Urbantech Group

Make 2012 count!

2012-01-30T13:41:00.000+10:30

It's a new year so make it count...

Did you have a great Christmas break!

If you’re anything like me you probably spent some time reflecting on the year that was.

And perhaps you even made some new year’s resolutions…

But did you know most new year’s resolutions are abandoned before Australia Day!

Unfortunately whilst people have different intentions they fail to change their actions! You see your body and mind love routine and while it can be easy to conjure up grand plans for 2012, it’s even easier to slot right back into the ‘groove’ once your normal routine starts up again.

Lets face it, for change to occur you need different thoughts, different behaviour and ultimately different action!

That being said what is it you would like to achieve financially this year;

Do you want to finally get rid of your bad debts such as credit cards & personal loans?
Do you want to lower your monthly mortgage repayments ie. see if you can get a better rate/deal on your home loan?
Do you want to buy your first home or investment property?
Do you want to sell a property and make sure you get the best price?
Do you want to renovate your house or upgrade to a new home?
Do you want to look at other investment opportunities including commercial property?
Do you want to update your car? Or buy a boat or caravan?
Do you want to ensure you have the right insurances in place for total piece of mind?
Do you want to achieve a better than average return on your superannuation?
Do you want to set up a self managed super fund so you can control how and where your super money is being invested?
Do you want to make sure you are financially prepared for retirement?
Do you want to set up an automatic savings plan so you can go on a nice holiday at the end of year?
Do you want to learn how to buy multiple investment properties or develop/subdivide property for profit?
Do you want to raise capital so you can grow your business or even start up a new business venture?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above you owe it to yourself to do something about it!

Ultimately we all want to make more money, and then make sure we keep it - call it wealth creation and wealth protection! Basically your goal is to decrease your expenses and grow your income and appreciating assets.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Well almost - it takes a bit of effort.

Imagine if you could get a better rate on your loans, pay down your high interest consumer debts [credit cards, personal loans], get a better return on your investments [both property and superannuation], reduce your insurance premiums [while getting the same or better cover], and set up an automatic savings plan so you’ll always have a few dollars to spend and enjoy each year?

1 + 1 = 3… huh you say? Well, improve one aspect of your finances and you’re ahead… improve all areas and the result will be exponential!

Ok what to do? …just get in contact with us and we’ll help you develop a customised, effective and achievable plan of attack for 2012.

Take action now - simply reply to this email or complete our online form to request our assistance.

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for December...

2011-12-06T15:44:00.000+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate by .25% to 4.25 per cent.

Statement by Glenn Stevens: Growth in the global economy has moderated this year after a strong performance in 2010. Some of the slowing reflected temporary factors, and as these passed, the pace of expansion in the United States and much of Asia began to pick up around mid year. China's growth has been slowing, as policymakers there had intended. Trade in Asia is now, however, seeing some effects of a significant slowing in economic activity in Europe.

The sovereign credit and banking problems in Europe, to which European governments are still seeking to craft a full response, are likely to weigh on economic activity there over the period ahead. Financial markets have experienced considerable turbulence, and financing conditions have become much more difficult, especially in Europe. This, together with precautionary behaviour by firms and households, means that the likelihood of a further material slowing in global growth has increased. Commodity prices have reflected this, declining further over recent months and taking pressure off CPI inflation rates. This has increased the scope for some easing in monetary policy in a number of countries.

Information about the Australian economy suggests output growth has been close to trend, with demand growth stronger than that. The terms of trade have now peaked and will decline somewhat in the near term, but they remain very high. In response, investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly, with much more to come. Some related service sectors are enjoying better-than-average conditions. In other sectors, changed behaviour by households and the high exchange rate have had a noticeable dampening effect. The unemployment rate has increased a little since mid year, though it remains close to 5 per cent.

CPI inflation on a year-ended basis remained above the target at the latest reading, due to the effects of weather events last summer, but is now starting to decline as production of key crops recovers. Moreover, with labour market conditions now softer, the likelihood of a significant acceleration in labour costs outside the resources and related sectors in the near term has lessened. Accordingly, the Bank's current judgement is that inflation is likely to be consistent with the 2–3 per cent target in 2012 and 2013, abstracting from the impact of the carbon pricing scheme.

The reduction in the cash rate as a result of the Board's previous decision flowed through to lending rates, which are now around their average level of the past 15 years. Short-term market interest rates have tended to decline a little further in recent weeks, though term funding conditions for financial institutions have become more difficult. Credit growth remains subdued and asset prices have declined further over recent months. The exchange rate has been quite variable over the past few months, but remains at an historically high level.

Overall, the Board concluded, on the basis of all the available information, that the inflation outlook afforded scope for a modest reduction in the cash rate. The Board will continue to set policy as needed to foster sustainable growth and low inflation over time.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Are things about to pick up in the property market?...

2011-11-29T13:08:00.000+10:30

Before we dive into things this month I just want to highlight a couple of great offers available at the moment; the first is a variable loan with an interest rate of 6.45%, the other is a 3 years fixed rate loan at only 5.99%.

Competition is still high and lenders are regularly coming out with new interest rate specials as well as other incentives. If you would like to know whether you could get a better deal on your loans please don’t hesitate to contact us. Remember we’ll do all the work for you and it won’t cost you anything.

Variable rates recently dropped thanks to the November rate cute by the Reserve Bank of Australia however new research has found it wasn’t enough to drag potential home buyers back to the market.

The CBA/MFAA Home Finance Index for September found the ratio of respondents planning to buy property in the next 12 months had fallen to only 16.9 per cent, down from 21.6 per cent in January 2011.

However, pessimism about property markets - due to fear about debt and the state of the economy - is matched somewhat by positive factors: with a 25% of home owners putting away nearly a quarter of their take home earnings, up from 21.8 per cent in January 2011.

Mortgage stress is also down. Those struggling to meet repayments have decreased from 25.7 per cent in May to 17.5 per cent in September. Unfortunately buyer reluctance is reflected in current price expectations, with 46.4 per cent of people predicting lower house prices next quarter, more than double the 20.9 per cent recorded nine months ago.

Overall consumers are pulling back from buying property however they are behaving in a way that will put them in a strong position to act when confidence returned. With a recent interest rate cut, high savings and low mortgage stress, prospective home buyers are in a relatively good place financially.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Renovation Seminar - $25-50K profit, you only need a spare 70 hrs...

2011-11-14T14:20:00.001+10:30

*LAST SEMINAR FOR 2011...

We've educated over 500 people on how to safely make short term profits renovating property in any type of real estate market.

This no BS 2-hour content-packed seminar will teach you how to make quick profits in today's flat real estate market performing 'cosmetic only' renovations!

How does $50k in less than 3 months sound... it's our '70-Hour Renovation System' at work!

As always our sessions are capped at ~15-20 people so get in early if you wish to come along. [Note: there are only 8 seats left]

Book your place here; http://www.re-innovate.com.au/seminar
[includes all details of event]

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks

Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for November...

2011-11-01T15:15:00.000+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate to 4.50 per cent.

Statement by Glenn Stevens: Recent information is consistent with a moderation in the pace of global growth, though fears of a major downturn have not been borne out so far. The pace of US economic expansion picked up in the September quarter, but is still only moderate and leaves considerable spare capacity. China's growth has slowed, as policymakers there had intended. Output in Asia has now recovered from the effects of the Japanese earthquake, and domestic demand in the region is generally expanding. Trade performance, however, is starting to see some effects of a significant slowing in economic activity in Europe, where the prospects are for economic weakness to continue. Commodity prices, while still at high levels, have generally declined over recent months.

Financial markets have recovered somewhat from the turmoil of recent months, helped by stronger economic data in the United States and by signs that European governments are making progress in their efforts to deal with the sovereign debt and banking problems.

Equity markets have gained ground and the Australian dollar has risen significantly as risk aversion has lessened. But it is likely to be some time yet before concerns about the European situation can definitively be laid to rest and the effects of the recent turmoil on confidence may result in a period of precautionary behaviour by firms and households.

Information about the Australian economy suggests moderate growth overall. The terms of trade have now peaked and will decline somewhat in the near term, but they remain very high. In response, investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly, with much more to come. Some related service sectors are enjoying better-than-average conditions. In other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the high exchange rate have had a noticeable dampening effect. The unemployment rate has increased a little over recent months, though it remains close to 5 per cent.

After underlying inflation started to pick up in the first half of the year, recent information suggests the subdued demand conditions and the high exchange rate have contained inflation more recently, notwithstanding continuing sizeable increases in utilities charges. CPI inflation on a year-ended basis remains above the target, due to the effects of weather events last summer, but is now starting to decline as production of key crops recovers. Moreover, with labour market conditions now softer, the likelihood of a significant acceleration in labour costs outside the resources and related sectors in the near term has lessened. Accordingly, the Bank's current judgement is that inflation is likely to be consistent with the 2–3 per cent target in 2012 and 2013, abstracting from the impact of the carbon pricing scheme.

Financial conditions have been easing somewhat recently, with market interest rates declining a little and competition to lend increasing. But overall conditions have remained tighter than normal, with borrowing rates still a little higher than average, credit growth subdued and asset prices lower than earlier in the year. The exchange rate has been very variable over the past few months, but on the whole has remained at historically high levels.

Over the past year, the Board has maintained a mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy, in view of its concerns about inflation. With overall growth moderate, inflation now likely to be close to target and confidence subdued outside the resources sector, the Board concluded that a more neutral stance of monetary policy would now be consistent with achieving sustainable growth and 2–3 per cent inflation over time.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Fixed rates now from 6.03%...

2011-10-31T12:30:00.000+10:30

Continuing with our financial 'spring clean' initiative we have another exciting update for you...

One of our lenders has just slashed their fixed rates;

Fixed Rate Period	Fixed Rates
1 Year Fixed Rate	6.04%
2 Year Fixed Rate	6.03%
3 Year Fixed Rate	6.11%

Depending on your situation it could be a great time to look at fixing a portion of your home or investment loans.

Here's what you can do...Get us to professionally assess your situation and uncover what options you have available. In most cases you can expect to achieve one of these outcomes;

1. No Change - we find that you have the best possible rate and loan structure for your financial situation and suggest you keep things as the are;

2. Switch & Save!- we find you a significantly better deal/structure and help you to save thousands of dollars!

The current level of lender competition is unprecedented and won’t last forever - so take action and call us on 08 8451 1500 or simply reply to this email to request our assistance.

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

You can't lose with property right?...

2011-10-27T14:54:00.001+10:30

I know we’ve been going on about the ‘lending war’ quite a bit [ie. banks cutting variable rates to 6.75% & 3yr fixed rates from 6.29%] so we thought we’d turn our attention to the Adelaide property market this month.

Let’s not beat around the bush, the property market is depressed at the moment. But aren’t those real estate agents doing a good job of remaining upbeat [the glass is half full - repeat 3 x] - heard any of these; "it’s just a pause in the market" or "we’re experiencing a soft landing that’s all" or "it’s the media's fault, they're focusing on all the negatives"

But the numbers don’t lie - according to research house RPData the total value of dwelling transactions for 2010/11 have seen their largest annual fall in more than a decade. RP Data analyst Cameron Kusher said the drop in value shows a strong correlation with a decline in the volume of transactions, and indicate low levels of activity in the housing market.

Auction clearance rates are down and so is the number of people choosing to sell by auction. Been to an auction lately? - it’s not pretty, you can only imagine how gutted vendors feel as they watch their beloved property being passed in without a single bid.

If you get out there and speak to a few honest agents you’ll find the vast majority will admit that things aren’t great. They’ll tell you inspection numbers are down - if they get 3-4 people through the doors that’s a great day, because it’s not that uncommon to stand around at an open and have no one turn up.

Of course properties are still selling but the data shows that the vast majority are sitting on the market for considerably longer. For example, 12 months ago a 3 bedroom townhouse around the corner from where I live sold for $715K which I didn't think was a great price at the time. A few months later a comparable townhouse [a few streets away] hit the market at $715K - some 6+ months later the vendors had to accept a price in the low to mid $600k’s.

Being in the finance game we see transactions all the time and vendor discounting like this is rife - lately we’ve seen several real examples of people who bought in the last few years taking a hit of $100-200K just in order to get a sale.

By the way we're actually very much pro-property [hope you weren’t getting the wrong impression] but in order to do well your strategy needs to adjust to match the market conditions. So in a slow depressed market it is probably not a great idea to borrow to the hilt and buy a negatively geared property [one that will cost you money each week] on the proviso that you’ll make a heap of money through capital growth.

Personally in a market like this if you are going to be a passive investor I feel you have to focus on cashflow - that is buy a property that will put money in your pocket each week. These sorts of properties do exist but having just come off the back of a huge property boom rentals are lagging a bit so the challenge now is finding these types of deals.

Alternatively, if you want to be more of an active investor you can still make solid short term gains and profits if you know how to add value to property. Our resident renovation expert Andrew is living proof of this - he’s still successfully buying, renovating and selling property for profits in this market! You’ll know by now that Andrew has showing people what he does through a series of seminars this year - next Wednesday Nov 2nd is likely to be his last for 2011 so if your interested go over to www.re-innovate.com.au/seminar and register your place.

Finally, the word is rates will be cut by 0.25% at the next RBA board meeting on Tuesday. As always we’ll let you know the outcome minutes after it is announced.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Are you paying the best possible rate?...

2011-10-20T14:11:00.000+10:30

There's no doubting we're in the midst of a lending war and all the major players are doing whatever it takes to win more business, including heavily discounting their interest rates and fees.

Continuing with our 'spring clean' initiative we thought it would be useful to take a look at how these popular lenders compare on interest rate at the moment...

Lender	LVR < 75%	LVR > 75%	Ongoing Fees
FASTLend [broker only product]	6.75%	6.85%	$330/yr
ANZ - Breakfree Package	6.90%	6.95%	$375/yr
CBA - Wealth Package	6.91%	6.96%	$350/yr
NAB/Homeside	6.85%	6.95%	$120/yr
Westpac - Premier Advantage	7.16%	7.16%	$395/yr

[Source: individual lender website and communications as at October 2011]

Keep in mind your bank will not call you to discuss switching you to a cheaper rate with them, let alone tell you about a competitor who is offering a better deal.

If you need proof your bank doesn't have your best interests at heart click here to read a recent eye-opening story on the hard sell tactics of the big banks [as featured in AdelaideNow.com.au]

What you need to do...Get us to professionally assess your situation and uncover what options you have available. In most cases you can expect to achieve one of two outcomes;

1. Change Nothing - we find that you're currently on the best possible deal for your financial situation and suggest you keep things as the are;

2. Switch & Save!- we find you a significantly better deal and help you to save thousands of dollars!

The current level of lender competition is unprecedented and won’t last forever - so take action and call us on 08 8451 1500 or simply reply to this email to request our assistance.

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

If you want to make money in property don't renovate like The Renovators...

2011-10-07T14:13:00.000+10:30

Great show but not great results [tune in for the upcoming finale and you will see what I mean] - if you want to learn how to renovate and make profit every time then keep reading...

Our 2-hour content-packed seminar will teach you how to make quick profits in today's flat real estate market performing 'cosmetic only' renovations!

How does $60k in less than 3 months sound... it's all thanks to the '70-Hour Renovation System'!

We've now educated over 500 people on how to safely make short term profits renovating property in any type of real estate market. Best of all we can proudly say that our students have made hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits following the simple strategies we teach.

In fact, the demand for our seminars has never been greater. The good news is we're hosting another seminar next Wednesday.

As always our sessions are capped at ~15-20 people so get in early if you wish to come along. [Note: As of today there are only 11 seats left]

For all details and to register click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for October...

2011-10-04T14:17:00.000+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

Statement by Glenn Stevens: Conditions in global financial markets have continued to be very unsettled, with uncertainty increasing about both the prospects for resolution of the sovereign debt and banking problems in Europe, and the outlook for global economic growth. While temporary impediments that had contributed to a slowing in growth in some countries over recent months are lessening, recent data suggest a continuing period of soft economic conditions in both Europe and the United States. Moreover, the uncertainty and financial volatility have reduced confidence, which could result in more cautious behaviour by firms and households in major countries.

It will take more time for evidence of any effects of the recent European and US financial turbulence on economic activity in other regions to emerge. Thus far, indications are that economic activity is continuing to expand in China and most of Asia. Nonetheless, recent events have led forecasters to reduce their estimates for global GDP growth, which is now expected to be about average this year and next. Prices for commodities have declined over recent weeks, though in general they remain high.

Australia's terms of trade are very high, which has increased national income considerably. Investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly and some related service sectors are enjoying better than average conditions. In other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the earlier rise in the exchange rate have had a noticeable dampening effect. The impetus from earlier Australian Government spending programs is now also abating, as had been intended. While there remain good reasons to expect solid growth over the medium term, the indications are that the pace of near-term growth is unlikely to be as strong as earlier expected, due both to local and global factors, including the financial turmoil and related effects on business confidence.

Underlying inflation stopped falling and began to increase earlier this year. The Board has been concerned about the prospect of a further pick-up over the period ahead, but over recent months has been weighing the question of whether a period of weaker than expected conditions would contain that pick-up in inflation. Recently revised data show a pick-up to date in the underlying pace of price rises that was less sharp than initially indicated. Moreover, with labour market conditions now a little softer and households more concerned about the possibility of unemployment rising, the likelihood of a significant acceleration in labour costs outside the resources and related sectors is lessening.

Taking into account all the recent information, the path for inflation may now be more consistent with the 2–3 per cent target in 2012 and 2013, abstracting from the impact of the carbon pricing scheme. This assessment will be reviewed on receipt of further data on prices ahead of the Board's next meeting. An improved inflation outlook would increase the scope for monetary policy to provide some support to demand, should that prove necessary.

The Board noted that financial conditions have been easing somewhat, with interest rates for some housing and business loans declining slightly due to increased competition and the fall in some funding costs in financial markets. The exchange rate has also declined from the very high levels of a few months ago. Credit growth remains low, however, and asset prices have declined.

At today's meeting the Board judged the current cash rate remained appropriate. As always, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Why they want you so bad!...

2011-09-16T16:28:00.000+09:30

There’s a battle going on out their in the finance world and it’s you they are after!

This week the Commonwealth Bank vowed to beat the home loan rates of its rival majors for the duration of the month. The bank has issued a guarantee that it will beat any advertised rate from competitors Westpac, NAB and ANZ.
[note: this offer excludes the major banks subsidiaries like BankSA and non-banks, which have some of the rates in the market]

This is not a gimmick, it’s real competition in action - the likes of which hasn’t been seen for some years!

Lenders are acting with almost a level of desperation - slashing rates, offering huge discounts, giving cash incentives and even increasing LVRs on loans.

