10 Things You Need To Tick Off Before You Buy an Investment Property

When you are in a situation where you are able to put money into an investment property, it’s an extremely exciting time. But if not thought out properly, such an investment could actually push you into financial stress which could lead to mental distress as well. To help you out, here is a quick list of 10 things presented by Deppro Qld that you need to do before and during the purchase of property investment.

  1. Plan well: This is so obvious that it shouldn’t be on this list at all. But lack of planning can cause are series of losses you want to avoid. Things like the location you’re looking to buy at, how much you can afford to spend, who will manage your property, loan implications, property tax depreciation etc need to be well thought out.
  1. Consult experts: The first set of people we talk to are our friends and family in the process of decision making. We all like to be able to find someone who has their own investment property. But in order to ensure that your investment property actually provides good returns, you need to take the advice of experts like Deppro Qld.
  1. Insure yourself: Assuming that you would need a loan when buying your property, make sure that you have insurance coverage so that your family is not thrown into the deep end if something happens to you.

 

  1. Think like an investor: When it is time to choose your property, try putting yourself in the shoes of the person who would rent it from you.

 

  1. Do your research: You need to be sure about the going rates for not only the properties similar to what you are buying, but also be aware of tax implications of the fixtures and fittings you are using so that you can claim tax deductions on your property depreciation reports.

 

  1. Backup: Buying an investment property is similar to buying a car. You need to have money for the purchase, but you also need to keep a little aside for regular expenses like repairs and utility bills.

 

  1. Sharpen expenses: When you are investing in a property, remember that it is a medium to long term financial investment. Try to bring in some fiscal discipline on other fronts like credit card expenses or other ad hoc expenses.

 

  1. Keep the target in mind: You should spend on your property according to the location of the property and the likely tenants/buyers who would rent/buy from you. If the property is in a high-class neighborhood, for instance, invest in a pool, but otherwise, avoid those sorts of expenses.

 

  1. Choose the right entity: In case you are already burdened with tax commitments, consider buying in the name of a trust fund or get your spouse to buy it. That way you would be able to get the maximum benefit from the depreciation on investment property.

 

  1. Use the laws: When people are considering an investment property, they often use available funds to buy outright. Even if you have your funds, try investing that in a better instrument, and offset your interest expenses by the tax deductions available through law.

Like I said earlier it’s always a great feeling, whether you are planning to purchase your 1st, 2nd or 10th property. So, plan well and prepare yourself completely before your investment.

Depreciation and Your Investment Property

When a person buys an investment property, the intention is to generate an additional revenue stream from the rentals. But the process of looking for a good tenant and setting them up is not that easy. Then there is the issue of regular or ad hoc maintenance expenses, which eat away at the rental income. On top of that, there is the matter of paying taxes on the property and its income.

The Australian tax rules have made it possible for homeowners to get some relief from the taxes they need to pay for their property and its income. The rules regarding depreciation residential rental property provide for a reduction on tax on account of the depreciation of the value of the property.

There are two ways in which the deduction can be calculated. It could be either on the capital works or on plant and equipment. It is required that a complete tax depreciation schedule for rental property is created by the owner. This is a specialized job for which experts need to be brought in.

There are several companies which offer this kind of service. They employ qualified quantity surveyors who are trained to create this kind of report. It requires detailed measurements and counting of each and every small and big element on the property. Based on those data points, the complete rental property depreciation report is prepared. This is then used in and submitted along with the tax returns of the property owner.

There are some things to be kept in mind when claiming tax depreciation on investment properties. Here are some of them:

  1. There are cutoff dates for properties laid down. For commercial properties, the commencement date is 20th of July, 1982. For residential properties, the date is 15th of September 1987.
  2. For plant and equipment assets, the effective lives of each element would be taken into consideration. ATO has laid down a detailed list for this, and the tax returns would be filed accordingly.
  3. The individual effective life would also depend on the type of property where the plant and equipment asset has been used.
  4. House owners need to keep in mind that the depreciation rules would only apply if the property is not being occupied by the owners. Therefore, it has to be a rental or investment property for the depreciation rules to be allowable.
  5. The above rule can be relaxed if the property is purchased and owned by a trust or a company instead of an individual. In such cases, the owner (individual) can move in as a tenant of the trust and claim depreciation.

