How safe is a holiday home – not from burglars or raging bush fires but from the taxman? It’s an incredible life achievement to be able to afford and run a holiday home. Of course, many owners will want it to double-up as a rental, especially during various public holidays through the year, to help…
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While the summer holidays are a time for relaxing with family and friends, it can also be an opportunity to tick some of those little maintenance tasks from your to-do list. Breaking out the brushes and repainting the bathroom or another area of your home will give you a sense of satisfaction that lying on…
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One of the greatest pleasures any homeowner has during the summer holiday season is to host friends and family in their backyard, firing up the barbecue, putting drinks on ice and basking in this wonderfully relaxing time of the year. Of course, this description of an idyllic summer get-together hides the fact that there’s lots…
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It’s the summer holidays and a time to relax, but if you’re a DIY enthusiast you know there’s only so much sitting in a deck chair you can do before the urge to break out the toolbox becomes overwhelming. There are countless small chores around the home to dive into with the sun on your…
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The season of “Peace, Love and Goodwill” will soon be upon us, and for many owners locking their homes and escaping for a much-deserved summer holiday, this is also a time for “Peace of Mind”. Sadly, the period between Christmas and the end of January is a peak time for home break-ins. Insurance companies, such…
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With industry research indicating property values are consistently rising at 0.7% – that’s on track for an annual growth rate of 8.4% – it’s a valuable exercise to validate reported market trends using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The total value of residential dwellings in Australia rose $213.8 billion to $11.56 trillion…
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Limited stock of homes for sale is helping to push values higher as the spring selling season gets into full swing. Deal values have continued to edge higher every month since February, according to the latest data from industry researcher Cotality (formerly CoreLogic). The market has registered another 0.7% upswing for August. For metropolitan areas,…
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The weather is warming quickly after the cool and often wet days of winter, and this means it’s a great time to get into the garden and start preparing your plants for the summer heat. For many owners, their roses are their pride and joy, but they can come under significant stress when the mercury…
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The arrival of spring and the bloom of many trees and shrubs often encourages us to start thinking about our gardens and how we can prepare them so we can entertain family and friends during the long, hot days of the coming summer. If you’re in this frame of mind right now, you should take…
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Maximising the value of their home should be the goal of any owner planning to enter the market. Momentum has swung to the seller in the last few months with steady monthly price increases, three interest rate cuts this year and an estimated 20% shortfall in housing stock that would have normally been for sale…
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