The promise of investment returns and lifestyle opportunity in up and coming countries is always tempting, but there is one country that captures the heart and shows that, like its now famous wine vintages, it just keeps getting better.


In recent years Australia has been undergoing a surge in economic stability and enhanced lifestyle benefits fuelled mainly by an ever growing rate of incoming migration, which topped 160,000 people in 2007, and a resource boom that underpins a diverse and growing economy.


Indeed, it is hard to find a negative when talking about Australia, and that could be the reason why the tourist arrivals keep escalating.
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed some 471,400 incoming Short Term visitors for the month of September 2007, a number which has been steadily rising over the past decade.


In addition, there were 11,390 permanent (settler) arrivals to Australia during the same month of which people born in the United Kingdom accounted for the largest proportion of new settlers at 20 percent.
The key difference between the modern migrant and those of times past is there financial strength on arrival.
Almost 70 percent of the incoming migrants into Australia are coming under Business & Skilled Visas and are making a significant positive contribution to the economy and also the culture of Australia.


This is a major contributor to Australia’s economic prosperity, which has enjoyed a decade of positive economic growth.
Not surprisingly, this combination of lifestyle and economic stability has made Australian property a very attractive investment option.
What is a surprise is that the world has not yet discovered how easy and safe it is to buy a piece of Australia and how profitable it can be.
The only restriction that applies to foreigners that wish to acquire property in Australia is that they must buy brand new property, and make a formal application to the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) to seek approval.

Provided this property is confirmed as new, then approval is automatic.
Even though 2005-06 was a record year for approvals, there was still less than 5,000 successful applications. This represents less than 3 percent of all Australian Real Estate Transactions.
It is also one of the key reasons why the Australian markets remain stable, as too much foreign investment into property can lead to a high risk when investors choose to sell up and take their money home.
This stability means that foreigners can easily borrow up to 80 percent of the purchase price of their property, with loan terms up to 30 years regardless of the age of the borrower.
According to Linda Lawrance, Director of Specialist Mortgage, “borrowing for an Australian property is a very painless experience, as the Australian banks will take in all factors including the income of the applicant and property rental, which means that it is very unlikely that a person would be declined.”


Specialist Mortgage established an office in London in 2005 to help UK based Australian property investors to gain access to the best lenders available in Australia and has noticed an increase in enquiry in recent times.
Taking out a loan to buy your property has other advantages as well as making the initial outlay less painful.
“When the property is rented out, all costs including the full interest can be claimed against your income tax in full, and if there is an excess of expenses over income, the residual can offset future income or capital gains tax, including future wages or pensions if living in Australia” states Jason Lawrance of Australasian Taxation Services, a Australian Registered Tax Agent with offices in London.
“Recent changes in the Superannuation rules and continued reductions in personal tax rates mean that Australia has quickly become a very tax friendly country, and in fact there is a real likelihood of being able to achieve a tax free retirement with sensible and legitimate planning techniques.”


Jason regularly presents seminars in London on Australian Tax planning issues and finds that once people realize the legal opportunities to invest tax free in Australia there interest is enhanced, “many people wrongly think Australia is an expensive tax country, but in fact the rules are heavily weighted to help property investors achieve very low tax solutions”.


With easy finance and low tax possibilities, it will not be surprising to see the interest in Australian property continue to escalate in the coming years.
The Australian property market has shown great consistency over time, with each capital city achieving in excess of 8 percent PA growth over the past 10 years according to the statistics available from the Real Estate Institute of Australia.


Perth led the market as it has been recording some very impressive growth rates which saw the average growth in the past 5 years achieve 19.18 percent PA, a figure that would rival any property market in the world.
It has however now moved into a slower phase as is normal and is achieving a more moderate average.
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the September 2007, show that Perth has cooled off and the East Coast markets of Melbourne and Brisbane are now the strongest performers, with annual growth of 17.8 percent and 18.1 percent respectively for the year to September 2007.


The Weighted Average of the eight capital cities has now reached double figure growth and with the Sydney market still yet to move into its next growth phase, the promise of more to come remains.
Even with the steady historic growth rates, purchase prices in Australia still represent exceptional value with the medium house price ranging from A$310,000 in Adelaide to A$525,500 in Sydney as at June 2007.


With only 20 percent deposit required when finance is taken out, this means that you could be the owner of your own Australian property for less than #35,000 initial outlay, making it a very affordable and safe investment.
Australian building regulations are amongst the toughest in the world, so you can also expect to have a very high quality standard of construction as well.


Finding genuine information about Australian property has never been easy, however a relatively new website has been able to solve this problem with detailed information, statistics and regularly updated news and articles.

www.aussieproperty.com has proven very popular with offshore based Australian investors and welcomes over 20,000 unique visitors per month.
Each state and city offers a very different style and culture, one that will surely suit all investment personalities.
From the peace and quiet of Perth, to the vibrancy of Melbourne, sheer splendor of Sydney Harbour or perfect climate of Brisbane, you will come to appreciate what has become perhaps the worlds best property secret.

No wonder Australian’s aren’t in a hurry to tell you about it.