Buying or selling property is rarely just a property decision. It affects your cash flow, your tax position, your retirement strategy, and sometimes your Centrelink entitlements. We help you see the full picture before you commit.
For most Tasmanians, the family home is their largest asset — and property decisions are often the most significant financial decisions they make. Yet most people approach buying or selling property through a purely transactional lens, without considering what it means for their overall financial position.
Geoff works with clients at every stage of the property journey — first home buyers, investors, people upgrading or downsizing, and retirees navigating the interaction between the family home and the Age Pension. The common thread is that property decisions are financial decisions, and they deserve the same level of analysis as any other major financial move.
The impact of buying a property extends well beyond the purchase price. A new mortgage changes your cash flow position, your debt structure, and your capacity to invest elsewhere. For investors, the question of how the property is held — in your own name, a spouse's name, a trust, or a company — can have significant long-term tax implications.
We help clients understand the financial consequences of a property purchase before they commit, including how it interacts with their existing investment portfolio, their superannuation strategy, and their tax position.
Selling triggers CGT on investment properties — and the timing of a sale, your income in the year of sale, and whether you've held the property for more than 12 months all affect the tax outcome. The family home is generally CGT-exempt, but there are exceptions — particularly for properties that have been used as an investment, or where the land is above a certain size.
We help clients plan property sales in a way that minimises the tax impact, including timing strategies and the use of superannuation contributions to offset gains where appropriate.
The family home is exempt from the Age Pension assets test — but the proceeds from selling it are not. Downsizers moving into a smaller home or aged care need to understand that selling the family home can significantly change their Centrelink position, sometimes reducing or eliminating their pension entitlement.
The Downsizer Contribution rules also allow eligible Australians to contribute up to $300,000 per person from the sale of their home into superannuation — outside the normal contribution caps. This can be a highly effective strategy in the right circumstances.
For first home buyers, the financial preparation goes beyond saving a deposit. Understanding your borrowing capacity, building an emergency fund, maintaining adequate insurance, and not over-leveraging are all part of setting yourself up for a sustainable home ownership experience. We help first home buyers get their financial foundations right before — and after — they buy.
Talk to GeoffA straightforward conversation with Geoff could give you more clarity than years of going it alone. There's no obligation — just honest, practical advice from someone who's been doing this for over two decades.
