Author: Kylie Davis

If your home feels ‘blah’, give it a dopamine hit

Does your home make you happy? It’s a simple yet incisive question aimed at revealing whether you truly enjoy your sanctuary. If you quietly confess that, actually, you don’t love your house or apartment, then ask why not. What’s the problem? How can you change your mood towards your home? Ambivalence or disappointment are emotions…
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Why painting can give you the summertime blues

With the days warming and summer approaching, it’s understandable if you think it’s a great time to repaint the exterior of your home. Surely, summer is the best time of year to break-out the brushes because there’s less threat of the rain and damp that would compromise the drying of the paint?  Admittedly, one downside…
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Values still growing as market awaits rate cuts

Reading and interpreting market moves is a challenging occupation when figuring out whether it’s a great time to buy and sell property. One minute prices are buoyant, the nextreports are swirling about the heat coming out of the market.  And then there’s the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) teasing us with the hope of a…
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Six ways you could be wasting space, and how to fix the problem

Have you ever considered doing a space audit in your home, analysing those rooms where the lay-out could be so much better? If you’re considering putting your home on the market this spring selling season, or planning for a summer campaign, you should take a careful look at whether you’re wasting space in your home.…
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Big houses become a rent favourite as cost keep rising

Homes with the five bedrooms or more have seen average rental growth nearing 10%, according to the industry researcher, CoreLogic. Its finding indicates some renters are starting to pool their resources, or they’re willing to live in homes with total strangers. CoreLogic reports that rental growth for homes of five-bedrooms or more have risen 8.7%,…
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Seven ideas to prolong the life of your carpet

Flooring is such an important element of your home, but it’s often overlooked when you’re preparing to put your home on the market. Focus inevitably falls on the living area, and the bathroom and kitchen.  Owners will spend thousands of dollars improving these areas but neglect what is right under their feet. Yet, when buyers…
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Six ideas to brighten up your benchtops

Whether you’re selling your home, or feeling it needs some tender loving care, it’s likely your attention will focus on the kitchen because of its role as the household’s social centre. Over the years, a kitchen will become dated. Drawers might lose their ability to soft close, doors might get chipped and the plastic edging…
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Rent rises slowing but strong income awaits investors

For the past three years, investors and landlords have seen incomes skyrocket as Australians competed over an insufficient supply of rental properties. Rent rises are slowing now as the market begins to balance out following an influx of new investment properties to help ease supply.  For investors, it’s a time to either consolidate or go…
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Selling a home: negotiation tips

It’s no secret the US is in the midst of a strong seller’s market. Yet even with so many eager buyers out there, knowing how best to negotiate with them is crucial for home sellers. After all, the goal of selling a home is to receive the highest possible price –  and this is especially…
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Prioritise these six jobs in your new home

Moving into your first home is incredibly exciting and marks the beginning of an important chapter in your life. If you are thinking of embarking on some major upgrades, it may pay to get to know your new home well first. It’s worth keeping a journal of your general first impressions of living in the…
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