Tag: country_au

How to make your nest ready for love

Creating a romantic setting in your home to celebrate Valentine’s Day is a wonderful way to express your love for someone special. An increasing number of couples are opting for a home-based Valentine’s Day dinner because it can be busy in restaurants on this special day. Your home is the perfect, romantic sanctuary from all…
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Colours to avoid in 2024 renovations

If repainting your home is a promise to yourself this year, then you should be aware of six colours that interior designers say are going out of style. Painting the interior of your home is one of the cheapest and most effective renovations to prepare for a sale, and your choice of colour scheme will…
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Property investment predictions

Buying early may be the smartest and most profitable decision for investors looking to begin or expand their property portfolio this year. Substantial rental income and a strong flow of immigrants into Australia continue to pressure rental markets across the country. Predictions that property will experience 2% to 3% in value growth this year indicate…
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Emerging trends for creating designer kitchen

Few rooms show their age more than your kitchen.  And a high-quality, modern kitchen can add at least 10% to your asking price. Together with the bathroom, the kitchen is one of the most influential rooms when trying to attract prospective buyers to bid. A great kitchen is more than the European appliances, although these…
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Engineered stone ban impacts homeowners

The world-first decision by the Australian Government to ban the use of engineered stone commonly installed in kitchens and bathrooms will have ramifications for homeowners and renovators. Engineered stone has become a go-to material for many renovators over the past decade. However, the silica dust emitted when cut has been found to be potentially fatal. …
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Worming your way to composting

If you’ve been wondering whether there’s more you can do to help the environment, it’s worth considering buying a worm farm for your garden. Just the simple act of recycling your raw food waste will dramatically reduce what goes into your bin while creating a fantastic garden fertiliser. And it will stop your potato peelings,…
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Numbers play tricks on housing values

Investors who keep a keen eye on property news headlines may have been surprised when researcher CoreLogic declared Brisbane had overtaken Melbourne in median dwelling values. But are the numbers what they seem? Digging deeper into the data is always a worthwhile exercise because it perfectly illustrates how property is never a static investment.  These…
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Ensure pets included in bushfire plan

Fire services across Australia respond to up to 60,000 reports of bushfires every year.  That incredible number means that at any given time, there are literally dozens of bushfires raging in each state. It’s so common most of us don’t even think about it until the weather turns hot and blowy, and there’s a bushfire…
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Market stability offers chance to upgrade

A return to stable value growth suggests that a decision to sell your property in 2024 will deliver a predictable result, avoiding the boom-bust behaviours we’ve witnessed over the past three years. Predictions of price growth around 2% to 3% this year will deliver a good return on the back of a surprisingly strong 8.1%…
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Renovators benefit from easing costs

Homeowners and investors looking to renovate will be delighted that fast-rising construction costs are coming under control. New data shows that during the three months to December, 2023, costs rose only 0.8% which was a significant fall from the 4.7% quarterly rise recorded in the third quarter of 2022. Construction costs rose 2.9% last year,…
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