+ SHOW US YOUR PAD/ FLAT/ CAVE/ PENT-HOUSE/ CARDBOARD BOX/… +
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mm yeah @Graeme that's quite true. i think currently due to the mining decline as well, there are lots of new property development that fail to sell that well. but that being said, i've seen quite a number of chinese nationals buying up property here in perth. the prices cannot be compared with sydney, but nonetheless still higher than what most people can afford for houses that have a decent distance to the city.
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There's very little in the Australian property market that's affordable to someone on an average, or even decent income. Unfortunately that's the result of a speculative investment bubble, high population growth with a lack of infrastructure being built, and a media that seems to be cheerleaders for the real estate industry.
Perth, which is one of the cheaper capitals, would need to fall by around 40% to bring prices back into line with affordability. Sydney probably needs to drop by 70% or so. People are going to get their fingers
burntincinerated! :oExcept, I'll be proven horribly wrong. Again.
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yeah the speculative bubble and media is definitely the cause and if anything falls, people are going to get their fingers incinerated,
but then again, negative gearing in this country is quite the contributing factor from what i see. i'm no expert but if you could reduce income taxes wholly by your losses from investment. the rich and richer will be the ones that gain the most. :o -
For the non-Australians, the tax system allows a property investor to:
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Offset any losses from interest payments of renting a property out against their overall income tax. This is negative gearing. This also acts as an incentive to hold interest-only loans, rather than paying down the mortgage.
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Depreciate assets if they've purchased a new-build development.
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Pay a reduced rate of capital gains tax if they hold onto the property for more than a year.
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There aren't tax incentives to renovate older properties, so there are a lot of places that haven't been updated in years. (For example this one is grim, this isn't quite so bad, and the seventies called and want their interior decor back!)
The net result is that the tax system encourages speculation as investors are relying on property prices to rise ahead of wages over the long term to cover substantial losses in the short term. (Robert Shiller, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on the housing market would suggest that's a bad bet to take.)
Throw in the tendency for landlords to hold large portfolios with a minimal level of equity in them, and you're injecting a lot of fragility into the financial system. I keep on telling myself it'll end badly, and keep on being proven wrong! :o
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I'm currently looking for a guest / day bed combo for my apartment. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions, or thoughts on the directions I'm looking at below.
My requirements are:
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I don't want anything too big. I'm likely to be living in a one bedroom apartment for the medium term.
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It's got to be reasonably comfortable.
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I'd prefer something durable. I'd rather buy once and not replace it.
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Ideally I'd like something that's reasonably easy to transport. So folding or capable of being taken apart.
Stackable Beds
I really like the Zeitraum Guest. Just don't look at the price. It doesn't come apart for ease of transport, and is designed around a proprietary foam mattress.
The Toro stacking bed is similar, but I believe is demountable. It's a bit limited with its mattress depths too.
Other honourable mentions are the Turtle Stappelbett, which is probably the nicest piece of design, and the Lönneberga Staple Bed, which has a cushion that doubles up to store bedding.
My concerns with these are that they have limited mattress choices, aren't necessarily easy to move, and are possibly compromised relative to a regular bed.
Traditional Daybed
This is the Chesa Laria daybed. It'll take a standard mattress, is demountable, but rather large and very expensive.
The Arielle daybed by Auping is another option. They can be found a lot cheaper elsewhere. I don't think that it'd be as comfortable as the above, though.
The downside of the above is that they're both singles, but something like the Chesa Laria would be less compromised in its day-to-day usage by not being a stackable design.
Camp Beds
The Topos Workship WW2 Camp Bed is one of the nicest of this genre. It can also be purchased with a futon style mattress that will make it more comfortable. But a pair together and you'd have a portable double bed.
They can work as a daybed, can be packed away in cupboards when not needed, but I'm not sure how comfortable they'd be on a regular basis.
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Living in my studio for many days at a time, I can say this is the most practical option, combining maximum comfort and portability. It can be dressed up with nice sheets and things if that's your style. It works, as long as you can let go of the ego that says, I'm rich, I deserve a frame and a mattress ;D. It's a lie, mattresses and frames suck. I lived off the $100 option in the studio for years and my back loves me for it!
http://www.aerobed.com/Raised-20-in-Bed-with-Smart-Settings-Pump-Full-P1970.aspx
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A disclaimer, however: I'm 5'7", so I don't know how some of them would be suited to a taller human, check the measurements if you haven't already dismissed the concept of an air bed
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@adam313 I've currently got a basic foam mattress and no frame. Before that I was sleeping on the floor. I do have a frame, but my proper mattress that fits it is in Wales and I'm in Australia. Need to sort that one out.
@Bluegrass I love the Zeitraum too. I think that my tastes in furniture would be eclectic enough to through in the old-school daybed with more contemporary pieces.
You'd probably also like the Turtle Stapelbett.
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I like your stlye. I've had a tempur-pedic mattress and pillow at all times since 2004.I highly recommend the aerobed. It's so cheap $wise, but totally durable and totally customizable in terms of firmness/softness. I let it inflate until the sensor says its full and then add just a bit more. I love sleeping on air, it is just another reason to live in my studio
I hope you find the ideal option!
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I'm getting there.
The other wrinkle is that I'm in rented accommodation, and likely to remain so for a while. This means that whatever I get has to adapt to different spaces. I've got a nice, oak table that I'm probably going to end up selling because it's too big for my current place.
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I was out shopping for a sofa today, and I saw this one in one of the mid-century furniture shops.
It's upholstered in a thick leather which is beautifully patinated. The shop assistant thought that it might have been buffalo, and there were some patches that exhibited the characteristic grain.
My one concern is that the seat felt a little uneven. The problem with vintage or antique furniture is that it can cost a lot to rectify. A full restoration of a sofa can be 75% of the new price. If I bought this, it'd no doubt be making a trip to an upholsterer's shop in short order.
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sofa is lovely, just knock out the kinks in it by having lots of sex on the bumpy section
