Creating wealth for later in life is a goal most of us embrace and spend our entire working lives trying to accomplish. And for the vast majority, property investment is a huge component of their strategies. Many young people today feel the idea of owning property is beyond their reach. However, there are strategies to…
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Are the bare walls of your home starting to feel blah? Have you been reading some of the popular home interior magazines and discovered the new super-cool wallpapers that are all the rage? And are you just itching to start hanging wallpaper? If you are, we can’t blame you! Wallpaper selection and quality have improved…
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Signs of an immediate uplift in the momentum of the New Zealand property market have emerged following the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s decision to cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 0.25%. Taking the OCR to 5.25%, the mid-August move by the Reserve Bank was the first rate cut in more than four years.…
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Size isn’t everything but when it comes to bedrooms buyers are influenced heavily by space and storage. Built-in wardrobes are a huge plus for today’s buyers. Except in older houses and apartments, most buyers expect to see built-ins and are disappointed when they haven’t been installed. While owners preparing for a sale rightly focus on…
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Mortgage rates are dropping against a background of a weak economy, and many pundits are trying to work out whether the current scenario will send property prices north or fail to ignite the market. Many believe that the current Official Cash Rate (OCR) of 4.5% will drop a further 1% to help revitalise the economy. …
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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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It’s always fun to change up the decor of your home, especially if you can time it with the seasons. For many homeowners, it’s all too easy to become a little bored or even blasé about your surroundings until one day you decide to do something drastic. So many of us love to garden at…
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When it comes to home maintenance, owners tend to overrate their DIY skills, producing work that either doesn’t add value to their property or damages it. Be aware that poorly executed and finished work will diminish the property’s value. If buyers recognise poor work they will often seek a discount to pay for remediation or…
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If you enjoy the occasional bizarre language and statements in the current presidential campaign, try this one – “the most neglected part of homeownership is the gutters. It’s personal for me”. The “me” is Democratic vice-presidential pick Tim Walz, who reckons he has had some bad gutter experiences. “You get your basement wet. You get…
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A political spotlight continues to shine on housing, with both presidential candidates outlining their plans to increase construction to ease a historic shortfall of homes and to make ownership more affordable. The importance of housing should not be underestimated in this election, even though it receives little media attention. Some 40% of renters believe they’ll…
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