Australia is one of the most ideal expat choices for families, offering sunshine and beaches and an excellent quality of life for people of all ages. With a population of just 22 million in the sixth largest country in the world, Australia offers huge open spaces and ample opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. The country offers such diversity, that there is something to suit everyone.

Culture

Australia is rich with elements of multiculturalism, particularly in its traditions and cuisine and the influence of neighboring countries. English is the official language spoken in Australia, which makes communication easy if you are an expat from the UK or US. Lifestyle in Australia is extremely laid back. Although hardworking, Australian people pride themselves in an excellent work-life balance.   more ...

Where personal prosperity is concerned, Australia is no joke. It is currently one of the richest nations on the globe, and - as recently as 2011 - the World Bank's annual economic forecast determined that Australia would "grow more rapidly [in 2012] than global high income countries as a whole." (i) Meanwhile, Australia is placed at the absolute top of the world in certain wealth-related rankings. For example, Australia actually claims the highest median wealth per citizen in the world (last estimated at 222,000 USD.) This number is helped considerably by the fact that, despite having less than 0.5% of the world's total population, Australia lays claim to around 4% of that population that could comfortably call itself "wealthy."

This wealth is largely invested in real assets, with the 65% of wealth designated as such being the second highest in the world (Norway takes the cake here.) Owing to a per capita level of loan debt and credit card debt that is much less pronounced than what is encountered in the U.S., only a small minority of Australians has a net dollar worth that would not be in the quadruple digits.   more ...

by Tracie Hocart
Residential Property Solutions

Affordability, Cost of Living, GFC, Resources Boom, skills shortages, budgets, cheap holidays, strong Aussie Dollar, infrastructure spending, under supply of housing – these are just some of the phrases appearing frequently in the media today. And, I’m sure it’s not just isolated to Australia. In fact, throughout the world, countries are going through a time where cost of living, affordability and the health of world economies are big news. This is no surprise given that we are all continuing to ride out the last waves of the Global Financial Crisis – some doing better than others.

Since the GFC, consumers in Australia have changed their habits. They have had to. Banks have tightened their lending policies for individuals, and more so, for businesses. Individuals and families have started to save. Prior to that consumer spending was at significantly high levels. Everyone wanted luxury and spent to get it.   more ...

by Tracie Hocart
Residential Property Solutions

I was only 4 years old when the 1974 floods swept through Queensland and I really can’t remember a lot about the actual event, apart from the fact that there were a lot of the round plastic garbage cans (common at the time) floating around the streets. Following that time, everyone just rolled up their sleeves and got on with the clean up. There was a real no nonsense approach to getting things back to normal. Yes, it was devastating to many, but people realised that the only thing to do was to fix matters and move on.

Since 1974 the population growth in South East Queensland has been enormous, as has improvements to infrastructure. Things have been ticking along nicely despite the GFC. In fact, with the mining industry booming here we have been expecting big things in Queensland over the next few years.   more ...

by Tracie Hocart
Residential Property Solutions

Buying a home or investment property can be hard work in your own suburb let alone in a suburb somewhere on the other side of the world. When buying property, usually the most expensive purchase in your lifetime, talking to a professional is important. Not just the real estate agent on the closest corner, who has many listings he/she is being paid a commission (by the seller) to sell. But have you ever thought about using a professional Buyers Agent? Or have you even heard of a Buyers Agent before?

Buyers Agents – sometime known as Buyers Advocates, Home Finders, Property Finders or Real Estate Brokers – are a relatively new profession in Australia (10-15 years here). Damien Hocart, Managing Director of Residential Property Solutions says, “In the US, figures indicate between 50-75% of buyers use a Buyers Agent when purchasing property. Why not, when the role of a Buyers Agent is to act only for the buyer, and to negotiate the best price and contract conditions for them?”   more ...