Doesn’t it feel good to be wanted! Depending on your circumstances you can currently get variable rates from as low as 6.75% and 3 year fixed rates from 6.39%.

So what’s caused this perfect storm? There are two main factors at play - firstly, the property market has all but ground to a halt causing a substantial decrease in the number of transactions/sales and therefore a big reduction in new lending demand.

Secondly, thanks to the GFC people have switched from a consumption and spending mindset to a saving mindset. ‘The party is over’ so to speak and these days more people are focusing on spending less and paying down their loans.

This leaves only one option for the banks - increase their market share from the pool of existing loans. That is try and get you to move your current loans over to them from your existing lender by refinancing.

The take home message here is you have a real opportunity to save some money and you owe it to yourself to explore what's on offer to see if you can get a better deal!

We are currently helping many clients to save money and most agree it is a great time to refinance and/or look at fixing all or part of your loans.

If you’re not sure whether you are on the best deal it’s simple, just give us a call. And if you’ve just come out of a fixed rate loan or your existing loans are more than 12 months old then you definitely need to contact us.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The Renovators - bigger doesn't always mean better...

2011-09-13T11:31:00.000+09:30

What do you think of The Renovators... it’s certainly grown on me. I find it entertaining and dare I say a little educational with those ‘master classes’ - although I don’t know that I’ll be making my own outdoor concrete bath any time soon!

But at least there’s less crying compared with the other reality shows [although SA's Jason Jurecky gave us a nice ‘ugly cry’ the other week in the elimination challenge]

Anyway more importantly what do you think about the actual renovations?

They’re all big projects aren’t they - we’re talking about extensive renovations that require a lot of planning, money, time, effort and skilled labour to complete.

In fact, some of the ‘renovations’ are so extensive I think they should be classified more as developments.

Free Seminar - Learn how to renovate in 4-6 weeks and make up to $50k in profits; http://www.re-innovate.com.au/seminar

Even the contestants, with all their renovation and trade experience are finding it hard going!

The thing is most people equate big projects with big profits. While I don’t disagree it is more of a question of risk vs reward.

And personally I feel the larger projects are too risky for most people - they take much longer; often require council approval; need you to coordinate more trades; take up a lot more of your time; and in most cases cause you way too much stress!

I actually think my friend Andrew has got a better model...

He simply buys the cheapest properties [usually units and townhouses] in the best areas, completely renovates [cosmetic only] them in 4-6 weeks and puts them back on the market for sale.

Best of all he is in and out in the same market conditions and each deal only takes around 70 hours project management time - for a return of between $25K-50K in clear profit.

Who would have thought that smaller could be better. But it can be - in fact, you can make the same if not more money with a lot less risk and worry!

The great news is Andrew has distilled all his knowledge down into a simple to learn system - he calls it the ’70-hour Renovation System’ and is teaching other people how to do it.

He’s also giving people access to his team of tradespeople - the rare kind of tradespeople that actually show up, get the work done quickly and don’t rip you off.

Even better is Andrew’s list of suppliers - you’ll get access to Andrew’s wholesale prices on all the high ticket items [like kitchens and appliances] you'll need to complete your renovations. This alone should save you around $5,000 per project!

To find out more you will need to come to his seminar next Wednesday. Register here; http://www.re-innovate.com.au/seminar

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

You could save $$ but only if you ‘Spring’ into action...

2011-09-13T11:26:00.000+09:30

All puns aside you currently have an opportunity to get a better deal on your home/investment loans!

We're in the midst of a lending war and all the major players are doing whatever it takes to win more business, including heavily discounting their interest rates and fees.

Why are they doing this? The simple answer is lending money is very profitable and with the property market stalling lenders have begun focusing their attention on 'enticing' customers away from their competition. This is great news for anyone with a mortgage!

Here’s a couple of deals currently available;

Product	Interest Rate
Variable Rate Loan	6.75% [includes $0 ongoing fees]
3 Year Fixed Rate Loan	6.39% [includes $0 ongoing fees]

[Note: interest rates are always dependant on your loan size and financial circumstances]

But don't be complacent - let's face it your bank will not call you to discuss putting you on a cheaper interest rate. And they certainly won't give you the option of moving your business to a competitor who has a better deal.
It’s crazy but they would rather reward ['buy'] new customers than support their loyal existing customers!

Here's what you need to do;Get us to professionally assess your situation and uncover what options you have available. In most cases you can expect to achieve one of two outcomes;

1. Change Nothing - we find that you're currently on the best possible deal for your financial situation and suggest you keep things as the are;

2. Switch & Save!- after putting the hard word on our panel of lenders and playing them off against each other we find you a significantly better deal and help you to save thousands of dollars!

The current level of lender competition is unprecedented and won’t last forever so take action and call us on 08 8451 1500 or simply reply to this email to request our assistance.

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

AFL Footy Tipping 2011 - The winner is...

2011-09-07T11:27:00.000+09:30

AFL Footy Tipping 2011 has finished so it’s time to announce our winner!

Congratulations to DFlo!!

Once DFlo grabbed the lead early on in the season he never let it go finishing the season 5 points above his nearest rival, with a very impressive total of 149!

As the winner of the Urbantech Group Footy Tipping Comp you’ve won; 2x Event Cinemas Gold Class Passes plus a $50 Bar Voucher. [Plus you get bragging rights for the next 12 months!]

A special mention also to Burf who finished in second place and LT who finished third.

[Note: if you like you can continue to tip throughout the finals]

Until season 2012…

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for September...

2011-09-06T14:26:00.000+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

Conditions in global financial markets have been very unsettled over recent weeks, as participants have confronted uncertainty about both the resolution of sovereign debt problems and the prospects for economic growth in Europe and the United States. As a result, the outlook for the global economy is less clear than it was earlier in the year. Some temporary impediments that had contributed to a slowing in growth in some countries over recent months, such as the supply-chain disruptions from the Japanese earthquake and the dampening effects of rising commodity prices, are lessening. But the uncertainty and financial volatility is reducing confidence and may result in more cautious behaviour by firms and households in major countries. A number of forecasters have scaled back their global growth estimates over the past couple of months.

At this stage, little evidence is available to gauge any effects of the European and US problems on other regions. Prices for key Australian commodities have remained very high thus far, with growth in China continuing to look solid. As a result, Australia's terms of trade are now at very high levels and national income has been growing strongly. Investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly and some related service sectors are enjoying better than average conditions. In other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the high level of the exchange rate are having a noticeable dampening effect. The impetus from earlier Australian Government spending programs is now also abating, as had been intended. Overall, the near-term growth outlook continues to look somewhat weaker than was expected a few months ago. Beyond the near term, growth is still likely to be at trend or higher, unless the world economic outlook continues to deteriorate.

Growth in employment has been moderate this year and the unemployment rate has been little changed, near 5 per cent, for some time now. Reports of skills shortages remain confined to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn, though productivity growth has been weak.

Year-ended CPI inflation should start to decline towards the end of the year, as temporary weather-related effects reverse. But measures of underlying inflation have been increasing this year, after declining for the previous two years. While they have, to date, remained consistent with the 2–3 per cent target on a year-ended basis, the Board remains concerned about the medium-term outlook for inflation. A key question will be the extent to which softer global and domestic growth will work, in due course, to contain inflation.

Most financial indicators suggest that monetary policy has been exerting a degree of restraint. Credit growth has declined over recent months and is very subdued by historical standards, even with evidence of greater willingness to lend. Most asset prices, including housing prices, have also softened. The exchange rate is high. Each of these variables is affected by other factors as well, but together they point to financial conditions being tighter than normal.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that it was prudent to maintain the current stance of monetary policy. In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Anyone can do this and make money...

2011-08-25T16:06:00.000+09:30

Do you watch The Block or The Renovators?... Want to learn how to do it right every time. We've now educated over 500 people on how to safely make short term profits renovating property in any type of real estate market. Best of all we can proudly say that our students have made $100's of thousands of dollars in profits following the simple strategies we teach.

In fact, the demand for our seminars has never been greater. The good news is Andrew has agreed to do another round of seminars for our clients, starting next Wednesday!

As always our sessions are capped at ~15-20 people so get in early if you wish to come along. [Note: As of today there are only 7 seats left]

For all details click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The Block - what went wrong?...

2011-08-22T22:07:00.001+09:30

Did you watch The Block last night?

I made it home after our renovation workshop just in time to see the final two auctions… and what a disaster!!

3 of the 4 properties failed to sell under the hammer leaving couple Polly & Waz as winners by default [btw they’re already being referred to in the media as the ‘Steven Bradbury’ of the renovation world].

Their house sold for $855,000 on a reserve of $840,000, leaving them to pocket the $15,000 difference plus the $100,000 cash prize. While the other 6 contestants, visibly shattered, walked away with nothing - that’s after no less than eight weeks of pain staking work and sacrifice!

Here are the results if you missed it;
Josh & Jenna - Reserve Price $950,000; Highest Bid $901,000 - PASSED IN
Polly & Waz - Reserve Price $840,000; Highest Bid $855,000 - *SOLD*
Katrina & Amie - Reserve Price $860,000; Highest Bid $822,000 - PASSED IN
Tania & Rod - Reserve Price $850,000; Highest Bid $832,000 - PASSED IN

*Learn how to renovate + profit every time! click here to book in for our next seminar.

This result highlighted two simple but crucial mistakes people make when buying and renovating property for profit;

Mistake #1 - They paid too much!
Mistake #2 - They spent too much!

It’s been revealed that the producers of the show paid $3.6 million for the four derelict Victorian properties. Since then, a second storey was added to three of the houses, all four were restumped, rewired, replumbed and reroofed, and each had at least $100,000 spent on it by the contestants.

Keeping the numbers simple, at a total cost of $4,000,000 each property had to sell for well over $1,000,000 for there to be any ‘real’ profits in the project. But even if we ignore the fact the producers paid way too much each property had been carefully appraised [by some of the best agents in Melbourne] prior to going under the hammer and only 1 reached it’s reserve price! So despite all of the extensive improvements people just couldn’t justify paying the prices being asked.

Once the contestants get over the fact they didn’t make any profit they should find some comfort in the realisation that if they actually had owned these properties they’d currently be looking down the barrel at some very big losses!

While The Block was an entertaining reality TV show and a huge ratings success for Channel 9 it was fitting that the finale brought home the ‘reality’ of what can happen when you get it wrong.

*Want to learn how to renovate property in 4-6 weeks and make $50K in profits? click here to book in for our next seminar.

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Rates slashed as the banks go to war...

2011-08-18T12:29:00.000+09:30

If you have a home loan at the moment, it might just be the best time in 20 years to be looking for a better deal!

There’s a price war going on as the major banks aggressively cut deals on rates and fees to win new lending business and shut down the competition from second-tier lenders.

And they are winning hands down maintaining their strangle hold on the mortgage market - with new research showing the major banks now account for more than 90 per cent of the market, compared with 60 per cent only four years ago.

What does it mean for you? Depending on your level of borrowing and income it’s currently possible to get variable rate loans from as low as 6.75%!!

Now it’s not often economists get it right but last month Westpac’s chief economist Bill Evans went against the grain and forecast a series of future RBA interest rate cuts. Now it seems the other lenders agree, with the majority of them slashing as much as .60% off their fixed rate products in the last 7 days - as an example you can now get 3 year fixed rates from as low as 6.59%!!

In addition to cheap rates some lenders are also promoting incentives to bring your business to them with one bank offering as much as $1,000 towards your switching costs, while others are waiving their entire application fees.

A word of warning to borrowers thinking of switching, remember the ban on exit fees applies only to new home loans taken out after July 1 [although some loans already don't have them and some lenders have made the ban retrospective] so we do need to factor in these possible costs when determining whether switching lenders is right for you.

Remember your bank/lender is not going to ring you to say you can get a better deal down the road at their competitor - that’s what we’re here for! Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll do all the hard work for you and make sure you get the best possible deal in today's highly competitive market.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Buy, renovate and sell opportunity...

2011-08-12T10:56:00.000+09:30

A property investment opportunity for your consideration... *TIME SENSITIVE*

Background: Our reno guru Andrew Farnden has just sourced another great renovation opportunity. The large 2 bedroom homette is in an excellent position and is in need of a full cosmetic renovation [just how we like them!] - as usual it's been secured by Andrew at below market price.

Andrew's had another successful couple of months and is currently at full capacity with multiple renovations on the go. As is the case, he can't take on every project he finds so he is offering this opportunity to whoever puts up their hand first.

If you have been to one of our renovation seminars or completed our 2-day renovation workshop you'll know that Andrew consistently makes $20-50k in profit buying, renovating and selling units or townhouses.

Note: You'll have to act immediately as the cooling off period for the contract Andrew has negotiated will start soon.

There are a 2 ways that you might want to consider taking on this deal;

1. Do the project yourselfSimply pay us a buyers fee for the deal and it's yours. You take over the purchase contract [at Andrew's discounted price] and become the owner, then you can renovate the property and sell it for maximum profit. Alternatively this unit would make a great hold investment if your looking to add to your property portfolio.

2. Do the project with us If you don't feel you have the know-how and confidence to do a renovation deal like this on your own we can help. As above you would take over the purchase contract and become the owner, but rather than renovate it yourself you could get us to guide you through the project including contracting us to do the entire renovation for you [via our renovation service - see www.re-innovate.com.au for more details]

Here's a basic snap shot of the deal;

Suburb	Seaton
Original Asking Price	$279,000
Negotiated Purchase Price	$250,900
Discount [from asking price]	$28,100
Potential Profit [on sale following the renovation]	$25K - $40k

Smart investors will tell you that you make your money when you buy a property - well the hard work has already been done for you!

If you are interested in this property please call Andrew directly on 0431 940 873

Your Partner in Success,
Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for August...

2011-08-03T17:26:00.001+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, but the pace of growth slowed in the June quarter. The supply-chain disruptions from the Japanese earthquake and the dampening effects of high commodity prices on income and spending in major countries both contributed to the slowing. It is still not clear how persistent this slower growth will be. The supply-chain disruptions are now gradually abating and commodity prices have softened of late, though they generally remain high. In China most indications suggest only a mild slowdown so far.

The central scenario for the world economy over the next couple of years envisaged by most forecasters remains one of growth below the pace of 2010, but at or above long-term averages. Downside risks have increased, however, as concerns have grown over the outlook for the public finances of both Europe and the United States.

Australia's terms of trade are now at very high levels and national income has been growing strongly. Investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly and some related service sectors are enjoying better than average conditions. But in other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the high level of the exchange rate are having a noticeable dampening effect. The impetus from earlier Australian Government spending programs is now also abating, as had been intended.

The resumption of coal production continues, but a full recovery of flood-affected production now looks unlikely before early next year. Precautionary behaviour by households also looks likely to keep some areas of demand weaker in the near term than earlier expected. Overall, growth in real GDP through 2011 is now likely to be at about trend. Over the medium term, overall growth is still likely to be at trend or higher, unless the world economy deteriorates noticeably.

Growth in employment has moderated and the unemployment rate has been little changed, near 5 per cent, for some time now. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn, though productivity growth remains weak.

Year-ended CPI inflation has been high, affected by the extreme weather events earlier in the year. As these effects reverse over the next couple of quarters, CPI inflation should decline. But measures that give a better indication of the trend in inflation have begun to rise over the past six months, after declining for the previous two years. While they have, to date, remained consistent with the 2–3 per cent target on a year-ended basis, the Board remains concerned about the medium-term outlook for inflation.

It is appropriate under such circumstances for monetary policy to exert a degree of restraint. Most financial indicators suggest that it has been doing so, as a result of the Board's decisions last year. Credit growth has declined over recent months and is very subdued by historical standards, even with evidence of greater willingness to lend. Most asset prices, including housing prices, have also softened over recent months. The exchange rate is high. Each of these variables is affected by other factors as well, but together they point to financial conditions being tighter than normal.

At today's meeting, the Board considered whether the recent information warranted further policy tightening. On balance, the Board judged that it was prudent to maintain the current setting of monetary policy, particularly in view of the acute sense of uncertainty in global financial markets over recent weeks. In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

$60k profits in 3 months, with only 70 hours of work...

2011-08-03T17:08:00.001+09:30

We've educated over 400 people to date on how to safely make short term profits renovating property in any type of real estate market. We're proud to say that our students have made $100's of thousands of dollars in profits following the simple strategies we teach.

Unfortunately this could be your last chance to learn how to do it - Andrew has so many projects on the go and in the pipeline that this could be his last seminar for the year! Our sessions are always capped at ~15 people and we always book out so get in early if you wish to come along next Wednesday night.

For all details and to register click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Exit fees gone, property declines, rates cut by 1%?...

2011-07-21T09:13:00.011+09:30

Well it’s official. Despite last ditch efforts to overturn the ban, the government-proposed ban on exit fees for all residential home & investment loans came into force on July 1st. To recap, this ban outlaws the imposition of any exit fees, or fees charged by lenders upon termination of a loan contract.
The ban applies to all new loan contracts entered into after July 1st, however some lenders have announced that they will remove the exit fees payable on a range of their existing customer loans. So if you have ever contemplated switching lenders or you just want to see if you could get a better deal it’s probably a good time to call us up for a chat.

There’s no denying it property prices are falling. According to the latest rpdata research report prices have declined by 2.6% in Adelaide over the last 12 months. Nationally there has been a big swing in both the supply & demand sides with transaction volumes [number of properties selling] down 20% and listing volumes [number of properties on the market] up 25% on last year.

So the news for property sellers is not great, unless of course you’re selling and buying in the same market. On the other hand the conditions are more than favourable for the cashed up home buyer or investor who is on the hunt for a bargain. However a word of warning for the investors - with poor capital growth prospects over the next few years you should not rely on a passive investing approach. We suggest only buying those properties that you can add serious value to. Want to learn more click here

In somewhat of a shock this week Westpac’s chief economist Bill Evans has forecast a series of interest rate cuts. Mr Evans said low consumer sentiment could force the Reserve Bank of Australia to slash the official cash rate by up to 1 per cent in 2012.

This slump in consumer confidence has been blamed on higher interest rates, uncertainty about the global economy and even speculation about a higher cost of living linked to the carbon trading scheme. 3 year fixed rates have just hit their lowest level in 2 years, so if you don’t agree with Bill’s forecast and think rates will go up it could be an ideal time to consider fixing your loans.

And finally, we’ve just made it easier for you to reach us on the go with a new mobile version of our website! Simply access it from your smart phone at m.urbantechgroup.com.au - with just one touch you can now easily call, email and text us or find our exact office location on Google maps!

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Learn how to create Capital Growth in today's flat property market...

