Inheriting property can be a wonderful gift from a loved one, but it comes with a significant drawback – you’re in the sights of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Taxes like capital gains and the estate and inheritance levy become an immediate issue. It is essential you receive professional advice to ensure you abide by…
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It’s always good to know your options when it comes to mortgages. While so much time and effort is spent on finding and buying the right property, we often don’t think enough about the type of mortgage we’re choosing. And we think about mortgages even less when interest rates fall, as if that is the…
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Have you ever been to someone’s home and immediately felt the occupant led a busy and stressed life? Perhaps, you’ve seen clothes dropped onto a kitchen countertop, or the living room has throw-blankets scattered or left on the floor. These are signs of a person, couple or family on the hamster-wheel of modern life and…
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Summer is just around the corner, and many owners will be looking forward to enjoying their gardens in the warm weather. You may be one of thousands of people promising that this year you’re going to get on top of the garden situation. Enough with the overgrown hedges and ugly weeds in the lawn –…
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There’s always conversation among owners and buyers about the price of property and how quickly values have risen since the outbreak of the pandemic. Have we had an historic boom because of Covid? Have prices been rising faster than ever before? New data from industry researcher CoreLogic says value increases have not matched the boom…
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The humble fixer-upper apartment or house is always a target for buyers seeking to either enter the property market or renovate and re-sell for a quick profit. The logic of buying a property that needs TLC seems undeniable. But like many things in life, it’s not always that simple. Labour costs and availability have become…
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Your home is probably your most significant financial asset, and it would make sense that you’d spend time maintaining it to head off small issues before they become big, expensive problems. If you’re already feeling a little guilty and admitting to yourself you could be more proactive, you’re not alone. New research suggests 84% of…
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For many Australians, and especially first homebuyers, the belief that purchasing property is a great way to build your wealth is foundational. While we all realise real estate has its ebbs and flows – like any other market – society has taught us that property is a solid investment for our futures. It might not…
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Creating a beautiful garden is a labor of love that requires careful planning and big decisions about the best plants for shady areas and those that capture full sun. One of the biggest decisions – figuratively and literally – is to select an ideal tree. You need to consider its ultimate height and spread so…
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Many folks find buying a rug a real conundrum – what is the best size for a room? Is it cool to put a rug on top of carpet? And is it supposed to match the carpet, the furnishings or can it be a random statement of color and pattern? It’s certainly a lot easier…
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