TAX THAT DIRTY WORD

To be able to claim a deduction for work-related expenses if you a real estate professional

• you must have spent the money yourself and were not reimbursed
• it must be directly related to earning your income
• you must have a record to prove it

You can only claim the work-related part of the expenses.

Gifts

• You can claim a deduction for the cost of gifts - eg alcohol, flowers - bought for work purposes if you are a salesperson or property manager entitled to receive your income from commission or both commission and retainer.
• You can't claim a deduction if you earn a fixed income and you are not entitled to earn a commission.
• You can't claim a deduction for gifts that are in the form of entertainment - eg a live sporting event.

Other common deductible work-related expenses

•  marketing equipment - eg the work-related portion of cameras used for property photos
• decorating properties - eg flowers
• renewing your annual certificate of registration
• union and professional association fees
• technical or professional publications

Home Office Expenses

• You can claim a percentage of the running costs of your home office if you have to work from home, including depreciation of office equipment, work-related phone calls and internet access charges, electricity for heating or cooling as well as the lighting costs.
• If you are required to purchase equipment for your work and it costs more than $300 you can claim a deduction for these costs spread of a number of years (depreciation)
• You generally cannot claim the cost of rats, mortgage interest, rent and insurance.

Travel Expenses

• You can claim a deduction for travel expenses if you have to travel overnight from your usual work location - eg travelling to a remote area to inspect a property - provided the cost was incurred while carrying out your work duties. Travel expenses may include meals and accommodation, fares, petrol and incidentals such as parking fees and tolls.
• Receiving a travel allowance from your employer does not automatically entitle you to a deduction. You still need to show that you were away overnight, you spent the money yourself and the travel was directly related to earning your income eg it was not a personal expense.

Car Expenses

• You can claim a deduction when you drive between separate jobs on the same day - eg travelling from your real estate agency to your second job as a waiter 
• Drive to and from an alternate workplace for the same employer on the same day - eg travelling between two different residential open homes
• If you claim car expenses, you will need to keep a logbook to determine the work-related percentage or be able to demonstrate to the ATO a reasonable calculation if you use the cents per kilometer method to claim.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS & GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

        SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!! 

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!! 

INVESTMENT PROPERTY

 So you have bought yourself an investment property, fantastic!!

The rental market is extremely buoyant today, and the normal rentals are being snapped up without too much trouble, bearing in mind you still have to have them in tip top shape. If you furnish the property, it needs to be modern and minimalistic people don't want Nanna's couch.

Air bnb properties or short stays - Vivian's are now doing these and to be honest the apartments are going gang busters, homes do okay but there is just so much more to go wrong with them than the apartments.  In the future I think I will turn a few of my apartments into short term rentals as the returns are just amazing.

Do not be a scrooge when hiring a property manager, a good property manager or a good company is going to set you back a little bit but in the long run it's well worth it. I would want my property manager going to have a inspection my property every 6-12 months, the final bond inspections also. Good property managers with 5+ years' experience are now on a $100k per year (before you say anything - they are worth it). A good property manager is like hen's teeth in this current industry today, seriously they are so hard to find, people that promote a good culture, knows their legislation (they need to know it to keep me in line).  I really value a good property manager as I would rather stick pins in my eyes than do their job. They get it from all directions from the owners, the tenants and the bosses, but a good one knows how to handle all those situations and comes out still loving her job, I so applaud them, well done is what I say.

Investment properties are generally a long-term thing - sometimes you can buy them just before they start to do a run in their prices, but generally 7-10 years you should be thinking about keeping them, don't sell unless you have to. Keeping all your properties well maintained is a tax deduction so keep it all documented.  

Property is a real passion of mine and through it all I have met some amazing people, learnt a lot from other investors which I have passed on to others.

Keep buying up, do your numbers and keep those wheels turning.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!! 

HAPPY 2026

 With 2025 coming to an end I have to say that it's been a very busy year for us at Vivian's. The housing market has proven to be extremely strong and doesnt matter if it's a unit or a house they are selling for very good prices and the competition is fierce.

What will the market do in 2026 - million dollar question isnt it. My opinion is that we will experience more of the same, but the homes will slow down as the dollar value becomes too high for young couples or singles to be able to purchase their first home (with land) in the Western Suburbs. Apartments will be the next go to and although they have gone up quite significantly also there is still room for movement in their prices.

I say this all the time you will not pick the top or the bottom of the market so if you need to buy just buy - make sure that you have all your ducks in a row, like your pre approval on your finance, know what your limit is, know what the deposit is going to be. Make sure that you have an agent (maybe a buyer's agent) working for you so that you can get the right conditions put on the contract without jeopardising yourself.

There is so much in the balance will the seller accept cash with lots of conditions, or will he/she go for subject to finance with less conditions, it's hard to know but if I were you I would be keeping my contract as clean as I could. 

Stay tuned for all the new listings and explore them make your decision and go for it.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!! 

EFFECTIVELY SELLING YOUR HOME

 Selling your home is one of the most significant financial decisions you can make and doing it effectively requires both strategy and insight. Vivian's are always helping homeowners navigate the property market with confidence, ensuring the best outcomes for every client. 

Western Australia's property market has really had some notable shifts in the recent years, we are always influenced by the economic factors, interest rates and the buyer demand.

The 2025 market has shown strong activity in suburban areas with buyers seeking spacious homes and lifestyle-focused properties. Understanding these trends is crucial for positioning your home effectively and attracting the right buyers.