2011-07-17T10:08:00.000+09:30

If your plan is to buy & hold and pick up double-digit Capital Growth over the next few years you're going to be disappointed! Prices in many areas are on the slide and we probably haven't hit the bottom just yet.

But what if you don't need to rely on market growth - what if you just create your own equity growth instead. One of our renovation students made a profit of $70K doing just that in Adelaide! Read on for more...

Next week we'll be holding another one of our very popular and interactive renovation seminars, and if you decide to come along you will be glad - in 2 hours we’re going to teach you how to find, buy, renovate and sell property for maximum profit in today’s flat market.

No Hype or BS Guaranteed! - just real practical strategies you can understand and use immediately.

For details and to register your place click here
[Special Bonus* - Get a FREE Property RE-Search Kit valued at $147 when you register]

We've educated over 400 people now and we're really excited about the results our students are getting...

A couple that graduated from our workshop late last year are working on their 3rd renovation project - in total they've banked ~$70,000 in clear profits from their first two deals!!

And here’s the kicker; they both work full time and didn’t have any renovation experience before working with us. Also the renovations took only 5-6 weeks to complete and not much more than 70 hours of their 'spare' time. [if you come to our seminar we’ll go through one of their deals and show you exactly what they did!]

For details and to register your place click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for July...

2011-07-05T23:18:00.000+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, but the pace of growth slowed in the June quarter. The supply-chain disruptions from the Japanese earthquake and the dampening effects of high commodity prices on income and spending in major countries have both contributed to the slowing. The banking and sovereign debt problems in Europe have also added to uncertainty and volatility in financial markets over recent months.

A key question is whether this more moderate pace of growth will continue. Commodity prices have generally softened of late, though they remain at very high levels. Despite the challenging international environment, the central scenario for the world economy envisaged by most forecasters remains one of growth at, or above, average over the next couple of years. A number of countries have tightened monetary policy but, overall, global financial conditions remain accommodative and underlying rates of inflation have tended to move higher.

Australia's terms of trade are now at very high levels and national income has been growing strongly, though conditions vary significantly across industries. Investment in the resources sector is picking up strongly in response to high levels of commodity prices and the outlook remains very positive. A number of service sectors are also expanding at a solid pace. In other areas, cautious behaviour by households and the high level of the exchange rate are having a noticeable dampening effect. The impetus from earlier Australian Government spending programs is now also abating, as had been intended.

A gradual recovery from the floods and cyclones over the summer is taking place, though the resumption of coal production in flooded mines continues to proceed more slowly than initially expected. The recovery will boost output over the months ahead, and there will also be a mild boost to demand from the broader rebuilding efforts as they get under way, but growth through 2011 is now unlikely to be as strong as earlier forecast. Over the medium term, overall growth is still likely to be at trend or higher, if the world economy grows as expected.

Growth in employment has moderated over recent months and the unemployment rate has been little changed, near 5 per cent. Most leading indicators suggest that this slower pace of employment growth is likely to continue in the near term. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn.

Credit growth remains modest. Signs have continued to emerge of some greater willingness to lend and business credit has expanded this year after a period of contraction. Growth in credit to households, on the other hand, has slowed. Most asset prices, including housing prices, have also softened over recent months.

Year-ended CPI inflation is likely to remain elevated in the near term due to the extreme weather events earlier in the year. However, as the temporary price shocks dissipate, CPI inflation is expected to be close to target over the next 12 months. In underlying terms, inflation has been in the bottom half of the target range, though a gradual increase is expected over time.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained appropriate. In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Learn how to renovate for profits in a flat market...

2011-06-27T15:56:00.000+09:30

We are currently hosting a series of interactive seminars to teach clients how they can make short term profits in today's flat real estate market. Each session is capped at ~15 people and places book fast so register early if you wish to come along.

Spend 2 jam-packed hours with renovation guru Andrew Farnden and discover the exact strategies he uses to make quick profits in today's Adelaide property market.

The best thing about Andrew's strategy is it’s simple - anyone can do it once they know the right way around things. He doesn’t use property options, wraps, subdivide land or build new properties - he simply buys small units or houses, renovates them to a very high standard and sells them quickly for maximum profit [usually around $25K-$50K each deal!]

I told you it was simple! However you need to know how to do it right - get it wrong and it could be costly. That's why Andrew developed the '70-hour renovation system' - a step-by-step system that Andrew has used to make a profit on every single renovation project to date. Best of all Andrew's commitment on each deal is ~70 hours or work [mostly phone calls to organise things!]

For full details and to register your place - click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Mid-year property & finance update...

2011-06-27T15:39:00.000+09:30

We're almost at the midway point of 2011 so let's take a look at where things are at in the world of property and finance...

Property Market: The South Australia property market is flat at best, with prices retracting in the majority of areas. There’s no doubting it is a ‘buyers market’, the only problem being there doesn’t seem to be any buyers around at the moment. And the latest loan refinance figures indicate people are choosing to stay where they are and renovate rather than sell and move.

Property Investors: If your plan is buy and hold for capital growth you could find yourself going backwards over the next few years. You see the best way to make profits in a flat market is to create your own equity rather than wait for it. That’s why we’ve been holding a series of renovation seminars this year. In fact, we recently had one of our students [a single working mum] make over $50k in just 4 months following the strategies we teach. For more info on our next seminar click here

Interest Rates: While another interest rate rise is still on the agenda, its timing has now been pushed back until at least September. The motivation for this apparent softening of the RBA's line on a rate rise seems to have come partly from overseas - in particular the Greek financial crisis - with economic data indicating slower growth in activity globally. However, the RBA is sticking with its central forecast of a pickup in Australian economic growth to an 'above trend' pace, which would be expected to cause a 'gradual pick-up in inflation'.

First Home Owners: The First Home Owners Grant will continue to remain at $7,000 for new or established homes, however as part of the State Budget handed down on 9 June 2011, the Government announced the phase out of the $8,000 First Home Bonus Grant [FHBG] by 1 July 2013. The FHBG is only available for new homes and will be reduced to $4,000 from $8,000 [and phase out between $400,000 and $450,000] from 1 July 2012 and then to be fully abolished from 1 July 2013.

Exit Fee Ban: After weeks of intense industry lobbying, the Senate will soon vote on the controversial legislation, which seeks to outlaw the imposition of any exit fees, or fees charged by lenders upon termination of a loan contract. As we’ve mentioned previously the overwhelming industry consensus is that the ban on exit fees will put the non-banking sector at a disadvantage and thus actually reduce competition amongst lenders. Thankfully a bunch of Pollies agree and so there’s a good chance the proposed legislation will get blocked in the senate - only time will tell!

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Is it a good time to be buying property in Adelaide?...

2011-06-14T16:24:00.001+09:30

It depends... if your plan is to buy & hold and pick up double digit capital growth over the next few years then you're going to be dissapointed. Prices in most areas are on the slide and we haven't hit the bottm of the market yet.

But what if you don't need to rely on market growth - what if you just create your own equity growth instead. One of our clients made $70K recently doing just that! [ read on for more...]

In just over 24 hours we'll be holding our updated renovation seminar, and if you decide to come along you won’t be disappointed - in 2 hours we’re going to teach you how to find, buy, renovate and sell property for maximum profit in today’s flat market!

No Hype or BS Guaranteed - just real practical strategies that you can master and use immediately.

To register your place click here

I know we’ve been going on about this renovation stuff for a while but it’s only because we're really excited about the results our students are getting...

A couple that graduated from our workshop late last year have just completed their 2nd project - in total they've now made ~$70,000 in clear profits!!

Here’s the kicker; they both work full time and didn’t have any renovation experience before working with us. Also the renovations took only 5-6 weeks to complete and not much more than 70 hours of their 'spare' time. [if you come to our seminar we’ll go through one of their deals and show you exactly what they did!]

Here's some feedback we’ve received about our seminar recently;

“Great seminar last night! I was the Conveyancer in the back corner :) Just wanted to say thank you - you had my brain ticking all night when I got home” - Tammy -

“The seminar last week was fabulous. Such a lot of info in a couple of hours, given so freely and ALL of my numerous questions were answered, as were other people’s. Andrew is a gold mine of info and practical tips! I hope to be putting it all into practice straight after the 2-day workshop. Fantastic stuff!" - Sandra -

“Andrew, I just wanted to drop you a line and thank you for last night and sharing your experiences. Your style and frankness really gelled with my husband and I. Well done you have a great formula there! Thx again.” - Naomi -

“Fantastic! Very realistic approach to profit and used 'local' examples to a 'local' audience." - Sally -

“Inspiring! Great detail, honest and relaxed... Andrew has excellent knowledge and is very well researched!” - Dean -

To come along and see what they’re talking about click here

EVENT DETAILS: Date: Wednesday 15th June
Time: 6:15 for 6:30pm start - 8:30 pm
Venue: Urbantech Office - 143 Henley Beach Rd, Mile End SA
Find us on Google Maps

Price: NO COST [includes $147 bonus!]
*RSVP: Tuesday 14th May
Further Enquires: Sam Cocks
mobile: 0411 431 391
office: 08 8451 1500
sam@urbantechgroup.com.au

RE-Innovate provides a range of services to assist you in profiting from property in Adelaide - if you would like to learn more please visit our partner website www.re-innovate.com.au

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

2 x buy, renovate and sell deals in Glenelg...

2011-06-10T14:29:00.000+09:30

2 x property investment opportunities for your consideration...
**TIME SENSITIVE**

Background: Our reno guru Andrew Farnden has just sourced two great renovation opportunities in Glenelg East and Glenelg North. Both 2 bedroom units are in excellent positions and are in need of a full cosmetic renovation [just how we like them!] - and both have been secured by Andrew at below market prices.

Andrew's had a particularly successful couple of weeks and has negotiated a number of great deals. As is the case, he can't take on every project he finds so he is offering these opportunities to the person/s who put their hands up first.

If you have been to one of our renovation seminars or completed our 2-day renovation workshop you'll know that Andrew consistently makes $25-50k in profit buying, renovating and selling units or townhouses.

But you'll have to act immediately as the cooling off period for the contracts Andrew negotiated will expire soon.

There are a 2 ways that you might want to consider taking on these opportunities;

1. Do the project yourself
Simply pay us a small buyers fee for the deal and it's yours. You take over the purchase contract [at Andrew's discounted price!] and become the owner, then you can renovate the property and sell it for maximum profit. Alternatively these units would make a great hold investment if your looking to add to your property portfolio.

2. Do the project with us
If you don't feel you have the know-how and confidence to do a renovation deal like this on your own we can help. As above you would take over the purchase contract and become the owner, but rather than renovate it yourself you could get us to guide you through the project including contracting us to do the entire renovation for you [via our renovation service - see www.re-innovate.com.au for more details]

Here's a basic snap shot of deal 1;
Suburb: Glenelg East
Original Asking Price: $330,000-340,000
Negotiated Purchase Price: $293,000
Discount: [from asking price] $37,000
Potential Profit: [on sale following the renovation] $25K - $45k

Here's a basic snap shot of deal 2;
Suburb: Glenelg North
Original Asking Price: [Note: Unit 1 sold in Dec 2010 for $350,000] $315,000
Negotiated Purchase Price: $295,000
Discount: [from asking price] $20,000
Potential Profit: [on sale following the renovation] $25K - $45k

Smart investors will tell you that you need to make your money when you buy a property - well the hard work has already been done for you!

NOTE: If you are interested in either of these properties you will need to contact us straight away as the opportunities will not be available for long.

To discuss these investment opportunities further please call Andrew directly on 0431 940 873

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Creating profits in a flat property market...

2011-06-08T12:38:00.000+09:30

We are currently doing a series of public seminars teaching people how to make money in today's real estate market. Seating is limited to 15 people so book in early if you would like to come along.

For all details and to register click on link below;

http://www.vision6.com.au/em/mail/view.php?id=1776165501&a=9015&k=0596da2

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for June...

2011-06-07T14:05:00.009+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, led by very strong growth in the Asian region, though the recent disaster in Japan is having a major impact on Japanese production, and significant effects on production of some manufactured products further afield. Commodity prices have generally softened a little of late, but they remain at very high levels, which is weighing on income and demand in major countries and also pushing up measures of consumer price inflation. In response, a number of the countries with stronger expansions have been moving to tighten their monetary policy settings over recent months. Overall, though, financial conditions for the global economy remain accommodative. Uncertainty over the prospects for resolution of the banking and sovereign debt problems in Europe has increased over the past couple of months, which has been adding to financial market volatility.

Australia's terms of trade are reaching very high levels and national income has been growing strongly. Private investment is picking up, led by very large capital spending programs in the resources sector, in response to high levels of commodity prices. Outside the resources sector, investment intentions have been revised lower recently. In the household sector thus far, there continues to be a degree of caution in spending and borrowing and a higher rate of saving out of current income. The impetus from earlier Australian Government spending programs is now also abating, as had been intended.

The floods and cyclones over the summer have reduced output in some key sectors. As a result there was a sharp fall in real GDP in the March quarter, despite a solid increase in aggregate demand. The resumption of coal production in flooded mines is taking longer than initially expected, but production levels are now increasing again and there will be a mild boost to demand from the broader rebuilding efforts as they get under way. Over the medium term, overall growth is likely to be at trend or higher.

Growth in employment has moderated over recent months and the unemployment rate has been little changed, near 5 per cent. Most leading indicators suggest that this slower pace of employment growth is likely to continue in the near term. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn.

Overall credit growth remains quite modest. Signs have continued to emerge of some greater willingness to lend, and business credit has expanded this year after a period of contraction. Growth in credit to households, on the other hand, has softened, as have housing prices. The exchange rate remains, in real effective terms, close to its highest level in several decades. If sustained, this could be expected to exert continued restraint on the traded sector.

CPI inflation has risen over the past year, reflecting the effects of extreme weather and rises in utilities prices, with lower prices for traded goods providing some offset. The weather-affected prices should fall back later in the year, though substantial rises in utilities prices are still occurring. The Bank expects that, as the temporary price shocks dissipate over the coming quarters, CPI inflation will be close to target over the next 12 months.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained appropriate. In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Are we heading towards a property crash...

2011-05-25T13:38:00.000+09:30

Australia's housing market has slowed in recent months amid faltering auction clearance results, slumping new home loans and falling home prices.

ABS figures for the March 2011 quarter show loan volumes dropped by 3% in Adelaide while house prices fell by 1%.

That’s the technical stuff but what does it mean for you?

If you own an investment property [or two] should you hold tight for the next few years or should you try and sell and lock in some profits?

On the contrary this could be the best time to buy up! With sales volumes trending downward since September 2009 and the amount of stock on market rising, many vendors have resorted to discounting their asking prices. As a result buyers now hold the power and can pick up a property at a reduced price.

Buy more or sell? Who should you listen to? What’s right for you will depend on your circumstances and your investment plan and goals - as always making the wrong decision could be costly - so always make sure you speak to your trusted finance broker [that’s us] before you take action.

Not even the so-called experts agree on what the market will do…

According to research house BIS Shrapnel “Property price growth will be subdued for the next 10 years, growing no more than 5 per cent each year with the weaker years seeing just 2 to 3 per cent growth. Australia is unlikely to see the rapid growth of previous years again anytime soon.”

“If you can afford to buy then you should” that’s the word from McGrath Estate Agents chief executive John McGrath, adding “whether you’re an investor, first home buyer, or an upgrader you’re going to make a lot of money over the next five years out of residential property.”

Interestingly ABC’s 7:30 Report ran a story last week called ‘Australian house prices - are we heading towards a property crash?’ highlighting two completely different ‘expert’ opinions on the state of the property market. If you have a moment it’s worth a look - simply click here

So the days of 10-20% price growth are behind us for the moment but does that mean you can’t make money in real estate anymore?

If your plan is buy and hold you could struggle to maximise your investment. You see the best way to make profits in a flat market is to 'create' equity rather than wait for it. That’s why we’ve been holding regular renovation seminars this year. For more info and to find out how one of our students [a single working mum with no renovation experience!] made over $50k in just 4 months following the strategies we teach click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Why last weekend was so great...

2011-05-20T10:45:00.000+09:30

Let me tell you why last weekend was so great...

My good friend Andrew Farnden hosted a intensive 2-day workshop teaching people how to make money renovating units and houses in today's flat property market.

[I took a few pics on my mobile and posted them to Facebook - click here to see them]

We put on these ‘bootcamp’ style weekends only a couple of times a year, teaching small groups of people [no more than 10 at a time] how to create quick property profits with minimal capital and risk.

On Day 1 you learn the 'ins and outs' of Andrew's unique '70-hour renovation system' - a step-by-step system he uses to make profits of between $25k - $50k working only 70 hours per deal [now that’s what I call a good hourly rate!]. Day 2 is the field trip where you hit the road in our mini bus and visit past and present renovation projects as well as a heap of open inspections so you can practice analysing 'real' potential deals.

To see what Richard had to say about last weekend see the video below;

Here’s what Kingsley thought of the 2-day workshop;

“Just a quick note to say thank you for a fabulous weekend. Talk about information overload, but it was great and very well put together and presented! Saturday had so much sound grounding as to the way to approach and manage your projects, only to be surpassed by the practical aspects of our field trip on Sunday in which we tried to apply that knowledge and processes… I am grateful for the opportunity to share in your program and experience…”

If you would like to spend 2 hours with renovation guru Andrew Farnden and discover the exact strategies he uses to make quick profits in today's Adelaide property market then come along to our introduction seminar next Wednesday in our office.

For full details and to register your place at this intro seminar - click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Profit from property in a flat market....

2011-05-17T10:26:00.000+09:30

*Note: We are currently doing a series of public seminars teaching people how to make money in today's real estate market. Seating is limited to 15 people so book in early if you would like to come along.

Create quick property profits with low capital and risk...

Spend 2 hours with renovation guru Andrew Farnden and discover the exact strategies he uses to make quick profits in today's Adelaide property market.

The best thing about Andrew's strategy is it’s simple - anyone can do it once they know the right way around things. He doesn’t use property options, wraps, subdivide land or build new properties - he simply buys small units or houses, renovates them to a very high standard and sells them quickly for maximum profit.

I told you it was simple, however you need to know how to do it right - get it wrong and it could cost you! That's why Andrew developed the '70-hour renovation system' - a step-by-step system that has allowed Andrew to make a profit on every single renovation project to date. Best of all Andrew's commitment on each deal is ~70 hours!!

For all details and to register your place now - click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group

Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for May...

2011-05-03T14:36:00.000+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, led by very strong growth in the Asian region. The recent disaster in Japan is having a major impact on Japanese production, and some effects on production of manufactured products further afield. Commodity prices, including oil prices, have generally continued to rise over recent months, pushing up measures of consumer price inflation in many countries. A number of countries have been moving to tighten their monetary policy settings. Overall, though, financial conditions for the global economy remain accommodative. Uncertainty remains over the prospects for resolution of the banking and sovereign debt issues in Europe.

