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3 signs that your ‘renovators delight’ will be a costly nightmare

Published on November 30th, 2020
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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Bagging a house in a place that will increase the value of your house over time can be great. However, if it is a ‘renovators delight’ that needs some serious patching up and you failed to research the expenses of your house you will find your financial pockets in need of renovation after all the effort you have put in to save your house. Here are three signs that your renovators delight will be a costly nightmare from hell.

Have you considered the financial cost?

Whether you purchased the building at a cut rate that made you save thousands of dollars or you simply see it as an entry into your dream neighbour, if you have not calculated the costs it will leave a dent in your pockets. Spending more than 5% of the purchase price on renovations is a red flag that shouldn’t be ignored.

Not only will it take a lot of money, but it will also be a time-consuming project. According to Home Improvements, renovating the just your kitchen to become something that is kind to the eye and liveable can cost anything from $10,000 to $45,000 excluding the costs of labourers. They also found that the average time to complete a renovation project took 2 to 9 weeks.

Their data also revealed that if you are planning to have a perfect chill spot in the garden area it will cost you anything from $2,000 to $10,000. There will be some work that you will be able to do on your own, but its always best to call in the professionals to get the best value for your money without adding to your costs.

Don’t let the tax advantages drive your reasons to invest

Investing in property can be a risk-taking opportunity that can see you make some good returns, or throw you further into the debt pit. Not all renovator’s delights are a bad investment, but if you get taken by the tax advantage point you could be in for a shocking turn of events.

There are some poorly performing properties that get sold because of the tax advantage. Whether your decision to invest in the property is due to the financial assistance you can get through depreciation allowances and stamp duty savings, you will have to consider the ability for the property to get you any capital growth.

You will have to research the property thoroughly in terms of how long it has been in the market. Consider factors such as how much similar properties are selling in the area. If you are seeing a lot of for sale signs in the region you should know that something is up. If it is offering a high rental yield, then this should be taken as a warning sign.

Will you be able to sell it in future?

An investment property is all about getting returns on what you put in, and if the cost to renovate the property outweighs the returns then leave it alone. It would be devastating to take the time to choose a home loan that offers you the best features for a house that will see little to no return on the work you put in.

As the adage goes failing to plan is planning for failure. You will have to pay your dues and thoroughly research the house and whether it is worth buying. Get a professional eye who will look at your rough diamond with an indiscriminate eye to help you know if you are making the right decision.

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