Category: General

Hot tips to protect you from winter freeze

If the onset of winter has caught you out, you’re probably wondering how you can quickly prepare your home for the cold weather so there are no expensive problems down the track. Getting a few jobs ticked off your list now will help you avoid some common maintenance problems. Tips for preparing your home for…
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Figures show most homeowners selling at profit

New Zealand homeowners continue to reap the rewards of investing in real estate, with new figures suggesting almost 95% of sales made in the September quarter were achieved at a profit. The results gathered by researcher CoreLogic are slightly down compared to the previous quarter when 98.1% of residential properties were sold at a profit. …
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Prepare your home for stress-free Thanksgiving

We never appreciate the value of our home more than when we are surrounded by family. And Thanksgiving is the most special occasion when our families come together. No matter how many folks are coming to your home this year, hosting is a responsibility we all take seriously. You’ll want your home looking perfect and…
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Six ways to give a room personality

It’s a lot of fun to redecorate if you’re bored with a room or you’ve just bought a new home and want to add some of your personality to it. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to know where to start. Common questions include: “what are the best colors?” And: “how can I best convey my style…
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How to install fantasy island in your kitchen

A favorite improvement to older kitchens is the installation of an island bench: a modern, fashionable upgrade that can transform the atmosphere of the entire house. Days of working in the kitchen with your back to everyone else will be over. An island bench makes a kitchen more than a space to prepare food. It…
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Simple steps to protect your garden before winter

Winter is always a challenge for your garden, but there are several steps you can take to protect it from frost and snow. If you’re considering putting your property on the market in the next few months, you don’t want to go to the expense of replacing plants that couldn’t make it through the winter.…
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How to make your laundry room sparkle

If you’re selling a home, your laundry room is one space that needs to be squeaky clean.  The state of a laundry room often reflects the time homeowners have: they’re either super-organized and functional or the biggest disaster area in the house. And that’s a shame because a laundry room is a real selling point. …
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How to reduce maintenance tasks

Maintenance is a labour of love for many homeowners – traipsing around the local hardware store and eating snags is a weekend ritual for thousands of homeowners.  Others, of course, would prefer to do something else, somewhere else. If you’re an owner who sees maintenance as a chore rather than an opportunity to test your…
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Orderly adjustment continues as sellers refuse to panic

An orderly correction of property prices is continuing across Australia as buyers and sellers react to changing market forces swayed by a 6.1% spike in inflation and increasing mortgage rates. For September, industry researcher CoreLogic has found values for all housing slipped 1.4%, a slightly better result than in August (-1.6%). This comes after two…
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How the big picture influences local price expectations

It’s always helpful to look at the national real estate market to get a general sense of the attitudes and experiences of both the buyer and the seller. While we caution you against associating national numbers with sales results in your area, all local markets can be affected by national trends and confidence in the…
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