There are several good companies who can help you create the depreciation report for your property in line with the current regulations. They have teams of qualified technical specialists who would help prepare the depreciation reports and file the tax returns accurately.

Should I Buy an Investment Property with a Swimming Pool?

When you are looking to invest money into a property where you do not plan to live but rather rent out, you need to strike that sweet spot where minimal investment and maximum returns meet. Your property investment returns must be greater than the upfront costs and the recurring costs put together.

How Wise is it to have a Pool on your Investment Property?

Let us take an example of a swimming pool in the backyard of your house. Who doesn’t like to imagine a lazy sunny morning spent lounging by the poolside? Is there any greater joy than a swim in crystal clear blue water? A pool adds a lot of value to a house, for the owner as well as the resident. But we need to remember that a pool comes with several costs.

The Cost of a Swimming Pool

The cost of building a pool might be a one-time investment, but the maintenance of a pool is quite costly, and those costs are repetitive. If you have a traditional swimming pool, then cleaning of leaves and other debris would need to be done manually. But for more modern self-cleaning pools, the costs become higher. The property report for a house with a pool would have a large chunk of the expenses earmarked for the pool.

What Australian Tax Depreciation Rules Say?

Having read so far, you might be tempted to think that a pool on your property might not be such a great idea after all. But there is another important factor to consider – the Australian tax depreciation rules. As per these rules, several elements of the cost of building and maintaining a swimming pool can be set off against depreciation, and tax deductions can be claimed on them.

This is how it works. When a house is constructed, the money spent on it could be broadly divided into two categories. The first is capital works, and the other is plant and equipment. Capital works would include the fixed part of a building, like the walls, floor, and wiring etc. Plant and equipment would include removable parts of the property like smoke detectors, upholstery, electrical appliances etc. A complete list of both these types of depreciation expenses needs to be made by a certified agency like Deppro using an investment property calculator. This list is then submitted along with the tax returns and deductions are availed on tax on the basis of the depreciation calculated. Many elements of the cost of a swimming pool construction can also be included in this list and deductions claimed.

Final Thoughts:

On the whole, you need to consider the location of your property, the cost of the pool, and the amount you can claim later as tax. After considering these factors, you can decide wisely whether you should buy an investment property with a pool or not.

How Common Property Assets Can Supercharge Your Upfront Deductions

It is pertinent that investors are aware of all of their entitlements. One of such is an entitlement to claim against a unit you own in the ambit of a complex. You can make this claim premised upon your share of the ownership.

This yield on investment property is most commonly denoted in form of a unit entitlement.

It is usually reflected on the strata plan of the owner or upon the plans of subdivision. You can measure this entitlement to claim per lot and then a summation of all the lots.

Unit Entitlement: Explained

Let’s understand this by analysing an example. So let’s assume that unit entitlement of a person is (say) 60 and the aggregate of all the lost come down to 800. Then, by this, we can deduce that the person has a 7.5% claim over the commonly owned assets.

In a typical example, per unit claim gets smaller in case there are larger developments involved. However, this small percentage can contribute considerably to the claim. That’s how Deppro Perth works. The two basic and very common headings under depreciation are the structure of the building and the assets of the plant.

Importance of Common Area Deductions in the Depreciation Schedule

Undeniable claims can be derived through the construction value of common areas when looking at the structure of the building alone. Building tax depreciation can be filed for returns. For instance, if one particular unit of your property has a construction cost of approximately $100,000, but the additional detailing done to it like pools, floors, gyms etc. can add up to thousands or even millions of dollars.

