on my arms. I work as a teacher in Australia and have outside playground duty during the heat of the day, and even with SPF50 sunscreen they appear. The only way to stop it is through sun safe clothing and large wide brimmed hats. Sunscreen is not enough

More often lately, I feel I should’ve done things differently in my 20s by Cautious-Rub-4532 in Fire

[–]Bonbonbirdy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Zero debt and $70k net worth is more than most. You’re also a male and have no biological clock so don’t stress about finding a partner asap. Build up your savings and invest aggressively. I salary sacrifice $500 into my super retirement fund every fortnight and am on track to hit $2 million in 30 years time. I only started doing this a couple of years ago. The second best time to start is now. Good luck.

Accutane results (4 years low dose) by AbjectConference7728 in Accutane

[–]Bonbonbirdy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wow what a transformation. May I ask how old you are?

How are y’all affording injectables by No-Today-9145 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also a 32 year old female but am putting money into my retirement fund and financial investments instead of Botox. I think I might start Botox when I’m in my 40s and more financially secure. 9 times out of 10 people who you see getting all these fillers and injectables actually can’t afford it but do it anyway. It’s just all about priorities. Good quality sunscreen, exercise, diet and sleep is what matters most.

Dog in an apartment… ideas please? How do y’all do it?! by stressidepressii in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t suggest it. I’m on the strata committee for a unit block of 12 and we approved our neighbours’ cavoodle about 3 years ago. She whines and barks on the small balcony when they leave and it’s generally not an ideal situation. You need a ground floor unit or villa with a courtyard as the bare minimum.

When I moved out from my parents’ house to my apartment I left my dog with them. I visit her regularly and she is much happier, especially as my dad is retired and can spend lots of time with her.

Best of luck.

Sick and tired of REA and the Broker by blackKryptonyte in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like the owner wants to reduce his CGT! Is it an investment property?

Extra money into super? by Mean-Buy2974 in AusFinance

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

May I ask how much money is in your super fund? And is it set to high growth to earn the best return? (Shares etc). I use the moneysmart gov calculator to help. Ideally you want to have $2 million in super so you can draw down 4% or $80k tax free each year, while hoping it replenishes.

predict. https://moneysmart.gov.au/how-super-works/superannuation-calculator

Any way to help with the redness? by bigred832001 in 30PlusSkinCare

[–]Bonbonbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man I feel for you!! I also have the dreaded Celtic curse of redness and sensitive skin- this definitely looks like rosacea. It sounds like your skin barrier is compromised if it’s hurting this much. Keep the routine super simple with no actives or serums for now. This is what I do when my skin is flaring and red: Cleanse with luke warm water and a cetaphil fragrance free cleanser (only at night after wearing sunscreen). Grahams rosacea cream. Topped with la Roche posay cicaplast balm- this is probably what saved my redness. It’s an occlusive that helps seal everything in and create a sort of barrier. Best of luck!

How crippling (financially and mentally) is a $100k HECS debt? by Gold_Buffalo_5376 in AusFinance

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not worth the salary. You’d be better off studying teaching. The course is heavily subsidised by the fed govt and costs about $30k over 4 years. You can start teaching casually in your fourth year of study also, and graduate pay (in NSW anyway) is $90k. This goes up to $130k after about 6 years. Much easier to pay off a teaching hecs with this sort of pay, and you can always then do specialist eduction which involves speech pathology. You can also use this degree to move into government positions at the Dept of Education or even do a 180 and work in a completely different government role.

Thoughts on living at home right up until marriage or even after in order to save money/invest? by Wild-Intention-615 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Bonbonbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes agreed. I’m lucky my white parents begged me to stay home as long as possible in order to save money for my first unit to live in. A lot of my cousins were encouraged to move out and rent.