Category: General

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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Lopez stars in real estate dramas

Celebrities have been making real estate headlines with more high-profile luxury sales, and a luxury apartment featuring in a music video. Superstar singer and actor Jennifer Lopez has finally sold her New York penthouse for $23 million. She and her husband, the actor and producer/writer Ben Afleck, recently put their Beverly Hills mansion on the…
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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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Curse of the Critters may be on your target purchase

Finding the perfect home is about more than having enough bedrooms, square footage, or falling in love with the property’s curb appeal. You also want to be sure about your neighbors, and I am not talking about the ones on the other side of the fence or across the street. These neighbors are more like…
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How to make renting with roommates a success

With rents on the rise and vacancy rates extremely low, renting with roommates has rarely looked so attractive. At the same time, caution is needed, especially when renting with others. Negotiations to create a cohabitation deal are crucial, and you’ll need to be prepared to make compromises.  Firstly, splitting the rent with roommates should be…
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Could you incur Capital Gains Tax when selling your home?

Selling your family home is a big decision, and it’s natural to have questions about the potential tax implications.  Homeowners in Australia enjoy what is called “main residence exemption”, which shields your home from capital gains tax (CGT) when you sell. However, the rules can be a bit tricky. Think of the main residence exemption…
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As hopes rise for a rate cut amid rare window of opportunity

New data from property media company OneRoof provides a stark view of the current housing market in New Zealand as pressure continues to build on the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) to drop interest rates. In the past month, it has kept the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 5.5% – significantly higher than Australia’s (4.56%) and Canada’s…
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Seven tips for choosing the right colors for your home

If you’re thinking of selling and wondering how to maximize the value of your property quickly – and on a budget – you’ll have to look very hard to find a better solution than repainting your home. A fresh coat of paint throughout the home will hide the dents and scratches that walls suffer as…
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Investors under pressure as Biden bids for 5% rent cap

Facing voter frustration at housing affordability, the White House has pushed legislation to Congress seeking to cap annual rent increases at 5% and punish corporate landlords by withdrawing their federal tax breaks if they ignore the limit. The Biden administration also pledged to repurpose public land in Nevada so 15,000 affordable housing units can be…
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Make your small bathroom feel spacious

First-time buyers rarely have the spending power to purchase a large family home as their initial transaction on the property ladder.  Whether they’ve bought a small detached home or an apartment, their greatest challenge is usually square footage, or the lack of it. The ability to make the most of every inch will maximize their…
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