The real impact of the common area deductions can be traced on the assets mainly associated with plants and equipment. Numerous assets are usually left unnoticed such as fire alarms, fans used for ventilation, carpets, lifts, etc. All these carry huge investment amounts which can be tax deductible.

Even an air conditioning plant that holds a value of millions of dollars will give out a single unit entitlement of a couple of thousand dollars to the investor because of the deduction that occurred across years. Thus, an asset like air conditioners which carry high investment amounts is not actually which would provide you with considerable deduction. But, numerous other assets and equipment do promise complete depreciable value return to the investor annually.

How does it work?

This happens in a very logical manner. The assets or equipment which are of less than $301 and aren’t a member of any particular set, can be written off completely. An example of this can be taken of the door stoppers. Collectively when seen, the stoppers can cost over $25,000 but when the share of an individual investor is calculated, it’ll hardly reach up to $100. Other than this, some other common assets which are commonly used by the investors and thus fall under the category include motors, assets used for barbecue, fire extinguishers, sprinklers, treadmills, swimming pools, and their accessories etc. All of them are deductible immediately and can give you remarkably reduced taxable property.

Conclusion:

ATO property depreciation reduction can be experienced to a great extent by the common property. This is the major reason why units help you extract more deductions than houses generally. A fact to pay attention to is where the deduction is in the schedule. A large number of assets have a tendency of giving the deductions within the birth year of the ownership of the unit. This allows the investor to grab the advantage of improving his/her cash flow statements. Thus, a significant charge can be experienced in the upfront deductions of your common assets and their depreciation.

Easy Ways to Increase Your Property Value before Selling

Much like the anticipated returns from a company’s stock and income yielded from bonds, you may also anticipate investment returns on real estate. To your surprise, there are various ways to go about increasing the property value. Now learn these ways to improve your real estate property while providing a smooth cash flow:

1. Rental Income & Maintenance:

Properties placed on rental accommodation are known to churn exceedingly well dividend returns. Homeowners and real estate investors have a lot of autonomy and control over the degree of risk to their cash flows.

Although there are circumstances of slow markets and slumps and slacks in property investment, conventionally residential owners lease the property out for several years. During this period they don’t even experience a decrease in the rental amounts as such, you can check this by using an investment property calculator.

2. Increases in Property Value by Appreciation:

Real estate has always known to increase with respect to its property value as the years pass. This is a natural source of increasing the value of your property over time. The fluctuations are very apparent but there can be an expected rate of increase in the value of the real estate.

3. Inflation:

Although the payment of your mortgage is going to remain the same, the level of inflation will work in your favour. It will increase your house’s construction cost while also increasing the rent. The housing demands owing to the unending growth in population also play a part in driving the property value.

4. Use the Equity:

The equity present in your property will increase as you go further in the paying process of your mortgage. Equity is generally decided at the time of final sale, however, seldom, people use this equity for other projects. You can take this up and invest this back in the real estate. Or you can even indulge in the renovation and refurbishing of your property to hike its value and then monitor the hike by using an investment property calculator.

5. Maintenance & Upkeep:

When you receive your monthly rental revenue, you can not only use it for personal purposes but also use it for the upkeep of your investment property. This ensures good cash flow as well increase in property value by means of good care and maintenance. Such initiatives definitely increase the price of your property.

So when you liquidate your property the value will evidently be increased. Upgrades with respect to its interiors infrastructure and functionality can considerably impact the value of it.
Housing trends are constantly on the move so if you want to retain its value in front of investors, you should keep the property interesting.

6. Upgrades:

For a more impactful and considerable increase on the return of your investment, indulge in upgrading your property, Keep track of all the improvements that can create a significant impact and increase your property value. You can even create a property report to view the progress better.

For instance, putting into place energy-efficient equipment or appliances, placing more windows to create natural lighting etc. These things make spaces functional as well as lively. Such an impact can be made by remodelling your washroom or tweaking your master bedroom here and there. Insulating your house can also have a huge impact.