Australia's terms of trade are reaching higher levels than assumed a few months ago, and national income is growing strongly. Private investment is picking up, mainly in the resources sector, in response to high levels of commodity prices. In the household sector thus far, in contrast, there continues to be caution in spending and borrowing, and a higher rate of saving out of current income.

The natural disasters over the summer have reduced output in some key sectors and the resumption of coal production in flooded mines is taking longer than initially expected. It is likely this caused a decline in real GDP in the March quarter. Production levels should, however, recover over the months ahead, and there will be a mild boost to demand from the rebuilding efforts as they get under way. Over the medium term, overall growth is likely to be at trend or higher.

Growth in employment has moderated over recent months and the unemployment rate has been little changed, near 5 per cent. Most leading indicators suggest further growth in employment, though most likely at a slower pace than in 2010. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn.

Overall credit growth remains quite modest. Signs have continued to emerge of some greater willingness to lend, and business credit has resumed growth after a period of contraction. Growth in credit to households, on the other hand, has softened recently, as have housing prices in several cities. The exchange rate has risen further and, in real effective terms, is at its highest level in several decades. This, if sustained, could be expected to exert additional restraint on the traded sector.

Recent data on inflation show the effects of production losses due to the floods and Cyclone Yasi. The affected prices should fall back later in the year, though substantial rises in utilities prices are still occurring. The Bank expects that, as the temporary price shocks dissipate over the coming quarters, CPI inflation will be close to target over the year ahead.

Looking through these short-term movements, however, the recent information suggests that the marked decline in underlying inflation from the peak in 2008 has now run its course. While the rising exchange rate will be helping to hold down prices for some consumer products over the coming few quarters, over the longer term inflation can be expected to increase somewhat if economic conditions evolve broadly as expected.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained appropriate. In future meetings, the Board will continue to assess carefully the evolving outlook for growth and inflation.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Loans to become more expensive while 1 in 5 struggle...

2011-04-20T12:44:00.000+09:30

The government’s focus on 'competition' appears to have done little to help the non-banks.

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] showed the nation’s smaller lenders continue to lose ground on the majors.

In fact, Australia’s banks accounted for 90.2 per cent of all housing loans transacted in February 2011 - the largest share since last September 2010. Of that 90 per cent, the big 4 banks accounted for approximately 80 per cent.

At the same time, non-bank lenders have experienced their worst market share since they joined the mortgage market in 1995, accounting for just 1.9 per cent of all new housing loans written.
On the basis of this trend, non-bank lenders are likely to struggle when exit fees are totally banned in July 2011. So how can it be good for consumers when the most competitive lenders are forced out of the market?

Remember non-bank lenders are synonymous with bringing down the margin on home loans in Australia, making them more affordable for all Australians. Unfortunately without competition Australians could end up paying more for their mortgages.

This at a time when 25% of mortgage holders said they would not be able to make their repayments if rates lifted by 50 basis points before the end of the year. [see our finance article for more and to discover how our new debt negotiation service can help you get rid of your bad debts and get you back on track]

Free Renovation Seminar [May 4th] - Learn how to buy small units or houses, renovate them to a high standard and sell them for maximum profit. For more details click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone!

To read our full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

A property investment opportunity for your consideration...

2011-04-18T12:36:00.000+09:30

Background: Our reno guru Andrew Farnden has just sourced a great renovation opportunity in Glenelg East. The 2 bedroom townhouse is in a top location, is in need of a full cosmetic renovation [just how we like them!] and has just been secured by Andrew at a fantastic price.

Andrew was in fact negotiating the purchase on behalf of one of our clients however their circumstances have changed and they are no longer able to go ahead with the purchase.

If you have been to one of our renovation seminars or completed our 2-day renovation workshop you'll know that Andrew consistently makes $25-50k in profit from buying, renovating and selling units or townhouses. He would normally have kept this deal for himself however he is fully loaded with his own personal projects at the moment and so is offering this opportunity to the person who puts their hand up first.

But you'll have to act immediately as the cooling off period for the contract Andrew negotiated ends on midnight Thursday 21st of April.

There are a couple of ways that you might want to consider taking on this opportunity;

1. Do the project yourself
Simply pay us a small buyers fee for the deal and it's yours. You take over the purchase contract [at Andrew's discounted price!] and become the owner, then you can renovate the property and sell it for maximum profit. Alternatively it would make a great hold investment if your looking to add to your property portfolio.

2. Do the project with us
If you don't feel you have the know-how and confidence to do a renovation deal like this on your own we can help you. As above you would take over the purchase contract and become the owner, but rather than renovate it yourself you could get us to guide you through the project including contracting us to do the entire renovation for you [via our renovation service - see http://www.re-innovate.com.au/ for more details]

Here's a basic snap shot of the deal;
Suburb: Glenelg East
Original Asking Price: $305,000
Negotiated Purchase Price: $275,000
Discount [from asking price]: $30,000
Potential Profit [on sale following the renovation]: $25K - $45k

Most investors will tell you that you need to make most of your profit when you buy a property - well the hard work has already been done for you!

NOTE: If you are interested in this property you will need to contact us straight away as this opportunity will not be available after Thursday 21st April.

To discuss this investment opportunity further please call Andrew directly on 0431 940 873

PS. If you want to learn how to make $50k+ profits buying and renovating property we can help. Simply attend our next renovation seminar on Wed May 4th - for all details and to register your place click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Make money renovating property in Adelaide...

2011-04-11T13:31:00.000+09:30

There are two ways we can help you find, buy, innovate and profit from property right here in Adelaide;

1. Learn how to do it yourself...
We can teach you how to find, buy, renovate and sell properties for maximum profit through our flagship 2-Day Renovation Workshop and Field Trip.

This service is ideal for people with some property experience or those who have a desire to tackle things by themselves but lack the knowledge, skills or contacts required.

*Action Step: if you haven't done so, register your place at our 2-hr Renovation Seminar on April 12th. For all details and to book your seat click here [Note: there's only 4 seats left]

2. Get us to do it all for you...
We can help you find, buy and renovate property via our Buyers Agent and Renovation/Project Management service.

This service is ideal for people who are time poor or for those that still lack the confidence to get started or go it alone.

*Action Step: see what Kate has to say about our Buyers Agent and Renovation services and take a guided tour through her newly renovated property in Ashford, SA.

*Special Bonus - $500 Service Voucher
For a limited time we are offering all subscribers a $500 Service Voucher redeemable towards our Buyers Agent or Renovation service fees. To redeem your voucher simply call 08 8451 1500 or email us.

For more information on how we can help you profit from property go to http://www.re-innovate.com.au/

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for April...

2011-04-05T15:50:00.000+09:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, led by very strong growth in the Asian region. The recent disaster in Japan will have a noticeable effect on Japanese production in the near term, although the impact on the broader Asian region is expected to be limited. Commodity prices, including oil prices, have risen over recent months, pushing up measures of consumer price inflation in many countries. A number of countries have been moving to tighten their monetary policy settings. Overall, though, financial conditions for the global economy remain accommodative.

Australia's terms of trade are at their highest level since the early 1950s and national income is growing strongly. Private investment is picking up, mainly in the resources sector, in response to high levels of commodity prices. In the household sector thus far, in contrast, there continues to be caution in spending and borrowing, and a higher rate of saving out of current income. The natural disasters over the summer have reduced output and the resumption of coal production in flooded mines is taking longer than initially expected. Production levels should, however, recover over the months ahead, and there will be a mild boost to demand from the rebuilding efforts as they get under way.

Asset values have generally been little changed over recent months and overall credit growth remains quite subdued, notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend. Business balance sheets generally are being strengthened, and the run‑up in household leverage has abated.

Growth in employment has moderated over recent months and the unemployment rate has held steady at 5 per cent. Most leading indicators suggest further growth in employment, though most likely at a slower pace than in 2010. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn.

Inflation is consistent with the medium-term objective of monetary policy, having declined significantly from its peak in 2008. These moderate outcomes are being assisted by the high level of the exchange rate, the earlier decline in wages growth and strong competition in some key markets, which have worked to offset large rises in utilities prices. Production losses due to weather are temporarily raising prices for some agricultural produce, which will boost the March quarter CPI, but these prices should fall back later in the year. Overall, looking through these temporary effects, the Bank expects that inflation over the year ahead will continue to be consistent with the 2–3 per cent target.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained appropriate in view of the general macroeconomic outlook.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

2 days, 7 property experts and 5 unique strategies...

2011-04-04T16:45:00.000+09:30

Seven of Australia's wealthiest entrepreneurs reveal their unique property strategies live in Adelaide...

Would you like to learn from some of the best experts in the Australian property game today?

You're in luck! Our friend Stuart Zadel and the team at Think & Grow Rich Seminars has just given us the go ahead to offer you 2 free tickets to their upcoming Adelaide event - but you'll have to act fast as the event is next weekend and there's only a few tickets left...

This event is for people who are serious about learning:
- The 8 steps of the renovation process
- How to purchase a house without a bank, without a loan and without a dollar
- How to get started in property development in less than 12 months
- A brand-new and exclusive way to cashflow your portfolio that returns 7-8% per month
- And also the principles wealthy people learned before they make they're fortune...

If you’re serious about getting results then click on the below link to claim your complimentary tickets:

http://www.TGRProperty.com.au/29330

Stuart and the team are literally going to hand you hundreds of dollars worth of free books, thousands of dollars worth of free information, and give you the chance to win over $200,000 worth of cash and prizes, not to mention the opportunity to see five of this countries richest property entrepreneurs reveal to you their strategies, LIVE in person!

For full event details please click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Things aren't always what they seem...

2011-03-24T14:09:00.000+10:30

Last month we looked at the ‘bank stoush’ and concluded it amounted to nothing more than good old fashioned one-upmanship.

As a consumer you could be mistaken for thinking the banks had experienced a change of heart and were genuinely looking out for you. However we pointed out that while a cash incentive [read bribe] might sound pretty enticing it didn’t mean that you would actually get the best or cheapest loan in the market. Consider CBA’s recent promotion of its ‘no fee home loan’ with a rate of 7.2% - we can currently source variable rate loans from as low as 6.88% with no upfront or ongoing fees.

This month we turn our attention to another topic of debate - the impending exit fees ban. Released some weeks ago, the Government draft proposes a ban on exit fees that will apply to any fee payable at the time of repayment, other than fixed rate break costs and discharge administration fees.

If legislated, this would effectively outlaw all fees collected by lenders at the time of settlement, including deferred establishment fees (DEFs), Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), capitalised account keeping fees, and interest equalisation fees that recoup honeymoon rates. The proposed bans will apply to all lenders and all residential home and investment loans and if enacted in its current form, the measures would apply to credit contracts entered into after 1 July this year.

However rather than improve lending competition the overwhelming industry consensus is that the ban on exit fees will put the non-banking sector at a disadvantage and thus actually reduce competition amongst lenders.

DEFs [one of the more common types of exit fees] were introduced as a way for non-banks to offset their higher cost of funding as compared with the banks. People don’t realise that DEFs allow non-bank lenders to offer more competitive rates without disadvantaging the consumer - most DEFs no longer apply once you have held the loan for a period of 5 years.

Consider also the cost of funding a loan hasn’t changed for banks or non-banks so the exit fee will have to be recouped somewhere - remember there’s no such thing as a free lunch! The reality is that exit fees may in fact be replaced by higher establishment fees [mortgage application, valuation and legal fees] making it harder for consumers to get into a home loan. It might also result in higher ongoing loan costs, however time will tell because the government doesn’t look like its going to back down on the banning of exit fees.

Reminder - Footy Tips: The AFL season kicks off tonight so if you are not yet part of our footy tipping competition click here

Service Alert - Debt Negotiation: If you’ve racked up a stack of high interest credit cards this service could help you. Our Debt Negotiator can negotiate your personal debts down to as low as 10-50% of your original balance! To find out how you can slice up your credit card debt click here

Free Seminar - The '70-hr Renovation System' [Apr 12th] - Learn how to buy small units or houses, renovate them to a high standard and sell them for maximum profit. For more details click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue.

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The RBA's interest rate statement for March...

2011-03-01T15:27:00.003+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

The global economy is continuing its expansion, led by very strong growth in the Asian region. Commodity prices have risen further over recent months, pushing up measures of consumer price inflation in many countries. A number of countries have been moving to tighten their monetary policy settings. Overall, though, financial conditions for the global economy remain accommodative.
Australia's terms of trade are at their highest level since the early 1950s and national income is growing strongly. Private investment is picking up, mainly in the resources sector, in response to high levels of commodity prices. In the household sector thus far, in contrast, there continues to be caution in spending and borrowing, and a higher rate of saving out of current income. The effects of the natural disasters over the summer have reduced output, but production levels should recover over the months ahead, and there will be a mild boost to demand from the rebuilding efforts as they get under way.

Asset values have generally been little changed over recent months and overall credit growth remains quite subdued, notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend. Business balance sheets generally are being strengthened, and the run-up in household leverage has abated.

The labour market firmed in 2010, with unusually strong growth in employment and a decline in the rate of unemployment. Most leading indicators suggest further growth in employment, though most likely at a slower pace. Reports of skills shortages remain confined, at this point, to the resources and related sectors. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages has returned to rates seen prior to the downturn.

Inflation is consistent with the medium-term objective of monetary policy, having declined significantly from its peak in 2008. These moderate outcomes are being assisted by the high level of the exchange rate, the earlier decline in wages growth and strong competition in some key markets, which have worked to offset large rises in utilities prices. Production losses due to weather are temporarily raising prices for some agricultural produce, but these should fall back later in the year. Overall, looking through these temporary effects, the Bank expects that inflation over the year ahead will continue to be consistent with the 2–3 per cent target.

At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current mildly restrictive stance of monetary policy remained appropriate in view of the general macroeconomic outlook.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Say hello to bickering banks and goodbye to credit card debt...

2011-02-24T15:35:00.000+10:30

It appears that competition between the top four banks is at levels not seen for years.

NAB began the battle with its ‘break-up’ campaign, targeting its rivals' mortgage customers by announcing that they would pay the $700 mortgage exit fees for customers who moved their home loan to the bank from the Commonwealth Bank or Westpac, as well as waive their normal $600 application fee.

Within a week the CBA retaliated by offering to pay NAB customers $1,200 in direct cash if they switch their mortgage to CBA, as well as $100 for each credit card and transaction account. Not to be left out of the action Westpac announced a range of cuts to their rates and fees and launched an aggressive campaign to poach business customers from rival banks.
overall deal for your situation.

Deals like these sound good on the surface but you need to look a bit deeper to get an understanding of the underlying interest rate and total loan costs. After all what’s the point of scoring a few hundred dollars in upfront cash if your loan ends up costing you tens of thousands more in extra interest payments.

Perhaps the big banks should focus on keeping their current customers happy rather than trying to ‘buy’ more of them. They’d only have to visit a couple of forums or read a few news article comments to get a feel for how cynical bank customers have become - here’s a good one I came across; “So if you are a CBA mortgage customer, perhaps you can have NAB pay your exit fee, move to NAB, then get CBA to pay you $1200 to come back?”

*New Service* Debt Negotiation: If you’ve been spending more than earn and as a result have racked up a stack of high interest credit cards this service could help you. Our Debt Negotiator can negotiate your personal debts down to as low as 10-50% of your original balance! To find out how you can slice up your credit card debt click here

Free Seminar - The '70-hr Renovation System' [Mar 1st] - Learn how to buy small units or houses, renovate them to a high standard and sell them for maximum profit. For more details click here

Reminder: we have recently updated our office contact numbers. Our new details are;
- phone: 08 8451 1500
- fax: 08 8451 1501

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue.

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The '70-hour renovation system' that could bag you $50K...

2011-02-21T21:48:00.000+10:30

This is an invitation to spend 2 hours with our renovation guru Andrew Farnden...

I've known Andrew for more than 2 years and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he's the real deal!

I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very good money right here in Adelaide.

The best thing about Andrew's strategy is it’s simple! Anyone really can do it once they know the right way around things. He doesn’t use property options, wraps, subdivide land or build new properties - he simply buys small units or houses, renovates them to a high standard and sells them for maximum profit.

I told you it was simple! But be warned while it may be simple it's not easy unless you know how to do it. Even a few simple mistakes could end up costing you 10's of thousands of dollars - you see, in the early days Andrew had some close calls and even did a few deals which made no money. That's until he developed his 'renovation system'. Now Andrew can predict accurately how much money he will make from each deal - deal after deal!

Make sure you register now - click here [Free Seminar held on Tuesday March 1st]

Special Bonus* - When you register for this seminar you will receive our FREE Property RE-Search Kit valued at $147.

But I can't renovate! I don't even know how to use a screwdriver!! I've got some great news - you don’t have to be a handy person - in fact, the worse you are, the less you will want to try and do things yourself and the better off you’ll be! You see this game is all about speed. Andrew is able to completely renovate properties in 3-6 weeks without getting his hands dirty! As Andrew says "control everything but do nothing"

But I don't have the time! This is not full time work - in fact, when you get started it’s better to keep your day job as it provides a good source of cashflow which will help you qualify for loans, and you can easily organise the renovation in your spare time. Get a few deals under your belt then fire your boss - that's what Andrew did.

For more details and to register click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Learn the '70 hour renovation system' and make $50K in your spare time...

2011-02-04T13:53:00.000+10:30

Let me tell you about our renovation guru Andrew Farnden...

I met Andrew 2 years ago and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he's one of the best!

I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very good money right here in Adelaide.

The best thing about Andrew's strategy is it’s simple! Anyone really can do it once they know the right way around things. He doesn’t use property options, wraps, subdivide land or build new properties - he simply buys small units or houses, renovates them to a high standard and sells them for maximum profit.

I told you it was simple! But be warned while it may be simple it's not easy unless you know how to do it. Even a few simple mistakes could end up costing you 10's of thousands of dollars - you see, in the early days Andrew had some close calls and even did a few deals which made no money. That's until he developed his 'renovation system'. Now Andrew can predict accurately how much money he will make from each deal - deal after deal!

Make sure you register now - click here

Special Bonus* - When you register for this seminar you will receive our FREE Property RE-Search Kit valued at $147.

But I can't renovate! I don't even know how to use a screwdriver!! I've got some great news - you don’t have to be a handy person - in fact, the worse you are, the less you will want to try and do things yourself and the better off you’ll be! You see this game is all about speed. Andrew is able to completely renovate properties in 3-6 weeks without getting his hands dirty! As Andrew says "control everything but do nothing"

But I don't have the time! This is not full time work - in fact, when you get started it’s better to keep your day job as it provides a good source of cashflow which will help you qualify for loans, and you can easily organise the renovation in your spare time. Get a few deals under your belt then fire your boss - that's what Andrew did.

