Be the perfect Easter host with these seven ideas

Inviting guests for Easter often throws the hosts into a heated debate about the meal they should prepare. What is the perfect Easter meal? Besides chocolate, of course! Often, it’s best to create a menu you know you can deliver. Perhaps, it is a traditional meal of your heritage, your mother’s passed-down recipe, or a…
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Four favourites to put in your garden this spring

For those planning a wonderful spring and summer garden this year, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and start planting. If you’re also preparing to put your home on the market for the spring or summer selling seasons, it’s vital you highlight your garden as a major feature – it’s a significant contributor when…
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Canadians pause, but market may offer silver lining

A collective “watch and wait” stance has been adopted by property owners as Canada holds its breath for the next installment from the White House. After the steel tariffs, we now have a 25% levy on our auto industry exports to the United States. At the time of writing, the world was poised for so-called…
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Uncertainty can favour the long-term buyer

Home prices have shown an initial resilience in the face of economic threats and actions from Washington.  Prices slipped just 0.8% in February as buyers increased their caution and sellers decided that perhaps this was a good time to hold onto their properties. Uncertainty, however, can be your friend in the property market. It can…
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What happens when you fall into the ‘appraisal gap’?

A grey area of the purchase process comes immediately after a seller has accepted your offer – the assumption your lender will support your assessment of the property’s value. With the help of your agent, your proposal should reflect market value and not be a million miles away from the seller’s target price. But what…
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Strong regional prices hold investor promise

Investor confidence has returned to regional Australia due to its strong price resilience in the past 12 months and continuing demand for rental properties. Dwelling values in three-quarters of regional suburbs (72.6%) analysed by industry researcher CoreLogic increased over the three months to January.  By comparison, fewer than half the suburbs in capital cities produced…
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Seven buyer tasks once you have the keys

Plenty of advice is given to first homebuyers about selecting a property and how to handle the transaction, but little attention is paid to explaining a few important tasks that are necessary after taking possession. First homebuyers remain one-third of the buyer market and their active participation bolsters values in the lower market quartile. Their…
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Women still trailing men in property ownership

The gender gap between the number of men and women who own property in Australia is closing, according to a study by Lonergan Research.  Some 62.7% of women own at least one residential dwelling compared with 64.4% of men.   Men remain the predominant group of property investors (14.2%) compared to women with 11.4%. In a…
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Tell your life story through interior design

Interior design is more than matching furniture and paint colours – it’s about showcasing who you are and how you live. Now, this is not the usual opinion or advice you’ll receive from a real estate agent.  For those wishing to sell their home – we agents will always recommend decluttering and depersonalising your home…
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Investors must move into new era as rent growth slows

The record growth run Canadian property investors have enjoyed with rental income has been slowing in the past 12 months, but there’s every reason to be optimistic for 2025, according to industry experts. To the end of December, the 12-month rise in rents stood at +3.2%, or +$2,109pa. That’s the slowest rate of rental price…
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