Category: Downsizer

Five tips for cleaning dirty grout and silicon

Once you’ve bought your new home, the motivation to make it even more perfect can be insatiable. Having already fallen in love with your property, it will only take you a few weeks to begin to see where it can be improved to suit your lifestyle and taste. When it comes to making any big…
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Number of $1m homes rises 25% in 10 years

The track record of property as a high-quality investment has been underlined again by new data showing the number of homes now valued at more than $1 million has increased by almost 25% in the past decade. Fewer than 10% of properties could boast $1 million values back in April 2015, but now that figure…
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Not even a democracy sausage can dampen home values

Australians are normally a careful people when it comes to money, and the prospect of a federal election is enough to put most property purchases on hold as buyers wait to see which party and policies win the day. Not this time. Buyer demand for homes across Australia showed no sign of stalling as the…
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NZ market full of opportunity as pendulum swings to the buyer

As we head into winter, the New Zealand housing market is full of mystery and intrigue. Trying to find the perfect time to buy and sell a home has rarely been harder if you believe you can read the tea leaves of our real estate market.  We’ve been helped by the recent 0.25% cut in…
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Six selling tips that overcome buyer economic uncertainty

The economic uncertainty instigated from Washington has dampened the mood of the spring real estate markets in Canada and the United States. A time of year that’s traditionally associated with optimism and a desire to buy and sell homes across the country has been overshadowed by caution. While we have never seen an economic twist…
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Five answers to queries on credit score

For first homebuyers, there’s a lot of focus on getting your credit score in great shape. Why? Because it totally affects the amount of money and interest rate a lender will offer you. Put simply, your credit score is a big deal when seeking a mortgage to buy a home. Explaining how it is calculated…
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‘Mild’ seller’s market under pressure as inventory builds

Sales of existing homes are tracking at four-million-a-year as America’s strong record of value increases continues, according to the latest housing report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Prices are up 1.8% on 12 months ago, and we have chalked up our 22nd successive monthly increase in values.  Existing home sales dipped 0.5% in…
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If gardening is a chore, embrace chaos theory

Conventional thinking suggests we all love a neat and tidy garden – flowerbeds are organised and weed-free, hedges clipped, roses in bloom and trees shaped to perfection. When selling your home, this is the perfect philosophy to attract the greatest number of potential buyers. Of course, it’s not the only approach to gardening.  An increasing…
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Why you should budget for closing costs

Paying for closing costs is just a reality of life that comes with buying real estate. There’s no escaping it, but you can shop around to reduce the expense of this obligation. For first-time buyers, it’s worth stepping through this part of a property purchase. Closing costs include legal and title search fees, required insurances,…
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Eight ways to win a bidding war

The search for buyers has never been more important as the market mood continues its cautious optimism supported by strong employment trends and continued economic growth. The stock market gyrations in recent months on the back of tariff threats and promises of constructive trade negotiations mean the search for buyers is becoming increasingly competitive. Upsizers…
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