Once upon a time mobile phones were used to make … well … phone calls, of course. But that was all they were used for.
These days you can use them to get directions, make a restaurant booking, check your social media, play games and even watch movies.
They can forecast weather, monitor your health, alert you to meetings, take photos and video, and act as a flashlight in hours of darkness.
They can even help you buy property.
QR codes on property signage enable interested buyers to simply scan and view all its details.
And there’s plenty of apps and websites that allow users to do their research at the touch of a button.
Sites such as realestate.com.au or Domain.com.au offer snapshots of the property you are interested in as well as the suburb in which it sits.
They offer sales price information of surrounding homes, photos of the property, plus a rundown of all its features.
But, of course, before buying a property it is essential to do your research. Without it there’s a chance you will fail to see the cons, and focus mainly on the pros.
You may stop listening to your head and start following your heart. And that’s never a good thing when it comes to buying property.
This is where RiskWise Property Review (www.riskwiseproperty.com.au) comes in.
RiskWise can help buyers who log on to their website determine whether the property is right for them simply by answering a few short questions. These are fed into the RiskWise algorithm, which uses an in-depth mathematical equation and provides a comprehensive answer as to the risk or otherwise of that property, whether in equity or cashflow.
Once you have decided “this is the one”, it’s time to do some maths. And apps such as BMT Tax calculator (www.bmtqs.com.au/tax-depreciation-calculator) will help you work out the depreciation you can expect from the property.
Need to apply for home loan? Well, sites such as HashChing (www.hashching.com.au), an online marketplace for home loans, are able to easily sort it out for you without the drama and inconvenience of a visit to see the bank manager.
And once you’ve done the deal ASIC’s MoneySmart app helps you keep your budget on track using financial calculators that include interest rates or repayment timeframes.
RiskWise also has a Cashflow Stress Test Calculator (www.riskwiseproperty.com.au/Calculators) that can instantly provide a realistic view of the cashflow return from your rental property.
The bottom line is, with advances in technology, buying a property doesn’t necessarily mean having to run around everywhere trying to find the information you want, especially in these days of limited time and lots to do.
The answer, after all, is simple. Just pick up your phone and push a button. And it will all be there right at your fingertips.