During this 2-hour seminar you'll learn;

Real life examples of Andrew’s renovation projects - how much he paid, how value he added, how much he spent on the reno and how much profit he made.
Why you should like real estate
The 3 R’s of real estate
4 reason to renovate
Andrew’s fair price theory
Budgeting for reno success
Finding quality tradespeople
Finding the deal
4 steps to real estate innovation - find, buy, innovate, profit
Real case studies with heaps of before & after pictures…
How you can access Andrews’s complete 'renovation system' through his flagship 2-day workshop program.

For all event details and to register your place click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The RBA's interest rate statement for February...

2011-02-01T14:31:00.000+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

Global output grew strongly in 2010, notwithstanding the relatively subdued performance of several of the major economies. The Chinese and Indian economies in particular have recorded very strong expansions, and price pressures, particularly for food and raw materials, have picked up. Concerns about sovereign creditworthiness in Europe have remained prominent and uncertainty from this source seems likely to persist for some time. Overall, however, the global economy continues to look strong going into 2011. Commodity prices have remained high and in many instances have risen further over recent months.

Australia's terms of trade are at their highest level since the early 1950s and national income is growing strongly. There have been further indications that private investment is beginning to pick up in response to high levels of commodity prices. In the household sector thus far, in contrast, there continues to be caution in spending and borrowing, and an increase in the saving rate. Asset values have generally been little changed over recent months and overall credit growth remains quite subdued, notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend.

Employment growth was unusually strong in 2010. Most leading indicators suggest further growth, though most likely at a slower pace. After the significant decline in 2009, growth in wages picked up somewhat last year. Some further increase is likely over the coming year.

Inflation is consistent with the medium-term objective of monetary policy, having declined significantly from its peak in 2008. Recent data show underlying inflation at around 2¼ per cent in 2010. The CPI rose by about 2¾ per cent, reflecting the once-off effect of the increase in tobacco excise. These moderate outcomes are being assisted by the high level of the exchange rate, the earlier decline in wages growth and strong competition in some key markets, which have worked to offset large rises in utilities prices. The Bank expects that inflation over the year ahead will continue to be consistent with the 2–3 per cent target.

The flooding in Queensland and Victoria is having a temporary adverse effect on economic activity and prices. Some production of crops and resources has been lost and some other forms of economic output have also been lower in the affected areas.

Prices for the relevant commodities have risen and are likely to remain elevated in the near term. Resumption of production is occurring at differing speeds by region and industry. In setting monetary policy the Bank will, as on past occasions where natural disasters have occurred, look through the estimated effects of these short-term events on activity and prices. The focus of monetary policy will remain on medium-term prospects for economic activity and inflation.

The floods also resulted in damage or destruction to physical capital in the affected regions. Over the next year or two, the efforts to repair or replace infrastructure and housing will add modestly to aggregate demand, compared with what would otherwise likely have occurred. The extent of this net additional effect will depend on the full extent of the damage, the speed of the rebuilding, and the extent to which other public and private spending is deferred. The Bank's preliminary assessment is that the net additional demand from rebuilding is unlikely to have a major impact on the medium-term outlook for inflation.

The Bank will of course continue to assess the effects of the floods and the subsequent recovery, along with all the other factors having a bearing on economic conditions. At today's meeting, the Board judged that the current stance of monetary policy remained appropriate in view of the general macroeconomic outlook.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8451 1500

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Don't let rising interest rates get you down...

2011-01-26T12:56:00.003+10:30

Analysts are forecasting interest rates to rise by at least 1% by the end of the year. At which point the average variable rate would have climbed to around 8.2-8.5% - pre-GFC levels!

If you’re concerned about rising interest rates rest assured you do have options at your disposal. Currently there are some very competitively priced fixed rate loans. One of our panel lenders if offering a 3 yr fixed rate of 7.10% - that’s cheaper than most of the banks discounted variable rates.

If you require flexibility and don’t wish to fix you should consider a review of your current interest rates, particularly if your loans are more than 2 years old. Currently we have one of the best variable rates going at 6.88% - so depending on your situation you might be able to switch lenders and save thousands!

Cheap home loan rates aside there’s a raft of other strategies you can use to ease the burden of rising interest rates. Why not try and make extra payments into your loan while interest rates are cheaper. This helps you build up a buffer and ensures that you have extra funds available should you find yourself short one month.

You could also convert any principal & interest [P&I] loans you have to interest-only [IO] - this can lower your monthly repayments considerably whilst still giving you the option of paying down your loan by making extra ‘principal’ payments at any time.

Not sure if a fixed loan is right for you? Why not take an each way bet and consider fixing 50% of your loan. If interest rates rise the fixed rate portion of your loan is protected at the lower rate. Conversely if rates decrease you will still get the benefit of the variable rate portion.

Are you channelling all of your savings into paying down your highest rate debt, such as credit cards? There’s no point trying to pay off your home if your credit card is overdrawn and you’re only making the minimum monthly payment. Why not switch to an IO loan and direct the rest of your available cash flow to paying off your credit card. Alternatively, if you have available equity you could consider consolidating all of your high interest debts. This will reduce your fixed monthly expenses and free up more cash flow.

Want to make lasting change? It might be a good idea to reassess all of your expenses - yes that’s right I’m talking about the dreaded b b b ‘budget’. Don’t get caught up trying to save yourself 0.05% on your home loan without addressing all of your other expenses and spending habits!

Free Property Renovation Seminar* [Feb 8th] - If you want to get results you have to learn from someone that is getting the results you want. I met Andrew less than 2 years ago and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he certainly ‘walks the talk’. I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very good money right here in Adelaide. For more details see our investment article

Please note we have recently updated our office contact numbers. Our new details are;
phone: 08 8451 1500
fax: 08 8451 1501

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue.

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success,

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
Finance Adelaide, Home Loans Adelaide
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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2011 could be your best year yet...

2010-12-22T15:54:00.000+10:30

It’s certainly been an interesting year for all things finance and property related. We saw the cash rate increase from 3.75% to 4.75% as the RBA raised interest rates a total of four times in response to Australia’s growing economy.

We were also witness to the power of big banking institutions - as they flexed their [sizeable] muscles raising lending rates by more than the official RBA increases - as much as .30% in the case of the biggest two players CBA and Westpac! While they cited rising funding costs as the reason behind their decisions consumers have not been impressed, particularly after the same banks posted record profits and paid out mega executive salaries.

The banks standard variable rate now stands at around 7.3%. The data suggests that rates could rise again as early as April next year - with rates predicted to go up by another 1% by the end of 2012. This would bring the bring the cash rate to 5.75% pushing mortgage interest rates up to around 8.5% - around where they were hovering in 2008, before the GFC hit!

Moving on from interest rate rises there were a number of positives in 2010. Overall the lending landscape improved thank to the resurgence of non-bank lenders - who are currently delivering more competitive products compared with the big 4 banks! We also saw the return of 95% loans, genuine low doc loans and a overall easing of the tight post-GFC lending policies.

More recently the government has announced a raft of proposed changes to banking industry in an attempt to foster more competition and a better deal for consumers - most notably is the push to scrap exit fees on all loans. It remains to be seen if they will achieve their desired result with many commentators openly opposing the changes, concerned that the reforms will actually do the exact opposite and give the banks a greater advantage.

For the property market 2010 has been a year of contrasts. While the market was going great guns in late 2009 the housing market saw a change in the middle of this year, with capital growth stagnating after 17 consecutive months of gains. Over the 18 months to June, Adelaide had double digit growth, while over the three months ending October, home values were essentially flat.

Recently released RPData ‘year-to-date’ figures [Jan-Oct 2010] show Adelaide house prices grew by a modest 5.1% while unit prices fell by -1.5%. The November rate rise, bank top-ups, declining clearance rates, and a rising stock of unsold homes hint at tougher times ahead.

According to RPdata’s Tim Lawless “Higher interest rates were one of the key factors in the market slowdown.”

“Additionally, a general wind-down in the market cycle was at play," he said. "The high rates of capital growth between January 2009 and June 2010 could not have been sustained. As interest rates rose, affordability constraints became a greater barrier and buyer demand began to fall.”

“For 2011, we are likely to see vendor expectations change as slower market conditions come into play. The outcome will be that houses will take longer to sell and buyers will be negotiating much harder than they were in 2009 and the first half of 2010,” he said.

However, Lawless has commented that the buyers' market will not result in material declines in home values, and that the fundamentals of the housing market remain strong. He has also pointed to above average population growth and increasing consumer confidence as reasons for optimism in 2011.

So what will you do in 2011 that will be different from 2010?
Make 2011 a year of action! As always Urbantech is here to help you achieve your finance and wealth creation goals - whether it’s making sure you are currently getting the best deal in the market or creating a complete and holistic road map to guide you towards your wealth goals.

Alternatively, just give us a call in January and we can perform a full ‘finance and wealth evaluation’ to help you identify all of the areas you can improve - as they say ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ so let us show you!

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue and next year!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Merry Christmas and Thank You from Urbantech...

2010-12-20T12:58:00.000+10:30

Seasons Greatings!

On behalf of Urbantech Group I would like to send you and your family our very best wishes for Christmas and take this opportunity to thank you for your business and support throughout the year.

We have thoroughly enjoyed working with you during 2010 and are totally committed to helping you prosper through 2011 and beyond.

We will be taking a short break and the office will be closed from Thursday Dec 23rd and will re-open Monday Jan 3rd 2011.

Take a breather, stay safe, relax and enjoy your break!

PS. For any financial emergencies during the holiday break [by the way maxing out your credit card doesn't count as an emergency ; ) ] please contact Sam on 0411 431 391

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
Managing Director
Urbantech Group
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Switch lenders and you could save $104,000...

2010-12-14T12:48:00.000+10:30

Get a better deal on your home/investment loans!

Two months ago we announced we had access to a new lender which could beat the major banks hands down. Since that time interest rates have changed, however we’re still on a winner!

If you are like most people you’re probably furious at your lender for raising interest rates beyond the recent RBA increase of 0.25% - but rather than complain about it to your family and friends, it's time to do something about it!

Here's a comparison of some current interest rates;

Case Study - Here's how you can save $104,000 on a $350,000 loan!

Let’s assume you have a home loan of $350,000 with an interest rate of 7.30%. While it might have been the best product for you a few years ago what if you could switch to a new loan with a rate of just 6.88%?

While the difference in interest rate is small the savings are considerable over time - even after factoring in refinancing costs of $1,000 you would save ~$35,000 by switching your loan.
- To download our calculator results click here

But wait there's more: if you took your monthly savings of ~$100 and used it to make additional payments into your new loan each month you would save yourself an additional $69,000 and cut 3 years and 7 months off of your loan term.
- To download our calculator results click here

So overall you could save ~$104,000 in interest on your $350,000 loan just by switching over to a cheaper priced product. Remember the larger your loan and interest rate the bigger the savings will be!

Like to see how much we could save you? Simply email us or call 08 8404 3133

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The RBA's interest rate statement for December...

2010-12-07T14:17:00.000+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent.

Since the previous Board meeting, concerns about the creditworthiness of a number of European governments have again become the main focus of financial markets, with a marked rise in sovereign bond spreads for some euro-area countries and an increase in volatility. At the same time, recent data suggest that the Chinese and Indian economies have continued to grow strongly and price pressures, particularly for food, have picked up in China as well as a number of other economies in Asia. Modest growth is continuing in the United States.

For Australia, the terms of trade are at their highest level since the early 1950s, and national income is growing strongly as a result. Recent information indicates that, as had been expected, private investment is beginning to pick up in response to high levels of commodity prices. In the household sector thus far, there continues to be a degree of caution in spending and borrowing, which has led to a noticeable increase in the saving rate. Asset values have generally been little changed over recent months and overall credit growth remains quite subdued, notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend.

Employment growth has been very strong over the past year, though some leading indicators suggest a more moderate pace of expansion in the period ahead. After the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up somewhat, as had been expected. Some further increase is likely over the coming year.

The exchange rate has risen significantly this year, reflecting the high level of commodity prices and the respective outlooks for monetary policy in Australia and the major countries. This will assist, at the margin, in containing pressure on inflation over the period ahead. Over the next few quarters, inflation is expected to be little changed, though it is likely to increase somewhat over the medium term if the economy grows as expected.

Following the Board's decision last month to lift the cash rate, and the subsequent increases by financial institutions, lending rates in the economy are now a little above average. The Board views this setting of monetary policy as appropriate for the economic outlook.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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$15k up for grabs for first home buyers...

2010-12-01T14:47:00.000+10:30

What's currently on offer for First Home Buyers...

The number of first home buyers actively looking for property has plummeted over recent times - this is great news for the property newbies as there's now much less competition!

The property market has also stalled in Adelaide, caused mostly by an influx of new property hitting the market in Spring, and compounded by an overall reduction in motivated buyers.

While interest rates are predicted to stay on hold for a while there's no doubting it has become a ‘buyers market’ - with less demand and more supply buyers currently have the upper hand.

It doesn’t mean that every property is a bargain but if you are prepared to do some home work and negotiate hard you might be able to grab yourself a good deal.

But back to first home buyers - there seems to be some confusion over what benefits are currently on offer, hence the reason for this update...

Here is a summary of what's on offer;

The First Home Owner Grant [FHOG] of $7,000 has also now been capped - so if you purchase a home or enter into a building contract to build a property worth more than $575,000 you will not receive the grant.

As part of the State Budget 2010 handed down on 16 September 2010, the Treasurer announced the introduction of a First Home Bonus Grant [FHBG] of up to $8,000 [formerly $4,000] for first home buyers who enter into a contract to purchase or build a New Home on or after 17 September 2010, or commence construction as an owner builder on or after 17 September 2010.

Note: the FHBG of $8000 is available for first home purchases with a market value of up to $400,000 and phases out for property with market values between $400,000 and $450,000 by $16 for every $100 in excess of $400,000

If you would like to find out more please email us or call our office on 08 8404 3133

PS. If you missed our recent news alert we now have access to 95% loan that comes with a $20K credit card at home loan rates - this loan is perfect for first home buyers! For more details click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Does your bank show you the love...

2010-11-24T10:26:00.008+10:30

Did you know the big 4 banks currently account for 84% of all property loans in Australia? They've always dominated the lending markets but certainly not to this extent!

You see when the GFC hit the money markets froze over - causing the supply of money to virtually stop. Every single lender big or small was affected, including the banks, however the banks had one big advantage - they were able to raise money via customer savings and deposits. Something the non-banks lenders could not do.

With the threat of a total global meltdown people even began to get nervous about having their money in a bank. This is when the government decided to step in and guarantee all bank deposits. By restoring confidence in the banking system the major banks were able to start attracting more deposits - if you recall there were some extremely attractive term deposit rates at the time.

This meant the banks were able to continue lending while the non-banks had to sit it out - simply because they had no way of raising new funds. If people wanted to borrow money they had no choice but to use one of the banks - as a result most new lending business was written by the big 4 leading to their current domination.

If the banks had stopped lending money the economy probably would have grinded to a halt. So the banks were instrumental in helping Australia avoid a complete financial meltdown. However, we must remember that the banks increased their market share not by providing superior service or products but by simply being 'the only ones left standing'!

Record market share has translated into record profits for banks! Now I’m not against the banks - in fact, Australia has proven itself to have one of the best banking systems in the world. And without the banks we could have found ourselves in real trouble. However their recent actions have certainly cast further doubt over their already shady reputations.

The cost of funding has gone up and as a result the banks and non-banks have all raised their rates beyond the RBA increase. But what’s got up most people’s noses has been what could only be described as a blatant disregard for their own customers!

Their justification for raising rates beyond the RBA despite making record profits was to point out that their duty is to their shareholders, and the name of the game is after all profit! No mention of their customers!! In fact, some have even stated on the record that they expect and don’t mind if they lose a few customers. I would argue that their first and most important duty is to their customers - for without them they have no business and or profits.

All of the big 4 have now officially lifted their standard variable rates. CBA was first with a .45% increase followed by ANZ .39%, Westpac .35% and finally .43% by NAB. More recently the second-tier banks and non-bank lenders announced rates rises of between .35% and .40%

The best thing to come out of all of this has been the ‘wake up call’ borrowers have experienced. It’s re-affirmed the importance of revisiting all of your loans on a regular basis and highlighted the pitfalls of being loyal to any one bank. After all does your bank really reward you for being loyal?

We’ve been dealing with a flood of calls and emails from people wanting to see if they can get a better deal. If you would like to find out please contact us on 08 8404 3133 or via email. Currently the big 4 banks don’t have the best rates in the market so there's a good chance we could save you money.

If you missed our recent news alert we now have access to 95% loan that comes with a $20K credit card at home loan rates. For more details click here. And don’t forget our exclusive new lender that is beating the pants off of all of the major banks with a rate of 6.88%. For more details click here

Free Property Renovation Seminar [Nov 30th] - If you want to get results you have to learn from someone that is getting the results you want. I met Andrew less than 2 years ago and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he certainly ‘walks the talk’. I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very good money right here in Adelaide. For more details on our last seminar of 2010 click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Borrow 95% plus get $20K extra to spend as you like...

2010-11-15T11:12:00.000+10:30

Borrow 95% plus get a bonus $20K to spend as you like...

We’ve got access to a great new loan that is setting the finance market on fire!

Let me explain the deal… One of our lenders will let you borrow 95% of a properties purchase price plus give you an extra $20,000 in the form of a credit card with an interest rate equal to your home loan.

Which ever way you look at it you will have an additional $20K to use as you wish. You could use it to pay for your settlement costs, renovate your property [and increase its value!], or buy some new furniture. The point is $20K could make a real difference. And remember if you are a first home buyer you could receive up to an extra $15,000 in government grants!

This loan is funded by second tier bank and is only available through accredited finance brokers such as Urbantech Finance. To qualify for the 95% lend you will need to be an owner occupier [investors can borrow 90%] and show you have 5% of the purchase price genuine savings.

