Nathan Birch, an investor who owns 200 investment properties that net him approximately $500,000 in income a year puts South East Queensland as his pick. “If I had to start my portfolio again from scratch, today, I’d be buying in southeast Queensland,” he said. “The prices are better than in Sydney and Melbourne and there’s more room for them to increase. Sydney will still see some growth this year, but it’s probably close to maxing out.”

He added that there are similarities between the property market now and when he bought his first home in 2004.

Back then, Sydney was coming off a price boom that had stirred fears of a price bubble. Homebuyers were nervous about possible interest rate hikes and if the economy would land in trouble.

“In some ways, it’s easier now,” Mr Birch said. “At the end of the last boom there were a lot of homes for sale, but not enough people who wanted them. Right now, there’s still a housing shortage in Sydney and a lot of people looking to buy.

”The way I see it, there are good and bad times to be buying property, but ultimately you have to take action. Too many people have goals, but don’t do anything to make them happen.”

Through our property investment service we've been able to source investment properties that pay for themselves and put cash in your pocket so there's not really a good argument not to progress your investment plans at present.

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Recent share market volatility could see investors shifting their focus towards property which has been on an upward trajectory since 2012 and still offers yields above 5%. 

So far this year share markets have declined, with Chinese shares falling 14.6%, US equities 5.2%, Eurozone shares 6.2%, Japanese shares 9.5% and the Australian market down 6.8%, according to research from AMP Capital Investors.

In our view the Brisbane market still presents good value. While all the focus has been on Sydney and Melbourne over the last few years Brisbane has been flying under the radar. The overall market has steadily edged its way up by 18.84% since 2012. Doesn't't sound that exciting but if you had bought a $400,000 property back then it would could now be worth $475,000.

The Queensland economy has been sluggish in recent times with the slow down in mining but government has finally decided to step in and provide some much needed investment. Under the Queensland Transport and Road Investment Program (QTRIP) more than $18.8 billion will be invested in the State’s overall transport infrastructure in the next four years. The investment for the 2018 Commonwealth Games is $2 billion and expected to create 30,000 jobs. The Ipswich City Centre is about to start on a $150 million redevelopment.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has announced plans for a new high frequency subway system called the Brisbane Metro to slash travel times for bus commuters if he is re-elected at the upcoming Council elections.

Cr Quirk said the $1.54 billion Brisbane Metro would run on a dedicated route linking Woolloongabba to Herston, utilising sections of the South East and Inner Northern Busways, and would remove up to 200 buses per hour in the morning peak from the Victoria Bridge.

“This is a project that will be built over six years and provide a 100 year life for the city to keep Brisbane heading in the right direction,” he said.

“The growth of our city and the demand on the bus network to feed this growth is looming as one of the greatest challenges Brisbane is facing.

“Brisbane Metro will offer a comfortable, high frequency, fast, time reliable and high capacity link between the suburbs and inner city using a subway system that is quick and easy to get on and off.

“People’s journeys from the suburbs to the city and home again will be faster.

“Brisbane Metro will remove up to 200 buses per hour from slow inner city movements, allowing for more bus services in the middle and outer suburbs. By comparison, Labor’s light rail proposal, that replaces the successful Blue CityGlider, would free up only 18 buses per hour.”

Route of the proposed metro

Cr Quirk said continued employment growth, especially in the CBD and inner city, required increased public transport and many parts of the bus infrastructure had reached capacity and the city centre was becoming clogged with a growing number of buses.

“Every day about 170,000 employees, visitors and students travel to or through the city centre, mostly by public transport and this is predicted to climb to 250,000 by 2031,” he said.

“Right now, buses carry a clear majority of public transport trips in Brisbane. The Brisbane Transport bus network carried 76 million passengers in 2014-15, 50% more passengers than the CityTrain network.

“The CBD’s existing bus infrastructure, already at capacity in a number of areas, will not be able to cope.

“The Cultural Centre busway station reached capacity in 2013 with 230 buses per hour leading to chronic congestion and queueing. The King George Square and Roma St Stations are already operating at capacity while Queen Street Bus Station has, of course, been at capacity for many years.”

