Weekend Reads — Must read articles from the last week

There are more interesting articles, commentaries and analyst reports on the Web every week than anyone could read in a month.

Each Saturday morning I like to share some of the ones I’ve read during the week.

The weekend will be over before you know it, so enjoy some weekend reading…and please forward to your friends by clicking the social link buttons.

Real estate agency calls out ‘generation selfish’

It would seem that every generation thinks the grass is greener on the other side.

Gen Y believe the baby boomers had it easy with lower house prices, baby boomers believe that Gen Y expect rewards without much work, and now we have Gen X who are believed to be the selfish generation by those before them.

An article on theadviser.com.au has reported that whilst today’s generation feel it’s impossible to buy a property, they are not willing to sacrifice their lifestyle to do so.

Young people are missing out on home ownership because they aren’t prepared to make sacrifices, according to one real estate agency.

Malcolm Gunning, principal of Gunning real estate, has said that when it comes to home ownership, young people are an uncompromising generation.

“There are lots of young people who are complaining that it is too hard to buy in Sydney, however they won’t forgo their material possessions,” Mr Gunning commented.

“More and more we are seeing a victim mentality associated with the high cost of property, yet this ‘generation selfish’ sees wide screen TVs, designer clothes, international holidays and eating out as everyday essentials,” he said.

“They simply won’t do what is necessary to cut their lifestyle in order to save a deposit.”

Mr Gunning also said that young people are not prepared to invest in a ‘stepping stone’ property in a less desirable location.

“They want the Surry Hills pad, right now and won’t modify their expectations,” he said.

Find the full article here

Buy and sell in 30 days and make a massive profit + Homeownership is falling

Another great Real Estate Talk show produced by Kevin Turner.

Michael Yardney discusses his personal portfolio, who inspires him, how he got started and if and how his strategy has changed. [adrotate group=”25"]

Professor Roger Wilkins gives us his insight into the HILDA Survey findings.

Ken Raiss from Chan & Naylor answers a two part question from Daryl about vacant land, GST and subdivision.

Jodie Walker from Secret Agent looks into the challenges of downsizing.

Nhan Nguyen is a successful property investor, over the next few weeks we will follow the journey of as he attempts to buy and sell a property in only 30 days for a gross profit of $50,000. We start the story with week 1 — finding and securing the property.

If you don’t already subscribe to this excellent weekly internet based radio show do so now by clicking here.

Sydney’s record construction pipeline: where, when, & what?

Sydney has certainly never been short of new designers, restaurants and trendy hot spots for people to visit.

However when it comes to construction it would seem that there’s been a noticeable slowdown — until now.

According to this Blog by Pete Wargent, Sydney has finally picked up the pace in their dwelling approvals.

Record pipeline

After years of under-building from about 2005 forth in Sydney, between July 2012 and April 2016 a vastly improved 163,500 dwelling approvals have been recorded for the Greater Sydney region (inclusive of the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains) and the Illawarra.

As Australia’s densest capital city, Sydney approvals today are mostly of the attached or dwelling multi-unit type.

There has been report after report concerned with the record number of units and apartments under construction.

Yet to date vacancy rates have barely budged at the city level, and apartment rents have kept rising.

Read the full article here

Love Your Garden: Spruce up for spring

With the days getting a little longer and the air a little warmer, we are finally on the home stretch to spring.

There’s never been a better time to get your garden organised for September festivities and this article from Domain.com.au has a step by step guide.

Spring is only a couple of weeks away.

I can’t wait! It’s like the start of the footy season; full of hope that this is the year.

If your team has new players, how will they perform?

The older players; are they still good enough? And you’re the coach and the selector.

That’s how I see my garden.

What’s going to impress me this season?

What’s not in my plans for the future and how much room under the salary cap do I have for a Jarryd Hayne-kind of player and what do I do with Robbie Farah in my garden?

OK my garden mightn’t be on the news every night or rate in the NRL but it’s just as exciting to me and more important to my family and our lifestyle.

Here are my tips for sprucing up for spring:

The first thing you should do is just a general tidy.

Rake up all the leaves and clean out your drains.

A blocked drain can have a big impact on your soil and your plants.

Most plants hate to be in damp soil.

If what you are removing from your drains is composted and a dark colour, almost black, you need to do it more often but don’t throw it away — it’s excellent compost for the garden.

Click here for the full article

You are surprisingly likely to have a living doppelganger

Have you ever wondered if there was someone in the world who looks exactly like you?

It may seem like a scripted seen out of a Hollywood movie, but in realty it is actually possible.

According to this article on bbc.com the chances of an individual having a doppelganger isn’t completely ridiculous, in fact it has been a documented occurrence.

What are the chances of finding your exact lookalike?

BBC Future investigates.

It’s on your passport.

It’s how criminals are identified in a line-up.

It’s how you’re recognised by old friends on the street, even after years apart.

Your face: it’s so tangled up with your identity, soon it may be all you need to unlock your smartphone, access your office or buy a house.

Underpinning it all is the assurance that your looks are unique.

And then, one day your illusions are smashed.

“I was the last one on the plane and there was someone in my seat, so I asked the guy to move. He turned around and he had my face,” says Neil Douglas, who was on his way to a wedding in Ireland when it happened.

“The whole plane looked at us and laughed. And that’s when I took the selfie.”

The uncanny events continued when Douglas arrived at his hotel, only to find the same double at the check-in desk.

Later their paths crossed again at a bar and they accepted that the universe wanted them to have a drink.

Click here for the full article

Weekend Video: 10 new bets that you will always win

Originally published at Property Update -.