Here are some of the loans great features;
- True 95% LVR [lenders mortgage insurance is added on top of the loan amount]
- Purchases or construction
- Fixed or variable
- 100% offset account available
- No monthly or annual fees
- FHOG may be able to be used at land settlement on construction loans.
- Secured Visa Card facility of up to $20,000 at home loan rates

Check out the example below to see how the numbers work;

LOAN 1 - TRADITIONAL BANK LOAN

Purchase Price $300,000
Purchase Costs [Stamp Duty, legal costs etc.] $15,000
Total Cost $315,000

Bank Loan [90% LVR max] $270,000
Total Funding $270,000

Equity/Cash Required to Settle $45,000

LOAN 2 - 95% LOAN plus $20K CREDIT CARD

Purchase Price $300,000
Purchase Costs [Stamp Duty, legal costs etc.] $15,000
Total Cost $315,000

Bank Loan [95% LVR max] $285,000
*Credit Card [at home loans rates!] $20,000
Total Funding $305,000

Equity/Cash Required to Settle $10,000

The benefit of Loan 2 is you only need to come up with $10,000 in savings, a difference of $35,000 compared with the traditional bank loans currently on offer. And if you are a first home buyer and qualify for the maximum $15,000 in grants you will in effect have nothing to pay! [note: you will still need to have 5% in genuine savings to qualify for this loan]

This is an exciting new offer and we are currently arranging a number of these loans for our clients. If you would like to find out more please email us or call our office on 08 8404 3133

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The RBA's interest rate statement for November...

2010-11-02T14:05:00.002+10:30

At its meeting, the Board decided to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.75 per cent, effective 3 November 2010.

The global economy grew faster than trend over the year to mid 2010. Global growth will probably ease back to about trend pace over the coming year as strong recoveries in the emerging world give way to a more sustainable pace of expansion and growth remains subdued in the United States and Europe. At the same time, concerns about the possibility of a larger than expected slowing in Chinese growth have lessened recently and most commodity prices have firmed, after a fall earlier in the year. The prices most important to Australia remain at very high levels, with the result that the terms of trade are at their highest since the early 1950s. The turmoil in financial markets earlier in the year has abated, though sentiment remains fragile.

Information on the Australian economy indicates growth around trend over the past year. Public spending was prominent in driving aggregate demand for several quarters but this impact is now lessening. While there has been a degree of caution in private spending behaviour thus far, the rise in the terms of trade, which is now boosting national income very substantially, is likely to lead to stronger private spending over the next couple of years, especially in business investment.

Asset values are not moving notably in either direction, and overall credit growth remains quite subdued at this stage notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend. The exchange rate has risen significantly this year, reflecting the high level of commodity prices and the respective outlooks for monetary policy in Australia and the major countries. This will assist, at the margin, in containing pressure on inflation.

The demand for labour has continued to firm. While the labour market is not as tight as in 2007 and 2008, some further strengthening would appear to be in prospect, judging by the trends in job vacancies. After the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up somewhat, as had been expected. Some further increase is likely over the coming year.

Given these conditions, the moderation in inflation that has been under way for the past two years is probably now close to ending. Recent information suggests underlying inflation running at about 2½ per cent, with the CPI inflation rate a little higher due mainly to increases in tobacco taxes. Both results were helped somewhat in the latest quarter by unusual softness in food prices. Inflation is likely to rise over the next few years. This outlook, which is largely unchanged from the Bank's earlier forecasts, assumes some tightening in monetary policy.

For some time, the Board has held the stance of monetary policy steady, which has resulted in interest rates to borrowers being close to their average of the past decade. This allowed some time to observe the early effects of previous policy changes and to monitor the uncertain global outlook. The Board is also cognisant of differences in the degree of economic strength by industry and by region.

However, the economy is now subject to a large expansionary shock from the high terms of trade and has relatively modest amounts of spare capacity. Looking ahead, notwithstanding recent good results on inflation, the risk of inflation rising again over the medium term remains. At today's meeting, the Board concluded that the balance of risks had shifted to the point where an early, modest tightening of monetary policy was prudent.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Property holds strong, loans at 6.45%...

2010-10-28T11:58:00.015+10:30

The hottest debate in the market at the moment is the state of the housing market and whether current prices constitute a bubble or simply reflect the prevailing economic conditions.

While there’s no shortage of doomsayers out there it’s important to note that most of the negative commentary is coming from people that reside outside of Australia. In fact just recently a prominent US economist who tipped the US housing market collapse said Australia's house price bubble would likely be popped by rising interest rates.

While Australian house prices are high, and may soften a little, they are not in a bubble. The bubble argument ignores the vastly different economic fundamentals. It is like arguing that unemployment should rise in Australia because it is higher in America. Australian house prices are higher because the economy is strong and confidence is higher. If you want to read a reputable ‘Australian’ report on this topic click here

If you missed our recent news alert we now have access to an exclusive new lender that is beating the pants off of all of the major banks at the moment with a rate of 6.45%. What makes this new lender even better is there are NO hidden fees or charges! In fact these loans have no upfront and ongoing fees and all the loans are jam-packed with market leading features. For more details click here

We’ve also secured access to a true 95% loan that comes with a bonus $20K credit card at home loan rates! And best of all you can use the extra $20K funds to cover your settlement costs, fund some renovations or what ever else you like. Stay tuned for more info!

Free Seminar - Property Renovation Secrets Exposed [Nov 3rd] - If you want to get results you have to learn from someone that is getting the results you want - not someone that just talks about it, but someone that actually does it every day. I met Andrew less than 2 years ago and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he certainly ‘walks the talk’. I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very very good money right here in Adelaide. For more details see our Education News article.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Learn how to become a property renovation expert...

2010-10-21T10:24:00.000+10:30

Learn how to become a property renovation expert
...from a local expert!

If you want to get results you have to learn from someone that is getting the results you want - not someone that just talks about it, but someone that actually does it every day.

Let me tell you about my friend Andrew Farnden.

I met Andrew less than 2 years ago and I can honestly say that when it comes to making money renovating property he certainly ‘walks the talk’. And that’s why I convinced him to ‘talk the talk’, that is share with others what he does and how he does it!

I’ve seen his projects and I’ve tracked his results and I can say that he is making some very very good money right here in Adelaide.

The best things about what Andrew does is it’s simple! Anyone can do it once they know the right way around things. He doesn’t use property options, he’s not subdividing land, he’s not building new properties - he’s simply buying small units and houses, renovating them and selling them for maximum profit.

I told you it was simple! But be warned while it may be simple it's not always easy! You see, in the early days Andrew had some close calls and he even did some deals that didn't make much money. So while the concept is simple you need to know how to do things right if you are to make the profits Andrew now does. Even a few simple mistakes could end up costing you 10's of thousands!

For all details and to register - click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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NEW LENDER - 6.45% Loans! NO Gimmicks or catches...

2010-10-19T13:35:00.000+10:30

Want to save some $$ on your home and investment loans?

Urbantech has access to an exclusive new lender that is beating the pants off of all of the major banks at the moment.
What makes this new lender even better is there are NO hidden fees or charges! In fact these loans have no upfront and ongoing fees and all the loans are jam-packed with market leading features;

- No application fee - limited time offer! [save $700]
- No ongoing fees or account keeping fees
- Interest only for up to 10 years
- Additional payments can be made any time
- No minimum redraw with access to funds at no cost via any NAB or rediATM
- ...the list goes on and on

This is not some fly-by-nighter - all of the loans are funded by Advantedge Financial Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group, and are accessible exclusively by brokers who are members of the aggregator group FAST - that's us!

This is a genuine offer and we are currently writing a number of these loans for our clients. If you would like to find out more please call our office on 08 8404 3133

For all details click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The RBA's interest rate statement for October...

2010-10-05T14:01:00.005+10:30

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

The global economy grew faster than trend over the year to mid 2010, but will probably ease back to about trend pace over the coming year. Recent information is consistent with a more sustainable, but still strong, pace of growth in China and most of the Asian region. In Europe and the United States, growth prospects appear to be modest in the near term, a legacy of the financial crisis and its impact on private and public finances. Financial markets are still characterised by a degree of uncertainty, and are responding both to differences in growth outlooks between regions and evident strains on public finances and banking systems in several smaller countries in Europe. Most commodity prices have changed little over recent months, and those most important to Australia remain very high.

Information on the Australian economy shows growth around trend over the past year. Public spending was prominent in driving aggregate demand for several quarters but this impact is now lessening, while the prospects for private demand, and in particular business investment, have been improving. This is to be expected given the large rise in Australia’s terms of trade, which is now boosting national income very substantially.

Asset values are not moving notably in either direction, and overall credit growth is quite subdued at this stage, notwithstanding evidence of some greater willingness to lend. Inflation has moderated from the excessive pace of 2008. The effects of the rise in tobacco taxes aside, CPI inflation has been running at around 2¾ per cent over the past year. That looks likely to continue in the near term.

The current stance of monetary policy is delivering interest rates to borrowers close to their average of the past decade. The Board regards this as appropriate for the time being. If economic conditions evolve as the Board currently expects, it is likely that higher interest rates will be required, at some point, to ensure that inflation remains consistent with the medium-term target.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Event Invite - Make $60K in 6 weeks working only 73 hours!

2010-10-03T14:46:00.001+10:30

Event Invite - Make $60K in 6 weeks...

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Are your finances in need of a Spring clean...

2010-09-30T14:15:00.002+09:30

Have you reviewed you finance and or wealth creation plans in the last 12 months? We all know life is busy these days - if you’re like most people you probably spend most of your time chasing your own tail, dealing with one ‘emergency’ after another. While it may be difficult to set aside enough time to address all of the important but not-urgent matters in your life, there’s no time like the present!

Too many people take the ‘set and forget’ approach to their loans but it could come at a big cost! You see while you’re busy working hard in your job making money you could easily be losing it through unnecessarily high interest and/or poorly structured loans. The truth is the great loan you accepted a year ago might not the best in the market place today. Because the lending market changes on such a regular basis there’s a good chance that you could be saving money on your loans. For this reason I recommend you revisit all of your loans at least every 12-18 months.

How does a saving of $40,000 sound! Let’s assume you had a home loan of $300,000 at an interest rate of 6.9%. While it might have been the best product for you 3 years ago what if you could switch to a loan with a rate of 6.6%? While the difference in interest rates is not huge the savings are considerable over time. In fact, if you take the money you save and pay it into your loan each month you will save a whopping $40,000 over the full loan term. In some instances we have been able to help clients save over 1% on their home and investment loans!

There’s no doubt that there are some very good deals in the market right now - whether it be cheap variable rates, fixed rates or low doc loans. To see how much you could be saving simply call us on 08 8404 3133 for a no obligation chat.

Free Property Investment Seminar on Oct 12th - Adelaide’s property renovation guru is about to reveal everything you need to know to be able to make $60,000+ profit working only 73 hours over 6 weeks! In just one evening you can learn the ‘key secrets’ of Adelaide’s most successful property renovator. If you’re serious about creating wealth through residential property, then you won’t want to miss this one! For more details see our Investment News article below.

Footy Tipping Winners! - a big thanks to everyone that took part this year, it was another closely fought battle with only 4 points separating the top 3 positions. And for the winners… coming in first place was The Big German, followed closely by Old Grey Fox and in third place was DFlo. Congratulations guys!

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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It's time to go back to the polls...

2010-09-13T14:06:00.000+09:30

Vote for the independents in this year's Local Business Awards...

Thanks to the help of our loyal supporters Urbantech has been a finalist in the Messenger Local Business Awards for the last 3 years. Once again we have the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with our peers in the western region of the awards - and we're gunning for a repeat of our 2008 win!

Whether a valued client, business associate or friend we trust that your experience with Urbantech has been a positive and rewarding one. After all we are passionate about being a trusted provider of independent finance advice in Adelaide!

Vote 1 for Urbantech!
Your vote will help us qualify as a finalist in the awards - we'll then undergo a ‘mystery shopper’ assessment to determine if we are the best business in our category.

To vote for us go to url: http://www.messengerawards.com.au/vote.html

It will only a take a couple of minutes and just by voting you could win $1,000 in cash courtesy of Messenger News or one of 20 double movies passes thanks to Wallis Cinemas.

To ensure your online vote counts please include the following information:
Full business name: Urbantech Group
Suburb of business: Mile End
Category of business: Professional & Business Services
Address of business: 143 Henley Beach Rd, Mile End

*Voting closes on September 24th
[Note: You can only vote once. To learn more about the Local Business Awards please click here]

On behalf of the team at Urbantech I would like to thank you for your ongoing support!

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The RBA's interest rate statement for September...

2010-09-07T14:10:00.006+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

The global economy grew faster than trend over the year to mid 2010, but will probably ease back to about trend pace over the coming year. Growth in China is moderating to a more sustainable rate as policies are now less accommodating. Similar adjustments to policies and growth rates are occurring in other countries in the Asian region. In Europe, output has improved significantly so far this year, but prospects for next year are probably for slower growth given planned fiscal contraction. US growth was solid in the first half of 2010 but the pace of expansion in the second half of the year is looking weaker.

Financial markets are functioning more smoothly than they were a few months ago, though caution persists, with equity prices soft and yields on sovereign bonds issued by major countries reaching unusually low levels. Commodity prices are also off their peaks, though those most important for Australia remain at very high levels, and the terms of trade have regained their peak of two years ago.

Recent information suggests that the Australian economy has been growing at around trend pace. This has been helped by high levels of public spending over the past year but private demand has also been firming. The high level of the terms of trade is boosting incomes, which will tend to add to demand over the year ahead, while the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. Indications are that business investment in particular could increase strongly.

Domestic credit and asset markets present a more balanced picture than six months ago. Business credit has stabilised and while credit conditions for some sectors remain difficult, evidence is slowly emerging of more willingness to lend. Credit outstanding for housing has slowed a little over recent months, and the upward pressure on dwelling prices appears to have abated.

The demand for labour has firmed over the past year in line with improving growth. After the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up somewhat, as had been expected. Through to mid 2011, underlying inflation is likely to be in the top half of the target zone, while CPI inflation will probably be just above 3 per cent for a few quarters due to the impact of the tobacco tax changes.

The current setting of monetary policy is resulting in interest rates to borrowers around their average levels of the past decade. With growth in the near term likely to be close to trend, inflation close to target and with the global outlook remaining somewhat uncertain, the Board judged this setting of monetary policy to be appropriate for the time being.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Make $60K in 6 weeks... i didn't believe it at first...

2010-09-07T13:44:00.000+09:30

Adelaide’s property renovation guru is about to reveal everything you need to know to be able to make $60,000+ profit working only 73 hours over 6 weeks!

In just one evening you can learn the ‘key secrets’ of Adelaide’s most successful property renovator. If you’re serious about creating wealth through residential property, then you won’t want to miss this one!

You'll learn how an investment of $4,975 could see you making profits of $62,000+ over and over again - but only if you act fast as places are limited due to space constraints.

You'll also learn how to:

§ Organise your finances, develop an investing plan, conduct research and locate a range of suitable properties that fit your criteria.
§ Professionally evaluate opportunities, conduct inspections, negotiate favourable terms and purchase below market value.
§ Add serious value to your property through innovative design, forward planning, project management, renovation and development.
§ Make more money in less time without the stress, plus receive one-on-one mentoring to help you build your own property empire.

This is event features Adelaide’s leading property renovation expert. You can be guaranteed that you'll learn from a true ‘local’ [not some interstate spruiker] whose strategies have been developed specifically for the Adelaide market and who has made all of his wealth using the exact same strategies he is going to share with you at the seminar.

Special Bonus* - When you register for this seminar you will receive our FREE Property RE-Search Kit valued at $147.

Here’s what Kate from Adelaide said about the seminar…
"Fabulous, so much info and easy to understand!”

And Helen had this to say...
“Excellent knowledge - very well researched. Good common sense approach. If only I had heard it 20 years ago!”

For more details and to register - click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Learn how to make passive cashflow online...

2010-08-30T14:45:00.000+09:30

Seven of Australia's wealthiest Internet Entrepreneurs & Cashflow Experts are about to reveal...

...everything You Need To Know To Make An Obscene Amount of PASSIVE cashflow online in 2010!

Have you ever heard the myth that the "internet ship" has sailed and anyone who was ever going to make money from the internet already has?

This is NOT TRUE. In fact, the internet as we know it is only around 16 years old. It's still just a teenager!

This means that the biggest and best of the internet is yet to come, including the potential to use it as a tool to start a new online business or boost your current offline business.

Now my friend Stuart Zadel has put together a brand-new LIVE event which will feature this country's top Internet Entrepreneurs and is designed to help you take advantage of the huge opportunities available to you online.

The event is called the Think And Grow Rich Internet and Cashflow Conference. If you haven't booked yet, there are 2 complimentary tickets waiting for you. Come along and see seven Internet and Cashflow experts share great strategies about making money online in today's market.

If you're serious about:
- Learning how to easily drive loads of traffic to your website
- Getting to the top of the search engines and staying there
- Creating a business with very little overheads
- Working from any location in the world
- Never needing to pay for advertising again

Then you have to register your free tickets before they are booked out!

To attend this One Time Only event please visit: http://www.TGRInternet.com.au/29330

In addition, this event will be the world wide launch of the new 'Think And Grow Rich Internet' book. This book is the next instalment in the highly popular Think And Grow Rich(R) series and will feature many of the speakers you'll see live at the event, so you get to take the experts home with you! This book won't hit stores until next year!

Not only have I managed to secure your 2 complimentary tickets to the live event, but also a free copy of this brand new book!

To make sure you don't miss out, register right now at: http://www.TGRInternet.com.au/29330

This momentous Live event will take place in Adelaide on the weekend of September 11th & 12th

It's designed to teach you all the specialised knowledge and strategies you'll need to achieve massive success online today! If you decide to come along, please come up to me and say G'day!

Places are strictly limited! Tickets to this event are valued at $187 however we've organised for you to attend for FREE.

To register your tickets please visit: http://www.TGRInternet.com.au/29330

Just remember you can never learn less!

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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95% loans are back, rates to hit 9%, profit in any market...

2010-08-27T14:38:00.000+09:30

The Australian economy may be rebounding but that's no reason for mortgage-holders to celebrate, that’s according to a new BIS Shrapnel report. The report predicts that inflationary pressures will force mortgage interest rates above 9% within three years at which time the property market is expected to head into a controlled downturn.

While we know these sort of predictions don't always play out in reality we can say with certainty that house price growth has begun to pull back in most parts of Australia, including Adelaide. As a result expect interest rates to hold steady in the short term, particularly as there’s still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the American and European economies. For an up-to-date review of the residential property market and the Australian economy by respected research house rpdata click here

The good news for borrowers is lenders are starting to loosen up with a raft of higher LVR products being launched to the market this week. A number of lenders have just brought back the 95% LVR loan [for owner occupier borrowers only] while one has gone so far as to launch a 99 per cent LVR product. With these products coming from the non-major players, it’s particularly good news for competition, and the consumer. But don’t expect the industry to revert to pre-GFC times in a hurry where the market was awash with 100% loan products. It will be a lot harder to get a 95 per cent loan across the line than it was two years ago!