Cr Quirk said the Brisbane Metro would deliver a level of public transport service not seen before in Australia.

“Around the world millions of people in cities including Paris, Montreal, Miami, Tokyo and Hong Kong use this rubber tyred metro service every day,” he said.

“The Brisbane Metro is a step up from Light Rail – it’s a segregated, high frequency subway system with the potential to carry 30,000 passengers an hour, 10 times the potential capacity of the Gold Coast Light Rail.”

Brisbane Metro will create an interchange at Woolloongabba and Herston where people travelling on buses would transfer to and from the very high frequency subway system.

“Travel times from Woolloongabba to the CBD are estimated to take 6 ½ minutes compared to the scheduled 12 minutes but they often take up to 20 minutes because of bus congestion,” he said.

“Similarly, the Metro will provide travel times of 5 ½ minutes from Herston to the CBD compared to the current scheduled 9 minutes in the morning peak. As we know, this often takes much longer and will only get worse if we do nothing.”

Cr Quirk said Victoria Bridge would become a green bridge with general traffic banned and a new underground portal would be built under Adelaide Street to link North Quay and the King George Square busway.

There will also be changes at the Cultural Centre Station which will be placed underground with a smaller at surface station to support buses going to and from West End, such as the Blue CityGlider.

Cr Quirk said since the incoming State Government scrapped plans for a combined bus and train tunnel, it had refocussed on Cross River Rail which would not remove the problem that bus users face.

“Long term solutions are required for both the bus and rail networks and I do call for the State Government to be cooperative in terms of what we are proposing,” he said.

Brisbane is set for a massive jobs boost with the Queensland Government formally adopting the development scheme for the renewal of the Queens Wharf Brisbane Priority Development Area.

The $3 billion Queens Wharf Brisbane Integrated Resort Development will deliver a world-class tourism, leisure and entertainment precinct for Queensland.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Jackie Trad said the Queensland Government, developed the scheme which will support up to 2,000 jobs during construction and 8,000 ongoing jobs.

“This development will transform and rejuvenate the under-utilised south-western edge of the Brisbane CBD, attract significant investment to the city and most importantly, create jobs for Queensland families,” Ms Trad said.

The Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Priority Development Area development scheme provides the planning framework for the assessment of the Destination Brisbane Consortium proposal.

Public submissions to the development scheme supported the area redevelopment, the Government’s commitment to sub-tropical design and heritage protection and the delivery of improvements to the pedestrian and cycling network in the Priority Development Area.

“We invited the community, residents, and business operators to view the proposed development scheme and we received 37 written submissions. Some amendments were made to the proposed development scheme as a result of issues raised in these submissions,” said Ms Trad.

Queen’s Wharf Brisbane was declared a Priority Development Area on 28 November 2014 to facilitate the planning and delivery of an integrated resort development including a casino and other related development on the site.

All development applications will now be assessed against the development scheme.

The final Development Scheme also includes provisions for a Design Advisory Panel to assist in delivering a high-quality project for the benefit of all Queenslanders and visitors.

“This part of our city is one of the most culturally and historically significant sites in Brisbane, and the Design Advisory Panel will help ensure that Queen’s Wharf is a civic landmark,” Ms Trad said.

The Design Advisory Panel will be chaired by the Queensland Government Architect, and members will be drawn from the Queensland Urban Design and Places Panel.

Herron Todd White's November property clock notes that Brisbane house prices are still is in a rising phase. Brisbane is gaining a reputation as Australia's most affordable eastern capital with price growth potential, according to Herron Todd White.

As we noted last month Brisbane Units have however reached there peak and concens of over-suuply are building.

I believe the reason most people procrastinate is FEAR. They are afraid of the risks associated with investing. They focus on all the things that could go wrong “the what ifs” and console themselves that it is much safer to nothing.

This is however untrue, as doing nothing and delaying actually increases risk and increases the problem.

If you decided you needed $2 million by retirement would you sooner have 30 years to accumulate it or 5 years?

If you start early then you have a lot of time to build to this number which means your risk level is low. You can take small incremental steps and you will be less concerned and impacted by the markets ups and downs.

