When you borrow money for residential property the lender needs to know that you can honour your loan contract which can be for as long as 30 years. But what do you do when you don’t plan on being in the paid workforce for the next 30 years, or you’re at retirement age inside the next 10 years?

As the popularity of SMSF investment strategies rise among property enthusiasts, concerns around some of the products currently offered to the market have been raised by industry watchdog ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investment Commission).

You’re using a buyers agent that charges a fixed price fee and you’re wondering whether you should purchase a more expensive property so that you can get further value from their services?

Property investment comes with a few hidden extras that can sneak up on the unsuspecting purchaser, so it’s important to know what you’ll be up for when it comes time to close the deal.