Would you like to be able to make money from property regardless of whether the market is up, down or sideways? Well 11 people from Adelaide just learned exactly how by attending our recent Renovate for Profit 2-Day Workshop. To check out some pics from our awesome weekend click here - for more information on how to attend our next workshop click here

Need help Investing? - You don’t have to go it alone! We’ll help you find, buy, innovate and profit from property investment, saving you time, money and stress. Have us research, find, analyse, negotiate & buy your next investment or home; design, organise & manage your next property renovation project; or coach and mentor you on your investment journey. For more details on our property investment services click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The outcome of the Reserve Bank Board meeting in August...

2010-08-03T14:19:00.000+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

The global economy grew faster than trend over the year to mid 2010. The expansion has been uneven, with the major advanced countries recording only moderate growth overall but growth in Asia and Latin America very strong. There are indications that growth in China is moderating to a more sustainable rate as policies are now less accommodating. Similar adjustments to policies and growth rates are occurring in other countries in the Asian region. In Europe, while output in some key countries has been improving significantly, prospects for next year are more uncertain given planned fiscal contraction. US growth was stronger in the first half of 2010 but the pace of labour market improvement has been slow and the expansion may be somewhat lacklustre in the second half of 2010. Overall, the Bank expects global growth to be about trend over the coming year.

The caution evident in financial markets in the past few months has abated of late, helped by the disclosure of information about European banks. Nonetheless, the global outlook remains somewhat more uncertain than a few months ago and this is reflected in the volatility of financial prices. Commodity prices are off their peaks but those most important for Australia remain at very high levels, and the terms of trade are around their peak of two years ago.

With the high level of the terms of trade expected to add to incomes and demand, output growth in Australia over the year ahead is likely to be about trend, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. Consumption spending is recording a modest increase at present, with households displaying a degree of caution, but most indicators suggest business investment will increase over the coming year. Business credit has stabilised, though credit conditions for some sectors remain difficult. Credit outstanding for housing has continued to expand, but the upward pressure on dwelling prices appears to have abated.

The labour market has continued to firm gradually, and after the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up a little, as had been expected. Recent data for inflation were consistent with the Bank’s May forecasts, with underlying inflation declining to about 2¾ per cent, the lowest rate for about three years. The rate of CPI increase was a little above 3 per cent due to the effects of increases in tobacco taxes announced earlier in the year. Through to mid 2011, underlying inflation is likely to be in the top half of the target zone, while CPI inflation will probably be just above 3 per cent for a few quarters due to the impact of the tax changes and increases in utilities prices.

The current setting of monetary policy is resulting in interest rates to borrowers around their average levels of the past decade. With growth likely to be close to trend, inflation close to target and the global outlook remaining somewhat uncertain, the Board judged this setting of monetary policy to be appropriate.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Pay too much and still make a killing in property...

2010-07-27T14:08:00.000+09:30

There's a lot of talk of a bubble in real estate prices. While much of the focus is on the eastern states the Adelaide story is not to dissimilar with auction clearance rates down and prices softening over recent months.

Should you listen? I think it's seriously detrimental to your wealth creation plans if you start letting the media influence your decision making, particularly if it causes you to stop taking positive action.
Consider this; will property be more expensive in 5 yrs time? I'd say that if you bought any well located property in Adelaide you would be pretty safe in regards to capital appreciation. That is to say that if you bought a good property in a good area you could expect that property to be worth quite a bit more in the years to come.

I'm always amused when I see people in the last stage of negotiation walk away from the deal because of a few thousand dollars. Does it really matter if you paid too much for your investment property?

I’m not saying you should pay more than you have to, maybe just more than you thought you should have to. In other words don’t let a few thousand dollars be the difference between having an investment property and not having an investment property. After all if you’re going to hold on to property for the long term the extra dollars you paid will become insignificant.

It's all short-term perspectives. The long-term reality is real estate will be more expensive in 10 years time without a doubt. And what that simply means to you is the earlier you begin, the better it will be for you financially in the future.

Need help Investing? - You don’t have to go it alone! We’ll help you find, buy, innovate and profit from property investment, saving you time, money and stress. Have us research, find, analyse, negotiate & buy your next investment or home; design, organise & manage your next property renovation project; or coach and mentor you on your investment journey. For more details on our property investment services click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The outcome of today's Reserve Bank Board meeting...

2010-07-06T14:12:00.002+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

The global economy has continued to expand over recent months, consistent with a trend pace of growth. The expansion remains uneven, with the major advanced countries recording only modest growth overall, but growth in Asia and Latin America, to date, very strong. There are indications that growth in China is now starting to moderate to a more sustainable rate. In Europe, while output in some key countries has been improving recently, prospects for next year are more uncertain given the budgetary constraints governments face and the pressure on euro area banks. US growth has looked stronger in the first half of 2010 but the pace of labour market improvement is slow.

Caution in financial markets has been evident in the past couple of months, driven principally by concerns about European sovereigns and banks but also by some uncertainty about the pace of future global growth. Financial prices have been more volatile and equity prices and government bond yields in major countries have declined. Some tightness in funding markets is evident, though not on the scale seen in late 2008. Commodity prices are off their peaks but those most important for Australia remain at very high levels, and the terms of trade are approaching their peak of two years ago.

With the high level of the terms of trade expected to add to incomes and demand, output growth in Australia over the year ahead is likely to be about trend, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. Consumption spending is recording a modest increase at present, with households displaying a degree of caution, but most indicators suggest business investment will increase over the coming year. Business credit appears to have stabilised, though credit conditions for some sectors remain difficult. Credit outstanding for housing has continued to expand at a solid pace, but dwelling prices are rising more slowly than earlier in the year.

The labour market has continued to firm gradually, and after the significant decline last year, growth in wages has picked up a little, as had been expected. Underlying inflation appears likely to be in the upper half of the target zone over the next year. The rate of CPI increase is likely to be a little above 3 per cent in the near term, due to the effects of increases in tobacco taxes announced earlier in the year and significant increases in prices for utilities.

The current setting of monetary policy is resulting in interest rates to borrowers around their average levels of the past decade. Pending further information about international and local conditions for demand and prices, the Board views this setting of monetary policy as appropriate.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Double or triple your income in 12 months...

2010-07-01T14:14:00.008+09:30

Adelaide’s own property renovation guru is about to reveal everything you need to know to be able to double or triple your income in the next 12 months!

Building a property portfolio is a sure-fire way to creating long-term wealth, however what if you could learn how to dramatically speed up your wealth creation by adding massive value to every property you touch?

In just one evening you can learn the ‘key secrets’ of Adelaide’s most successful property renovator. If you’re serious about creating wealth through residential property, then you won’t want to miss this up-to-the-minute live event!

As one of my valued subscribers I’ve secured two exclusive FREE tickets worth $97 each to this exciting seminar, but only if you act fast as places are limited due to space constraints.

For all details and to register - click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Property is king...

2010-06-22T14:33:00.000+09:30

Investing is back… Low vacancy rates, share market volatility and reduced first home buyer demand is causing investors to flood back into the property market. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, investors accounted for $7.99 billion worth of all home loans issued in April 2010 - a 1.5% increase on the previous month.

It is clear investors are taking the lead now, after the first home buyer generated boom of 2008 and 2009 jittery investors are shying away from the volatility of the share market - which has experienced plunging returns in recent months.

Historically residential property has proven to be one of the simplest, safest and most profitable investment vehicles available. In fact, the best investment decision most Australians ever make is to buy their own home. So if property is such a good investment wouldn’t you like to learn how to buy and profit from more than just one property!

To help you learn how we have been conducting a number of property investment and renovation seminars. Our next one is being held on Wednesday July 21st. These seminar are being presented by Adelaide's property renovation guru Andrew Farnden - for more details and to register your attendance see the 'Education News' section below.

Need help investing? - You don’t have to go it alone! We’ll help you find, buy, innovate and profit from property investment, saving you time, money and stress. Have us research, find, analyse, negotiate & buy your next investment or home; design, organise & manage your next property renovation project; or coach and mentor you on your investment journey. For more details on our property investment services click here

Still on the topic of property investing we recently posted out more than 700 ‘Think and Grow Rich in Property’ books to our clients and loyal supporters. If you missed out give us a call on 8404 3133 and we’ll organise to have a copy of this amazing book sent to you.

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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See seven property gurus speak in Adelaide this weekend...

2010-06-17T09:58:00.000+09:30

Fact. More millionaires have made their fortune through property than by any other means!

We want YOU to be next!!
Urbantech has been in business for 5 years and while it’s a big deal for us we understand it’s probably not that exciting for you. So rather than host a big party to ‘pat ourselves on the back’ we decided to do something for YOU! Something to make a real difference to your financial wellbeing - because after all without YOU we wouldn’t be in business!

Read the book…
There’s no greater thrill than seeing our loyal clients and supporters improve financially. It’s the reason why we started this business and it’s the reason why we recently sent you the amazing book Think and Grow Rich in Property. After all we would much rather drink to your success than ours!

We know this book will get you excited and thinking about the different ways you can make money from property. It will also act as a source of motivation that could help catapult you towards a financially abundant future.

Attend the conference… [it's this weekend!]
To help kick-start your property investment journey we also sent you two free tickets [valued at $495 each] to the live 2-day Think and Grow Rich Property Entrepreneurs Conference. *NB. It’s being held this weekend - Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th!! so if you haven’t already registered, jump online now and book your place to this amazing property event.

To register go to http://www.tgrproperty.com.au/Urban fill in your details and enter the promo code SC5045 [in order to activate your free tickets].

Didn’t receive the book in the post?
Over the last few weeks we have posted out more than 700 books to our clients and loyal supporters. If you missed out it was because of two reasons; we didn’t have your postal address or the address we had on file was wrong.

If you would like to get a copy of the book Think and Grow Rich in Property we’re more than happy to send one out to you - just email us your correct postal details.

As always if you have any questions give us a call on 08 8404 3133. Hope to see you this weekend!

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes

2010-06-15T12:05:00.002+09:30

Your Partner in Success
Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Spend 2 hrs with Adelaide's Renovation Guru...

2010-06-04T12:21:00.001+09:30

Learn how you could turn $2,975 into $60,000+ profit...

Time and time again residential property has proven to be one of the simplest, safest and most profitable investment vehicles available. In fact, the best investment decision most Australians ever make is to buy a their own home. Here's the confusing part - if property is such a good investment why do most people call it quits after just one? Re-stated - why make money from only one property when you could easily repeat the process and profit from many!

Learn how to profit from property with Adelaide's own renovation guru!
The traditional way of investing in property is to buy and wait… and then wait some more... However you don't need a life time to make money in property - there are some very simple strategies you can learn and master to increase the speed and size of your property returns, without spending a lot of money doing so.

So how would you like to be able to turn $2,975 into more than $60,000 within just a few months. We've secured one of Adelaide's best and most experienced property renovators to show you how!

Warning: The results you achieve will vary greatly depending on your knowledge and commitment! Do you know what to buy, where to buy, and how much to spend - and then how to best add value to the property to maximise your profit?

All will be revealed at our brand new property renovation seminar 're-innovate for profits'; where you’ll learn the four key stages of successful property investment - how to find, buy, innovate and profit from real estate.

In fact, by attending this seminar you will walk away with the knowledge, tools, skills and the contacts to start making real profits from property. More specifically you’ll learn how to;

§ Organise your finances, develop an investing plan, conduct research and locate a range of suitable properties that fit your criteria.

§ Professionally evaluate opportunities, conduct inspections, negotiate favourable terms and purchase below market value.

§ Add serious value to your property through innovative design, forward planning, project management, renovation and development.

§ Make more money in less time without the stress, plus receive one-on-one mentoring to help you build your own property empire.

For more details and to reserve your seat at our seminar click here

At the seminar we’ll walk you through the real life step-by-step process we use when investing in property. We’ll show you the ‘how to’ strategies to find, negotiate, finance, buy, renovate and develop property. The strategies are easy to learn - the secret is putting them into practice. That’s where property expert and seminar presenter Andrew Farnden comes in.

Andrew has the solid hands-on experience and investment track record to give you the very best advice and the best bottom-line on your property investment. His passion, humour and no-BS style will quickly allay any fears you may have and soon open your eyes to the exciting world of property investment!

Talkfests, seminars, workshops, how-to books… you’ve heard it all before right? It’s the age old problem of people ‘talking the talk’ but not ‘walking the walk’. If you are genuinely serious about learning and fully understanding the benefits of property investing you need to learn from someone who actually does it not just talks about it - and most importantly someone knows how to get results.

The proof is in the pudding! Andrew will go through his own ‘real life’ Adelaide property deals to show you exactly how he does it. Here’s an example of a recent deal he’ll be discussing at the workshop;

Helen Street, Glenelg North, SA
Purchase Price $300,000
Purchase Costs $14,700
Reno Costs $28,300
Holding & Selling Costs $14,100 [finance, agent fees, adverts]
TOTAL COST $357,100

Bank Loan [95%] $285,000
Investment/ Shortfall $72,100
SALE PRICE $420,000

PROFIT [16 weeks] $62,900 [Sale Price - Total Cost]
COC Return [after reno] 87.2% [Profit/Investment]

For more details and to reserve your seat at our seminar click here

I look forward to seeing you there!

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The outcome of today's Reserve Bank Board meeting...

2010-06-01T14:09:00.009+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.5 per cent.

Since the Board last met, concerns about sovereign creditworthiness in several European countries have been a focus of financial markets. Investors have generally displayed a good deal more caution. As a result, equity prices have fallen and long-term government bond rates have declined outside of the countries most affected by the sovereign concerns. The Australian dollar fell sharply as part of this adjustment. Commodity prices have also softened, though those important for Australia remain at very high levels.

European policymakers have responded by assembling a large package to provide financing for the relevant countries for a period of time, stabilise bond markets and provide liquidity. They have also committed to action to bring budget deficits down and stabilise debt over time.

The effects of these various factors on the world economy will need to remain under review. At this stage, global growth is still expected to be at about trend pace in 2010. Conditions in Europe overall have been relatively weak, and the foreshadowed budgetary tightening will probably mean that this will continue, but growth is becoming more established in North America. In Asia, growth has continued to be quite strong and may need to moderate in the year ahead.

In Australia, with the high level of the terms of trade expected to add to incomes and demand, output growth over the year ahead is likely to be about trend, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. Inflation appears likely to be in the upper half of the target zone over the next year.

Consistent with that outlook, and as a result of actions at previous meetings, interest rates to borrowers are around their average levels of the past decade, which is a significant adjustment from the very expansionary settings reached a year ago. Taking all the available information into account, the Board views this setting of monetary policy as appropriate for the near term.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Are you a peak performer...

2010-05-31T13:48:00.001+09:30

Are you well? I mean financially, are you ‘fighting fit’ and in the best shape of your life or are you fighting the ‘financial flu’.

Why is it that some people never seem to get sick? They always seem to look good, feel good and perform at the top of their game. We all know the answer don’t we - it’s simply a matter of eating well and exercising appropriately - yet we all struggle with these basics.

Now lets consider the athlete - how does a person move beyond getting average results to becoming a high achiever? In other words, how does a person go from good to great?

It starts and ends with having a great coach! A coach will identify your weaknesses, help you improve them and make sure you play to your strengths. Coaches also work in conjunction with a team of experts who provide specialist guidance and assistance to help you fine tune all aspects of your game. Gone are the days of one dimensional training, I'm talking about an all encompassing holistic approach! Finally, a coach gives you accurate feedback on your performance so that you know how you are tracking in relation to your performance goals.

So how do you measure up? Are you winning the game of money? Are you living up to your potential?

When it comes to your finances there are two things you MUST do; fix what’s currently wrong then develop a plan to maximise your situation in order to get every last little bit of potential out of it.

However there’s a problem - the problem is that you don’t know what you don’t know! …and that includes the answers to questions like these; Is your current loan the best possible loan for your needs today? Are your loans structured to maximise any tax benefits and help with debt reduction? Do you need life insurance and income protection and if so how much? Are your investments underperforming? Is your Super Fund the best performing fund in the market place? Are you overpaying for house, car and business insurance that is not even tailored to your needs and financial situation?

I haven’t even scratched the service… the point is we all need a financial coach to ensure we reach our full potential.

So how would you like someone to analyse every aspect of your financial health?
I’m talking about a full financial overhaul! We call it a ‘Finance & Wealth Evaluation’ - it’s where we discuss your current and future goals, perform a thorough finance, cash flow, wealth, investment and asset-protection evaluation. We then develop an action plan for your consideration. It will give you the scope to build real wealth and can save you thousands.

Imagine the accumulative effect of making a few small improvements to every aspect of your finances. The effect on your performance and results are exponential not linear! Consider the effect of; paying less on your loans and insurances, reducing your living expenses, re-structuring your finances so that every cent of your income acts to reduce your interest costs, maximising your current investments, developing new investment returns, and finally channelling all of your savings and investment income into paying off your non-deductible debt. The benefit could be worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to you!

We’re so confident that we’ll be able to help that we guarantee it! To find out more and to book your complimentary Finance & Wealth Evaluation [valued at $330] click here

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Renovate for profits - learn how to in 2 days...

2010-05-17T13:32:00.005+09:30

What if you knew how to renovate a property in only 4 weeks and make $62,000?

Would you do it just once? …Or keep doing it over and over again?

How might your life change for the better if you were able to make an extra $62,000? Would you spend more time with family and friends? Go on an overseas holiday? Buy your dream car? Save up for a new house? What about doing away with your current day job?

And what if I said you could learn step-by-step exactly how to get these life-changing results in just 2 full days - Would YOU be interested?

Follow in the path of previous ‘re-innovate for profits’ program participants and you could find yourself making over $100,000 in profits per year in Adelaide’s metro suburbs, working minimal hours!

The weekend of August 21st & 22nd is your chance to attend this breakthrough, information-packed 2 day property event, right here in ADELAIDE.

LEARN IT ONCE, HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE FOREVER …THEN PROFIT FOREVER!!

Hi guys, Andrew Farnden here!
Believe it or not being a full time Property Renovator in Adelaide & living the life of my dreams is not something that I've had to work amazingly hard for. I’ve just had to work smart! What I’m saying is that I just had to learn how to do it right and then I had to get out there and take some action.

I know that many of you would love to do exactly the same and that’s why I want to help.

"Find out how I went from supermarket employee to full time professional renovator with a multi-million dollar property portfolio in only 4 years… "

I’m not anything special! I only began renovating property full time 4 years ago, and when I first started out I certainly had my fair share of fear and self-doubt. You see I lacked knowledge - I just didn’t know;

- where to start;
- where to buy
- what to buy
- who to speak to and what to say
- how to analyse the deal
- how to control my fear of losing money

Four short years on and I am proud to say that I am a full time Property Renovator with a multi-million dollar property portfolio right here in Adelaide, and that I’ve had the joy of speaking to and educating hundreds of people each year in SA on how they can profit from renovating by using the same tried-and-tested strategies, systems and procedures I personally use.