Investing earlier means your investments have the opportunity to go through a number of investment cycles. Think of each investment cycle as an opportunity to double your money. The more cycles you go through the more chances to double your money.

And if things did go “pear-shaped” you still have time to start and rebuild again.

If you wait to take action until 5 years before retirement then you have a very steep hill to climb in a short space of time. To achieve your target you will need to take a more aggressive investment approach, you will be vulnerable to market volatility and if things go wrong you will not have time to rebuild. So this is a high risk approach.

The longer we delay action we are actually putting ourselves in a position where we will need to take greater risk to achieve our goals.

Yet this is actually what most people to. They delay and defer until they don’t have a choice and then take on riskier investments with promise of higher growth or higher returns. And that’s how we end up with situations like Storm Financial and Banksia where people lose everything.

As the saying goes “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today”.

According to a new QBE housing outlook prepared by BIS Shrapnel Brisbane is predicted to be the standout performer between 2015-16 and 2017-18. The report has forecast cumulative price growth of 13.2 per cent for houses and 2.3 per cent for units.

However in other capitals the picture is not so rosy.

In Sydney house price growth will slow from 22.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 7.3 per cent in 2015-16 – and then prices will then fall 2.7 per cent in 2016-17 and another 2.3 per cent in 2017-18. Unit median prices are expected to follow a similar trajectory, with growth of 14.6 per cent in FY15 to be followed by growth of 4.8 per cent in FY16, a decline of 2.7 per cent in FY17 and a decline of 3.5 per cent in FY18.

Hobart is forecast to experience a 4.9 per cent increase in house prices and a 2.2 per cent decrease in unit prices, while Canberra house prices are expected to rise 3.4 per cent and unit prices fall 2.7 per cent. Melbourne values will climb 2.8 per cent for houses but fall 4.9 per cent for units. Adelaide house prices will go up 0.8 per cent, while unit prices will fall 0.8 per cent.

Perth is forecast to experience a decline of 2.4 per cent in house prices and five per cent in unit prices, while Darwin is expected to see falls of 2.5 per cent for houses and 5.2 per cent for units.

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Queensland is tipped to replace New South Wales as the most optimistic state regarding the residential property market and lead the country for price and rental growth over the next two years, according to the NAB Residential Property Survey.

The NAB Residential Property Survey found market sentiment improved notably in Queensland and was less negative in SA/NT, softened in Victoria and NSW and fell to a new low in WA.

NAB Group chief economist Alan Oster said the NAB Residential Property Index fell -7 to +10 points in the September quarter - its second consecutive fall - with the index now below its long-term average (+14 points), however it’s not all negative as the overall picture masks some big differences across individual state markets.

“The survey also suggests that yield compression will continue as capital growth outpaces rental growth in all states,” he said.

“Foreign buyers were notably more active in Victoria, where they accounted for just over 1 in 4 of all new property sales and around 1 in 7 sales of established homes.

"In established property markets, foreign buyers accounted for around 11.3% of all apartment sales and 9.5% of house sales. These ratios were significantly higher in Victoria, where foreign buyers accounted for around 1 in 5 of all established apartment sales and just over 1 in 6 houses.

The report noted expectations for national house price growth over the next 1-2 years were scaled back to 1.5% and 1.8%.

"However, this also masked a notable improvement in Queensland, which is now predicted to be the leading state for capital growth in the next few years (2.6% & 3.4%). In contrast, expectations were cut back in NSW (2.2% & 1.8%) and Victoria (1.9% & 1.9%), and remain weak in SA/NT (-0.2% & 0.5%) and WA (-0.7% & 0.4%)," it read.

"In 2016, the slowdown in average national house price growth to 2.3% is largely driven by a moderation in both Sydney and Melbourne prices growth. NAB Economics expects house price growth to decelerate in Sydney to 1.2%, while price growth in Melbourne will ease to 3%. Brisbane is tipped to see the fastest house price growth (4.5%), and the Adelaide market is expected to improve (2.4%). Perth will remain weak, although price declines are forecast to ease."