So make a note of these ‘noteworthy’ upgrades while staying in your budget.

Wrapping-up:

As a home-owner or even a real estate investor, it is important to be on the lookout to find ways to increase your property value. Real estate is one of the most lucrative places to invest in. You can even monitor the hike in your property using investment property value.

Tips for Property Valuation That will Make things Easier for You

It is never easy to buy or sell a property but that shouldn’t deter you. If you want to sell your property and are going for your property valuation, you’ve got to be extremely careful as this might make or break the deal. Mentioned below are a few tips for property valuation that will definitely make things simpler for you and will result in lucrative property investment returns.

1. Clean up:

Make sure your garden is clean, repairs are done, exteriors are painted, furniture is tidy, to ensure your house is in its best shape. Also, for Property Valuation, your kitchen and bathroom play a major role. So, ensure they are tidy and clean.

2. Talk About Hidden Benefits:

A portion of your home’s most helpful highlights may not be quickly self-evident – like new wiring, underfloor heating or insulation. This is why it is essential to be close by when the valuer arrives. Ensure you highlight the important additional items that can improve your homes’ value. Although there will always be depreciation for property, that doesn’t mean you won’t grab a great deal.

3. Paperwork must be Ready:

Assemble a dossier of ongoing board rates notifications or land assesses valuations. These once in a while mirror a property’s fairly estimated worth. However, it can give valuers extra data to work with.

4. Share Your Plans for a Property Valuation:

In case you’re broadening or renegotiating your home credit so as to finish remodels, disclose the proposed undertaking to the valuer, and give a copy of compositional or building designs. The valuer will regularly appoint an ‘as is’ an incentive to your property while the loan specialist may need a thought of the property’s presumably incentive on the fruition of redesigns. This also adds to Property Investment returns.

Tax Deductions – Tips for Individual Real Estate Investors

Planning to invest in the real estate sector? Looking for tips that can help you in tax deductions? Mentioned below are a few tips for Individual Real Estate Investors:

Property Taxes and Insurance:

Any expenses incurred on rentals of Property taxes and insurance are termed as deductions. In the event that you purchased your rental with traditional financing, you are most likely making property regulatory expenses and protection costs on a month to month premise into an escrow account. It’s imperative to acknowledge that the installments into escrow accounts are not really deductible. Rather, you can just deduct property assessments and protection when paid out of escrow. Have a look at the federal tax depreciation schedule for some more tax deduction tips.

Property Depreciation and Tax Deduction:

Devaluation is a yearly conclusion that is conceded to venture land proprietors or proprietors of equipment utilized for business purposes. You may be confused as to why your property deteriorates when in reality the land value increases. While the facts demonstrate that the estimation of the land and the building has verifiably appreciated over time but, you got to think from a micro level as well.

The estimation of your rooftop, for example, diminishes after some time as it decays each passing day. Deterioration tracks the value loss every year. The interesting thing about devaluation is that you don’t need to pay out-of-stash for it every year. Rather, you pay for everything forthright when you purchase the property. Thus, it helps in tax deductions.

Repairs:

Firstly, you will get the full Property depreciation and tax deduction (reserve funds) from the findings in the present year.

Secondly, since the cost is a repair, the cost isn’t a change and deteriorates over various years.

You can save on tax deductions on amortizations, maintenance, education, meals, travel, and home office.

Top 5 Tax Depreciation Tips You Need to Know

No one loves paying their taxes. That’s why you shouldn’t let go of an opportunity to legally reduce your tax. The guidelines regarding property tax depreciation allow you to do exactly that. If you go through the provisions of ATO property depreciation you will understand exactly how you can reduce your tax burden, but in this article, you can read that in very simple terms of 5 easy steps.

1. Understanding Your Assets

You need to demarcate each and every asset on your rental or investment property into the two broad categories of capital works and plant and equipment.

