Happy property investment experience for Cath and Jason Stanley
Posted by Peter Scarfo on Sat, Apr 16, 2011 @ 07:01 PM
Cath and Jason live in Canberra, and have recently bought an investment property in Cairns. Theirs is a story of how easy it has been to invest through McCarthy Group, and the wonderful people they met along the way.
We caught Cath on the run between changing, driving, and going to the physio. “I’m a woman. I can multi-task” she says, laughing. Here is Cath’s story.
“We moved to Canberra from Brisbane and bought a house here while leasing our home in Brisbane through an agent.
We hadn’t been looking to buy an investment property, until one day we received a call from Dawn at McCarthy Group. Dawn was really lovely and down to earth, and we agreed to a meeting.
That’s when we met Pamela Longmore from McCarthy Group. We just fell in love with Pamela straight away. She was brilliant, and gave us all the information we needed. We learnt that we could spread the tax refund from the property across the whole financial year, which the agent in Brisbane had never told us. In fact the agent in Brisbane was hopeless in comparison, and only ever had hassles and problems to share with us. We ended up selling our Brisbane property, but would have kept it if we’d met Pamela earlier! We really loved that home.
Pamela explained everything simply and clearly, and everything was easy to understand. It was all very interesting, and we were impressed.
We agreed to take the next step and have an investment plan prepared. Within a week or two we met with Murdoch, who had done an amazing job. Everything had been prepared, including a specific proposal for an investment property. All the calculations regarding what it would cost us as a contribution over the next one, two, five and even ten years had been done, and it was very affordable. The mortgages were sourced as well as the legal and conveyance firms. All we had to do was sign on the dotted line, with the hardest part being having the documents witnessed by a JP!
Before sharing the proposal, Murdoch asked us where we would ideally like to invest, if we had the chance. I am from Cairns, and I love it there, it’s just the best area, so that was my answer.
Well, imagine our surprise when it turned out to be Cairns! We bought a brand new investment apartment in a block that was named after the street we lived in Canberra. That was a good omen, and a sure sign that this was for us.
In terms of making a decision, everything seemed so clear. There were diagrams to explain the finance and how it would all work, as well as property growth estimates from their researchers. It all appeared so logical and easy to do.
We knew straight away that McCarthy Group knew what they were talking about, and in our view, they had a lot of credibility. Importantly, Murdoch had invested in properties himself, which gave him credibility as well.
Once we had made the decision to go ahead, the follow-up was excellent. Lots of people helped us, and the whole process was as easy as signing on the dotted line.
Tiffanie helped us a lot, and nothing was too much trouble. She would email or text me things that she needed, like pay slips, or forms, or conveyance details, and she always said “don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.”
In terms of the apartment, we literally did nothing in terms of getting a tenant. The team arranged property management through McCarthy Group’s agent, Koala Blue Real Estate. They manage a lot of properties for McCarthy Group clients, so we knew that they would be responsive and that we would get good service and support from them.
In terms of property management I said to Pamela, “I don’t want to have to do anything,” and that’s exactly the way it’s turned out. It’s really great being looked after like this, and we are very happy with their service.
I haven’t seen the apartment yet, but I have a school reunion in Cairns over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, so I’m heading up to spend a few days there. The two most beautiful words in the English language are “tax deduction” and I am so pleased that part of the trip will be an offset against our tax.
In terms of getting another investment property, we can absolutely guarantee we will. It’s so easy, and with 25 years to go in the workforce, I want to know that we will be able to pay off the mortgage, and retire comfortably. That’s where we are headed, with investment property as the plan to get there.
I have noticed that many of McCarthy Group clients are repeat clients, with some coming back again and again. We would certainly do it again, particularly given all the tax breaks and how little we are out of pocket in making it all happen. I think it’s $80 a week which increases marginally over the first few years. However with our incomes, and inflation, we can afford it. I work in public administration and Jason is a painter, and it really feels good to be investors now as well.
We have been really delighted with how easy it’s all been, and how fantastic the people are at McCarthy Group. Pamela visits us when she comes to Canberra, and we catch up and have breakfast, or lunch. I love her to bits. We stay in touch by phone, email, and catch up. It’s amazing, really. Tiffanie has also become a great friend and we are in touch on Facebook and by email.
I’ve referred two friends to McCarthy Group who have already taken the plunge and invested through them and they now own investment properties in Townsville! A third friend will be meeting Pamela later in the year, and so will her mother.
Looking back, I said to Murdoch “I wish I had known about this seven or eight years ago. It’s so easy. We would have been property moguls by now!”
I tell my friends that even though we set out to buy an investment property as a business deal, along the way the McCarthy people have become firm family friends.”