Some of the key tips for selling your home effectively:

Price - do you set a price or do you go with a no price strategy? Overpricing can deter buyers, while underpricing will obviously leave money on the table. Through an accurate market appraisal we would be able to make sure your property is priced competitively.

Street Appeal - that first impression is so important will entice the buyers or start them on a negative train of thought. Fresh landscaping painted exterior and minor renovations can make such a major difference in buyer perception and increase their interest in the property.

Professional Marketing - we always have professional photos, videos, aerial photo, drone shots, online marketing, home opens, 100 flier drops, local newspaper, all to give the property the top exposure.

Preparation for the home opens - Decluttering is the first major thing, touching up any paint work, replacing old carpets, curtains, bench tops etc. everything so that the buyer has that mental attitude of I don't need to do anything.

Negotiation - having good negotiators on your home is just as important as how your home is presented. Negotiating the price and terms and conditions guiding the clients through the contracts making sure that the Seller get's the best possible outcome. This also ties in with the type of strategy that you choose to sell with.

Vivian's always have treated their clients like family, we treat them with the upmost respect and always achieving the best outcome for them. The main thing is we make the process as smooth and stress free as possible.

We pride ourselves on our honesty and first-class service so if you are looking to sell please do give us a call we would love to chat with you.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!! 

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY ?

 Housing affordability improved slightly in Western Australia in the September Quarter (so REIWA reports) well it might have in the outer areas of Perth perhaps.

Apparently, the proportion of family income devoted to meeting the average loan repayments decreased to 40.5% over the quarter.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's decision in August to lower the official cash rate target to 3.60% helped reduce borrowing costs, and that is reflected in the slight improvement in affordability in Western Australia in the September quarter.

Over the 12 months to the end of September it is a different story.

Australia's housing affordability has increased by 1.6 percentage points over the year, but this is not true in Western Australia where there has been a decline in affordability over the 12 months to the end of the September quarter. This is due to the strong upward price movement of properties.

As prices rise, people have to borrow more to buy a home and a greater proportion of family income is required to make mortgage repayments.

Price growth remains very strong in the Western Australian market and with the December meeting of the Reserve bank keeping interest rates on hold, we expect affordability to be further challenged as we move into 2026.

Despite the decline in affordability, Western Australia is comparatively attractive for home buyers, with only Tasmania and the two territories being more affordable.

Seriously, with all the reports that come out our governing bodies I am wondering if they are actually up with it all.

We are finding that there is not enough property for everyone to buy, there is not enough rentals for everyone either. Short term rentals are going gang busters and the investors are leaning into those more because of the returns.

We are selling properties at record prices and within 10 days of listing them so I am not sure where all this data comes from but obviously different areas have different results.

If you need to buy then please buy, please give us a call if you  need to sell we are in dire need of properties we have pretty much sold out.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!!  

TIME POOR?

 If you are time poor and you need help then why not consider engaging us as your buyers agents, here are some things we need to know and what we do for you:

 

1. Pre approval letters / borrowing capacity? Where are we at with this? Do you need a recommendation to a broker we can help with this. 

2. What Suburbs are we targeting? Can you nail it down to 5 max? 

3. What profile of property is your minimum expectation for the price you want to spend? 

4. Who is going to be available to attend home opens if required - do you need us to go and view the property if you cannot make it - will you be able to make a fast decision.?

 PROCESS:

 Once we have all the information above, this is typically what happens next. 

1. We set up search alerts on all major websites within budget to let us know when a property comes up within your areas and range. 

2. We will post it either via email or WhatsApp group chat (what’s better? WhatsApp?) to discuss and decide if its worth pursuing. 

3. We then make initial phone call enquiries with the agent to confirm interest. 

4. Once confirmed we then organise a time for ourselves to look at the property – normally at a home open. 

5. If the walk through is successful and we confirm further interest then we complete a FULL CMA as if we were going to sell the property ourselves to make sure the price guide aligns with our expectations. 

6. We then prepare a formal offer of contract for you making sure that your best interests are looked after. 

7. Finally, we try to connect with the agent as best we can to make sure we are competitive and that our offer is at the top of the pile. 

8. If successful, we will guide you through the entire settlement process!

The settlement process is yet another journey that we would help you walk through it and give you some suggestions of whom to go with.

Now if that sounds like something you would like to investigate please give us a call and we can discuss it.  We dont take everyone on of course but we have 3 of us currently available to help as listings are low right now.  Currently we have done most areas of Perth.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!! 

 

PERTH MARKET STILL VERY COMPETITIVE

 With October now gone the Perth market still remains extremely competitive with just under 3,000 properties available for sale.

Listings are down by 40% compared to this time last year.

What we are seeing is that both houses and apartments are achieving record prices pretty much everywhere and so many of them are selling with multiple offers. The average days on the market is only around 13 with many selling within the first 8 days or so.

This demand is being fuelled by very competitive buyers, low stock and very strong sentiment.

No one is going to pick the top or the bottom, what we know is that you need to buy then buy now do not wait. Sellers if you are thinking about selling please call us with some strong strategies that dont leave you high and dry with no where to go.

We have been telling Sellers that now until early January buyers are still here, but quite frankly if the buyers are strong on wanting a home they will be very sharp on looking at new listings.

Do not wait, there is no right or wrong time to sell but this market right now is extremely strong for selling in with hardly any competition for the buyers to choose from.

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!!