2. Getting an Expert Opinion

If you are not sure about how the distinction is to be made, you can get a dependable company like deppro to review your property and list down all the assets correctly. This is done by one of their certified, professional quantity surveyors.

3. Preparing Property Tax Depreciation Schedule

Based on the property review done completed by a qualified quantity surveyor, a complete property tax depreciation schedule would be prepared to detail the exact amounts of depreciation each element of your property is subject to. The company whom you have employed would prepare the correct details of each year’s depreciation.

4. Completing Your Tax Return

Once your depreciation schedule is ready, you need to go through the ATO regulations to understand what tax allowance each depreciation amount attracts. Based on that, your tax return will need to be reworked and the additional allowances factored in.

5. Check Your Refunds

If you pay advance tax, then the tax deductions your depreciation will allow you, will be granted to you as a refund. Make sure that this refund is exactly the same as the calculations you had calculated earlier.

Tax Depreciation for Investment Properties

Most investors are aware that their property’s value will only decrease over time. But many investors are not aware of the benefits of this depreciation on investment property. Depreciation can help an investor claim tax benefits. The loss due to depreciation would be partly offset by the tax allowances claimed. A typical rental or investment property would have several components. Some would be fixed and part of the property. Some would be attached or constructed additionally. A property depreciation schedule would enable the right tax breaks to be computed. Let us see how an owner can take the help of companies like Deppro Perth to do this.

The Need for an Accurate Schedule

Different depreciation rates apply to different components of a property. As per Australian tax rules, each type of attracts different tax allowances – a property owner might not have complete knowledge of this. It is also time-consuming and tedious. That is why property owners often entrust the job to competent agencies. This ensures that the tax breaks are accurately claimed.

Calculation of Depreciation on Investment Property

A good agency would have competent Deppro quantity surveyors. These surveyors assess every small and big asset included on the property. This is done in strict accordance with ATO guidelines. The rules laid down by ATO often undergo revisions: Deppro quantity surveyors are always completely up to date with such changes. Therefore, you are guaranteed an accurate calculation of your depreciation with Deppro surveyers. Once depreciation is accurately calculated, the right tax deductions can be claimed.

Investors can easily claim the benefits of depreciation on investment property; these benefits accrue through allowable tax deductions. A well-trained and knowledgeable quantity surveyor from a reputable company can help claim the maximum tax benefits. This also ensures that tax benefits allowed by law are not missed.

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How Real Estate Investors Can Benefit From a Property Depreciation Schedule

Real estate is a great investment avenue. But property investors have to deal with depreciation. Every year the value of their property reduces. This is called depreciation. The rate of depreciation that each component of your property is eligible for is different. It depends on the ATO (Australian Tax Office) regulations. The Australian tax depreciation rules clearly specify the different rates. Accordingly, the tax deductions can be calculated and claimed. But for that, a complete schedule of depreciation calculations for every year needs to be created. That is called a depreciation schedule.

Process for Creating Depreciation Schedule

The first step of the process, is to get in touch with a dependable agency. This will help you save both time and effort. They will send you a qualified quantity surveyor of which will list down every single asset on your property. Then those assets are categorized as per the ATO rules. The depreciation schedule is then created with such details. A reputable agency will make the process of claiming depreciation on investment property very easy and convenient.

The Tax Benefits

Once the depreciation schedule is ready, it provides the corresponding tax breaks that are permitted by law. If the schedule has been correctly made, then the tax return will also be accurate. Therefore, there is no chance of double tax getting paid for the same item. Not to mention, you would not miss out on any taxable items. But most importantly, no eligible tax deduction option would get left out. Therefore, you can be assured that the lowest possible tax is paid.

A properly-made depreciation schedule is very important for investors. Otherwise, they can end up losing a part of their profits needlessly. Investors should have an accurate view of the tax savings they are eligible for, and such a schedule can help them.