I want to give you right now the opportunity to learn what I know. I want to give you the opportunity to take action and change your life forever.

If you are serious about turbo charging your financial future then spend 2 jam-packed days with me and I will personally teach YOU everything you need to know about making money from property in the Adelaide market, whether you intend to do it part-time or full time.

Get out your diary right now and lock in Saturday August 21st and Sunday August 22nd - These are the 2 days where you’ll be given the knowledge, strategies, skills, tools, resources and contacts to immediately go out and start making money from property renovation and investment.

To learn more and to secure your place at the 2 day 're-innovate for profits' event click here
[Note: Tickets are limited - only 7 places left.]

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Learn how you could turn $2,970 into $60,000+ profit...

2010-05-05T22:27:00.000+09:30

I'm confused... you see time and time again residential property has proven to be one of the simplest, safest and most profitable investment vehicles available. In fact, the best investment decision most Australians ever make is to buy a house. Here's the confusing part however - if property is such a good investment why do most people call it quits after they buy their home? Re-stated - why make money from only one property when you could easily repeat the process and profit from investing in multiple properties?

Learn how to profit from property with Adelaide's own renovation guru!
Most property investors aim to create capital growth [equity]. The traditional way is to buy and wait… and then wait some more! However you don't need a life time to make money in property - there are some very simple strategies you can learn and master to increase the speed and size of your property returns, without spending a lot of money doing so.

How would you like to be able to turn $2,970 into more than $60,000 within just a few months. We've secured one of Adelaide's best and most experienced property renovators to show you how!

Warning: The results you achieve will vary greatly depending on your knowledge and commitment! Do you know what to buy, where to buy, and how much to spend - and then how to best add value to the property to maximise your profit?

All will be revealed at our brand new property renovation workshop 're-innovate for profits';
where you’ll learn the four key stages of successful property investment; how to find, buy, innovate and profit from real estate.

In fact, by attending this workshop you will walk away with the knowledge, tools, skills and the contacts to start making real profits from property. More specifically you’ll learn how to;

- Organise your finances, develop an investing plan, conduct research and locate a range of suitable properties that fit your criteria.

- Professionally evaluate opportunities, conduct inspections, negotiate favourable terms and purchase below market value.

- Add serious value to your property through innovative design, forward planning, project management, renovation and development.

- Make more money in less time without the stress, plus receive one-on-one mentoring to help you build your own property empire.

To reserve your seat at our workshop click here

At the workshop we’ll walk you through the real life step-by-step process we use when investing in property. We’ll show you the ‘how to’ strategies to find, negotiate, finance, buy, renovate and develop property. The strategies are easy to learn - the secret is putting them into practice. That’s where our property expert and workshop presenter Andrew Farnden comes in.

Andrew has the solid hands-on experience and investment track record to give you the very best advice and the best bottom-line on your property investment. His passion, humour and no-BS style will quickly allay any fears you may have and soon open your eyes to the exciting world of property investment.

Talkfests, seminars, workshops, how-to books… you’ve heard it all before right? It’s the age old problem of people ‘talking the talk’ but not ‘walking the walk’. If you are genuinely serious about learning and fully understanding the benefits of property investing you need to learn from someone who actually does it not just talks about it - and most importantly someone knows how to get results.

The proof is in the pudding! Andrew will go through his own ‘real life’ Adelaide property deals to show you exactly how he does it. Here’s an example of a recent deal he’ll be discussing at the workshop;

Helen Street, Glenelg North, SA

Purchase Price $300,000
Purchase Costs $14,700
Reno Costs $28,300
Holding & Selling Costs $14,100 [finance, agent fees, adverts]
TOTAL COST $357,100

Bank Loan [95%] $285,000
Investment/ Shortfall $72,100
SALE PRICE $420,000

PROFIT [16 weeks] $62,900 [Sale Price - Total Cost]

COC Return [after reno] 87.2% [Profit/Investment]

To reserve your seat at our workshop click here

Andrew Farnden

Andrew is a self made entrepreneur. He has been actively investing in property in Adelaide since 2000, buying, renovating and selling.
He currently owns a multi-million dollar property portfolio and enjoys significant cash flow from his simple yet effective investment techniques.

“I was not the best student at school but it never stopped me from being successful. I realised you don’t need a degree to make money, just a passion to get ahead in life.”

Apart from buying and selling real estate Andrew has developed the art of skilful renovation which he’s applied to many properties. He continues to buy, sell, renovate and add to his multi-million dollar portfolio, allowing him to live his dreams as a full-time entrepreneur and investor.

Make money from property without doing anything!
What if you just don’t have the time to become a property investor? How would you like to have the opportunity to partner with us on a property deal or two? As our Joint Venture [JV] Partner you will have the chance to play an important role in our property deals and earn yourself an equal share of the profits that we generate. At our workshop we’ll tell you all you need to know about getting involved in our exciting new Joint Venture Property Service.

For all details and to see our full event invite click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The outcome of today's Reserve Bank Board meeting...

2010-05-04T14:21:00.001+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.5 per cent, effective 5 May 2010.

Recently, forecasts for world GDP growth have been revised up again, and growth is expected to be at trend pace or a little above in 2010. Conditions in Europe remain quite weak, though recent data suggest growth is becoming more established in North America. In Asia, where financial sectors are not impaired, growth has continued to be strong, contributing to pressure on prices for raw materials. The authorities in several countries outside the major industrial economies have now started to reduce the degree of stimulus to their economies.

Global financial markets are functioning much better than they were a year ago, but sovereign risk concerns have escalated significantly in Europe over recent weeks. This has prompted additional efforts by policymakers to put fiscal policies onto a sounder footing and to provide support for Greece in the near term. To date, there has been very little contagion outside Europe.

Australia’s terms of trade are rising by more than earlier expected, and this year will probably regain the peak seen in 2008. This will add to incomes and foster a build-up in investment in the resources sector. Under these conditions, output growth over the year ahead is likely to exceed that seen last year, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. The process of business sector deleveraging is moderating, with business credit stabilising and indications that lenders are starting to become more willing to lend to some borrowers, though credit conditions for some sectors remain difficult. Credit outstanding for housing has been expanding at a solid pace. New loan approvals for housing have moderated over recent months as interest rates have risen and the impact of large grants to first-home buyers has tailed off. Nonetheless, at this point the market for established dwellings is still characterised by considerable buoyancy, with prices continuing to increase over recent months.

Recent data on inflation confirm that it has declined from its peak in 2008, helped by a noticeable slowing in private-sector labour costs during 2009, the rise in the exchange rate and the earlier period of slower growth in demand. In both underlying and CPI terms, inflation over the most recent 12 months was around 3 per cent. Nonetheless, the extent of decline from here may not be quite as much as earlier forecast and inflation now appears likely to be in the upper half of the target zone over the coming year.

With the risk of serious economic contraction in Australia having passed some time ago, the Board has been adjusting the cash rate towards levels that would be consistent with interest rates to borrowers being close to the average experience over the past decade or more. The Board expects that, as a result of today’s decision, rates for most borrowers will be around average levels. This represents a significant adjustment from the very expansionary settings reached a year ago.

The Board will continue to assess prospects for demand and inflation, and set monetary policy as needed to achieve an average inflation rate of 2–3 per cent over time.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

Don't read the paper or listen to economists, back yourself...

2010-04-28T16:17:00.001+09:30

Should we really be so concerned with what the economy is or isn’t doing? Do the ‘experts’ really know what’s happening? After all they seem to change their minds as often as they change their underwear; “…we predict rates will go up by 2% this year”, “… the global economic outlook is very bleak, therefore we believe rates will hold steady for the rest of 2010”, “…be careful, the property bubble will burst soon”, “…property prices are set to boom over the next 3 years due to a chronic undersupply of new housing” etc etc… It begs the question; if the so-called experts don’t know what is going on, should you really bother trying to work it all out for yoursellf.

Let me be clear, I’m not vouching for the ‘head in the sand’ approach or for making reckless investment decisions; I’m just trying to highlight a point - if you analyse something too much you’ll probably get overwhelmed and confused. I’m guilty of it myself - it’s what I like to refer to as ‘paralysis by analysis’ or ‘analysis paralysis’. It occurs when you spend so much time researching something that you get ever increasingly confused about what to do, eventually becoming paralysed by the fear of making any decision in case it turns out to be the wrong one.

The problem with getting bogged down with all the little details or listening to conflicting advice is the opportunity cost. While you’re busy collecting more information or seeking out the opinion of another ‘expert’, the next great opportunity will pass you by. There’s no doubt that people are finding great deals every single day regardless of the economic trends. I know investors that don’t read the paper or watch the news yet they consistently make huge returns on their investments. Their secret; make fast decisions and move on to the next deal - after all they believe the next great opportunity is just around the corner regardless of the economy.

Focus on the deal not the economy - if you are buying and selling in the same market does it matter what the market is doing? You can buy a property $100K [or more] under value in any market; you can add value to property through development or renovation in any market; and if you are going to invest for the long term then history shows that you will almost always come out on top. Remember the house that sold for $28K in 1970 - don’t you wish you had bought 5!! So what’s holding you back? Well, the biggest problem facing most people is finding the time to go hunting for great opportunities. Need a hand? - for info on how we can help you find, buy, innovate and profit from property see our investment news article below.

While demand is down slightly, property prices continue to rise in quality inner Adelaide areas. RPdata’s latest figures show Adelaide house prices have gone up by 2.5% in last three months, with investors and up-graders now dominating the market. More evidence to suggest that home ownership is getting harder and harder! According to a recent survey Gen Ys are all but giving up on home ownership due to increasing prices and tightening lending criteria. Many will now have to choose to stay at home longer so that they can save a deposit. Commiserations for the parents!

On the finance front the amount of overall lending has reduced and there are signs that some of the big banks are looking to reduce their exposure to the residential property market. So expect further tightening of bank lending criteria however, keep an eye out for a number of the non-bank lenders who are hungry for business. In fact, recent data has shown the shift has already begun with an increase in borrowers refinancing out of loans from the big four.

Are you currently getting the best finance deal? As brokers we pride ourselves on getting you the best possible finance product, rate and structure for your situation. However, the lending landscape is always changing and evolving; and that means yesterday’s best deal might not be today’s best deal. To ensure that you are always getting the very best out of your finances we’ve decided to embark on a comprehensive review of all our client’s loans and structures. To make things easier we’re simply going to work down our list of clients from top to bottom. If you would like to get your review completed sooner just give us a call and we’ll make sure you go to the top of the list!

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

Discuss this blog post on our fan page |

The outcome of today's Reserve Bank Board meeting...

2010-04-06T14:08:00.001+09:30

STATEMENT BY GLENN STEVENS, GOVERNOR, MONETARY POLICY

At its meeting today, the Board decided to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.25 per cent, effective 7 April 2010.

The global economy is growing, and world GDP is expected to rise at close to trend pace in 2010 and 2011. The expansion is still hesitant in the major countries, due to the continuing legacy of the financial crisis, resulting in ongoing excess capacity. In Asia, where financial sectors are not impaired, growth has continued to be quite strong, contributing to pressure on prices for raw materials. The authorities in several countries outside the major industrial economies have now started to reduce the degree of stimulus to their economies.

Global financial markets are functioning much better than they were a year ago and the extraordinary support from governments and central banks is gradually being wound back. Credit conditions remain difficult in some major countries as banks continue to face loan losses associated with the period of economic weakness. The concerns regarding some sovereigns appear to have been contained at this stage.

Australia’s terms of trade are rising, adding to incomes and fostering a build-up in investment in the resources sector. Under these conditions, output growth over the year ahead is likely to exceed that seen last year, even though the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing. The rate of unemployment appears to have peaked at a much lower level than earlier expected. The process of business sector de-leveraging is moderating, with the pace of the decline in business credit lessening and indications that lenders are starting to become more willing to lend to some borrowers. Credit for housing has been expanding at a solid pace. New loan approvals for housing have moderated over recent months as interest rates have risen and the impact of large grants to first-home buyers has tailed off. Nonetheless, at this point the market for established dwellings is still characterised by considerable buoyancy, with prices continuing to increase in the early part of 2010.

Inflation has, as expected, declined in underlying terms from its peak in 2008, helped by a noticeable slowing in private-sector labour costs during 2009, the rise in the exchange rate and the earlier period of slower growth in demand. CPI inflation has risen somewhat recently as temporary factors that had been holding it to quite low rates are now abating. Inflation is expected to be consistent with the target in 2010.

With the risk of serious economic contraction in Australia having passed some time ago, the Board has been lessening the degree of monetary stimulus that was put in place when the outlook appeared to be much weaker. Lenders have generally raised rates a little more than the cash rate.

Interest rates to most borrowers nonetheless have been somewhat lower than average. The Board judges that with growth likely to be around trend and inflation close to target over the coming year, it is appropriate for interest rates to be closer to average. Today’s decision is a further step in that process.

For more details or to discuss how rate changes might affect your situation please call us on 8404 3133.

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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Learn from Adelaide’s own property renovation expert!

2010-03-31T12:30:00.000+10:30

The biggest investment for most Australians is their family home - it also proves in teh long run to be their most profitable asset and the simplest and safest vehicle they ever had for creating wealth, yet so many are afraid and unsure of how they can best use property to create wealth.

Most property investors want to create capital growth [equity], and the traditional way of doing that is to buy, and wait… and then wait some more! However, there are some very simple strategies you can learn and master to increase the speed and size of your property returns, without spending a lot of money doing so.

Warning: The results you achieve will vary greatly depending on your knowledge and commitment! Do you know what to buy, where to buy, and how much to spend - and then how to best add value to the property to maximise your profit?

All will be revealed at our brand new property investment workshop re-innovate for profits, where you’ll learn the four key stages of successful property investment; how to find, buy, innovate and profit from real estate.

In fact, by attending this workshop you will walk away with the knowledge, tools, skills and the contacts to start making real profits from property. More specifically you’ll learn how to;

§ Organise your finances, develop an investing plan, conduct research and locate a range of suitable properties that fit your criteria.

§ Professionally evaluate opportunities, conduct inspections, negotiate favourable terms and purchase below market value.

§ Add serious value to your property through innovative design, forward planning, project management, renovation and development.

§ Make more money in less time without the stress, plus receive one-on-one mentoring to help you build your own property empire.

To reserve your seat at our workshop click here

At the workshop we’ll walk you through the real life step-by-step process we use when investing in property. We’ll show you the ‘how to’ strategies to find, negotiate, finance, buy, renovate and develop property. The strategies are easy to learn - the secret is putting them into practice. That’s where our property expert and workshop presenter Andrew Farnden comes in.

Andrew has the solid hands-on experience and investment track record to give you the very best advice and the best bottom-line on your property investment. His passion, humour and no-BS style will quickly allay any fears you may have and soon open your eyes to the exciting world of property investment.

Talkfests, seminars, workshops, how-to books… you’ve heard it all before right? It’s the age old problem of people ‘talking the talk’ but not ‘walking the walk’. If you are genuinely serious about learning and fully understanding the benefits of property investing you need to learn from someone who actually does it not just talks about it - and most importantly someone knows how to get results.

The proof is in the pudding! Andrew will go through his own ‘real life’ Adelaide property deals to show you exactly how he does it. Here’s an example of a recent deal he’ll be discussing at the workshop;

Helen Street, Glenelg North, SA
Purchase Price $300,000
Purchase Costs $14,700
Reno Costs $28,300
Holding & Selling Costs $14,100 [finance, agent fees, adverts]
TOTAL COST $357,100

Bank Loan [95%] $285,000
Investment/ Shortfall $72,100

SALE PRICE $420,000

PROFIT [16 weeks] $62,900 [Sale Price - Total Cost]
COC Return [after reno] 87.2% [Profit/Investment]

To reserve your seat at our workshop click here

Andrew Farnden
Andrew is a self made entrepreneur. He has been actively investing in property in Adelaide since 2000, buying, renovating and selling.
He currently owns a multi-million dollar property portfolio and enjoys significant cash flow from his simple yet effective investment techniques.

“I was not the best student at school but it never stopped me from being successful. I realised you don’t need a degree to make money, just a passion to get ahead in life.”

Apart from buying and selling real estate Andrew has developed the art of skilful renovation which he’s applied to many properties. He continues to buy, sell, renovate and add to his multi-million dollar portfolio, allowing him to live his dreams as a full-time entrepreneur and investor.

Make money from property without doing anything!
What if you just don’t have the time to become a property investor? How would you like to have the opportunity to partner with us on a property deal or two? As our Joint Venture [JV] Partner you will have the chance to play an important role in our property deals and earn yourself an equal share of the profits that we generate. At our workshop we’ll tell you all you need to know about getting involved in our exciting new Joint Venture Property Service.

To reserve your seat at our workshop click here

I look forward to seeing you there!

For all details and to see our full event invite click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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The banks aren't playing ball but it's still game on...

2010-03-18T14:34:00.000+10:30

It’s an interesting time to be borrowing money. Despite the fact that Australia ‘appears’ to have emerged from the GFC with only a few bumps and bruises, the lending environment remains extremely tight and conservative - essentially it is much harder for people to borrow money these days, especially if you don’t fit the banks ‘ideal customer’ model.

Prior to the GFC banks more or less had the same flexible and open lending policy - simply walk into the branch of your local lender and you would have been able to get a 95% loan. But all that’s changed. For example, CBA just recently announced that it will lend new investment borrowers only 80% of the properties purchase price. So walk into a CBA branch these days you will need to come up with an extra 15% [in cash or equity] to buy an investment property. That equates to an additional $60,000O on a property worth $400,000!

So the same lenders that use to say ‘what can we do for you’ are now saying ‘why should we lend you any money’. Don’t despair; you can still get 95% loans, you just need to know where to go. And that’s where your finance professional comes into the picture - more than ever your finance broker is the quintessential source of knowledge, guidance, support and loan advice helping ensure you get the best possible finance deal for your situation.

While it’s getting harder to borrow money the cost of it [this includes all of all your current loans] is also increasing with each new RBA rate rise. So if you are sick of seeing you pay check disappear faster and faster it might be time to focus on becoming a 'creator of money' rather than a slave to it. Here's where we might be able to help; how would you like to get involved in a property deal that has the potential to put more money back in your pocket? For more details click here

As you take a moment to read this month’s news, remember Urbantech is always as close as your phone otherwise, see you next issue!

To read the full newsletter click here

Your Partner in Success

Sam Cocks
http://www.urbantechgroup.com.au/

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