Termites cause more devastation to Australian properties than fires, floods and other natural disasters combined. These blind, hidden, “silent destroyers” infest around one in every five Australian houses, with around 130,000-180,000 properties damaged every year. And unfortunately, as of 2001, home insurance doesn’t cover such destruction as it is classed as a preventable insect problem.…
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Creating a budget for your next property purchase is an essential task before searching for your next dream home. There’s no problem with visiting a few properties in the neighborhood to see what’s available, but when you are ready to enter the market and purchase, you need to know your spending power. In most cases,…
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Looking after a garden can be one of the great pleasures of owning a home, but it requires work and perseverance. Not every plant will grow as you’d like, and some may even die. That’s just part of the gardener’s journey. Forming a vision for your garden before spending on plants can minimize the time…
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Spring is almost upon us, and that heralds the start of the real estate market prime selling season. Many owners watching the market over the fall and winter months will now be preparing their homes for sale, believing mortgage cost cuts are just around the corner. The market is expected to slowly return to more…
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It’s amazing how your garage accumulates personal belongings and the leftovers of DIY projects during the summer months. One moment, you have an easy drive into your garage, and the next, your car sensors are beeping like crazy to stop you from running into old paint cans or a set of golf clubs. A clean…
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Mortgage insurance is one of those obligations all owners face if they apply for a loan without a 20% deposit. Its purpose is to protect your lender from the possibility, no matter how remote, of you defaulting on your loan. Potentially, this would leave them with a property that may not be resellable at market…
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Some of America’s favorite celebrities have been busy in the real estate market recently, with several dropping their price expectations in the super-luxe market. One star who’s reportedly bringing down their asking price to meet market expectations is Jim Carrey. According to realtor.com, the actor has dropped the price of his Los Angeles estate from…
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When you’re selling your home, it’s important to be authentic in your marketing content and in how you talk to prospective buyers. Half-truths and approximations can be a selling disaster even if you or your agent have the best intentions. Watch out for this list of common catch phrases that buyers are likely to question.…
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Whether you’re a first-time buyer or about to upgrade your property for a second or third time, it’s a smart play to use technology to make your home-hunting as efficient as possible. Many buyers are now using phone apps exclusively to find their dream homes. These are some of the best. Zillow The market leader…
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Since New York became the first state to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in new buildings, a debate has been raging about the health dangers of the gas stove in the family kitchen. An increasing number of owners are now replacing gas with an induction stovetop as part of a kitchen remodel. The…
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