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And the winner is...Adelaide

For the second year in a row Adelaide has been voted most liveable city in Australia.

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The poll surveyed more than 2500 people and asked them to rate the?liveability?of the city they lived.

600 people from Adelaide rated the city's safety, affordability, quality of life and access to good health services.

As someone who has?traveled?to well over 30 countries i can honestly say there is no other place i would rather live. Although there it great to visit all those fancy places you see in the travel brochures there is nothing like living in Adelaide.

Are qualifications redundant?

I recently overheard a 22 year old talking on the phone to one of her clients saying how that people with all these qualifications couldn't be relied upon to give advice as it was only experience that counted.

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Putting aside the fact that this was a 22 year old and how could she possible have enough experience to brag about and before just dismissing her as having no idea I began to wonder whether she had a point.

To get to where I am now I have done a Degree in Commerce, a Degree in Economics, a Post Graduate in Accounting, followed by a Diploma in Finance, a Diploma in Real Estate and am just completing my Certificate IV in Building. I've also become a qualified CPA and gained my Real Estate License, Mortgage Broker License and Builders License.

Fortunately for me I have also been involved in hundreds of property transactions over the years and have the experience to back up my qualifications, however I wonder whether clients would view me in the same light without my qualifications.

In the age where information is so readily available over the internet and we have access to hear directly and communicate with the leaders in any given field is there any value in having a piece of paper to back up your credentials?

77 more buildings saved

With all this development planning in Adelaide it is comforting to know that there is a policy in place to protect the unique character which we love about Adelaide

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Released in March this year the Adelaide City Council's Heritage Development Plan Amendment has recommended the addition of 77 buildings to the Heritage list.

Each of the buildings added to the list has been reviewed by independent Heritage experts and carefully considered by Council and State Governments.

Speaking at a recent Property Council Seminar Premier Jay Weatherill said 'All of the buildings are worthy candidates for protection. People would be surprised that many of these site are not already heritage listed'.

As part of Heritage Listing owners can apply for financial assistance to help with maintenance and renovation. Over $10 million has already been provided over the last decade for this purpose.

A full list of properties can be found at www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/heritageDPA

258,000 homes needed for Adelaide

There has never been a better time for property owners to secure their financial future and set themselves up for retirement. Due to the shortage of housing in suburban areas

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the government is actively encouraging homeowners and investors to develop their properties ensuring that there is sufficient supply of housing to the meet housing needs of future generations.

In 2009 the South Australian Government released the 30-Year Plan for Greater Metropolitan Adelaide. This document guides the government to determine where people live and how population growth is managed over the next three decades. The information contained in this plan represents an unprecedented opportunity to predict where growth will occur and allow property owners to maximise returns from their property.

Over the next 30 years Adelaide is expecting steady population growth of about 560,000 people and the construction of an additional 258,000 homes. One of the main features of the Plan is that it ensures that 70 per cent of new dwellings will be built within established boundaries this is known as infill development.

Since the release of the 30-Year Plan for Greater Metropolitan Adelaide councils around the state have amended their planning laws and requirements to facilitate the increase in infill development and allow a consistent supply of housing well into the future.

Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities presented as a result of the release of the 30-Year Plan for Greater Metropolitan Adelaide. However investors must understand there are opportunities as well as risks.

50 year warranty on new homes

Some builders are offering extended warranties to their clients with many builders offering from 25 to 50 year warranties. However it is important to understand what these warranties mean.

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If a builder mentions a warranty period in their promotional material or when you are having your initial discussions it is important that this warranty is signed into the contract.

Although just because there is not written contract of the warranty it still may be legally binding to the builder you don't want to get involved in legal proceeding where there is and uncertain outcome. In this scenario the only person who will win will be the lawyers.

When signing a contract you need to ensure that you have a written warranty document so that if there is a claim in the future you can refer to this document to work out whether the builder is responsible for fixing the problem.

The items that builders typically include in a 25 year warranty include structural items such as roof frames, slabs and footings. It must be remembered that if the owner has contributed to the damage of any of these items then the warranty may not be applicable.

It is important to understand what your?responsibilities?are as an owner of a new home is to ensure that you fulfill your requirements to maintain the structure integrity of the building.