First National

First National

Friday, December 21, 2012

Nigella's Mince Pies


http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/STAR-TOPPED-MINCE-PIES-5238


Christmas in exactly 3 days! ONLY TWO sleeps left!

Hope you've got your turkey/pork/ham organised, mince pies and other delish desserts to share with family and friends on this coming joyous day :)))) I came across this recipe and oh my... christmas just isn't quite complete without fruit mince pies. I love Nigella Lawson's replacement of clementine (just use an orange) juice and rind in her recipe. Brilliant. Check out her video too to boost that Christmas spirit.

STAR-TOPPED MINCE PIES

Have a safe and wonderful holiday everybody. Don't stress over this festive season, it's not about the food or presents - it's about being with your loved ones! Embrace every moment of it peeps.

JM CHASE FIRST NATIONAL WISHES EVERYBODY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Protect yourself from rental scams

http://discover.realestate.com.au/renting-sharing/how-to/how-to-protect-yourself-from-rental-scams
 
JM Chase First National Real Estate is here to catch you before you fall into traps!

Rental listings are a popular target for scammers. Prospective tenants are used to having personal details at the ready for applications, expect to be asked some questions, and ultimately, expect to hand over some money.

Don't be put off by scammers, there are plenty offline too, all you need to know is how to guard against them!! Here's how........

BE ALERT, BE VARY, BE THOROUGH
- If it's too good to be true, it most probably is
- Landlord is overseas
- You're asked to handover money before anything else happens
- You're given too many excuses as to why you may not view the property
- If the photos look abit "off" (eg: blurry), it most likely was stolen from other websites
- The ad was clumsily composed

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF???


- Inspect the property
- Keep copy of emails or other correspondence exchanged with the landlord
- Do thorough research about the property 
(NOTE: Even fancy and professional looking websites can be  fake)
- Lay your own groundwork with money and finances. Do not consent to a money transfer - too high a risk, too high a cost to pay.
- Listen to your gut instincts, they are often right!
- Do your own independent research and checking references! Do not only rely on the contacts given by your landlord

YOU'VE BEEN TARGETED...... WHAT TO DO????

Right away! Contact ACCC's Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or SCAMwatch (via their report a scam page).

Pass on everything you can recall about the incident. Take a screen grab of the ad if you can (if it's still live and online) and advise the authorities of anything you've told the scammer.

You should also report it to the website you found it on. There may be a Report button on the listing, otherwise send them an email or call. They will usually have a plan for dealing with these types of listings which includes taking it offline and investigating further. Don't let other users of that website fall victim too.

If you sent money through a wire service, contact the service immediately and ask them to stop the transfer.

If you have given anyone your personal or financial details, advise the authorities immediately, and contact your financial institutions to alert them your accounts have been compromised.

For comprehensive information about scams and the law in Australia, visit SCAMwatch.


Moving out of a rental property - KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

http://discover.realestate.com.au/renting-sharing/how-to/moving-out-of-a-rental-property

Depending on the circumstances, you may have to give up to 28 days notice that you will be leaving. Of course, if the property becomes uninhabitable you can leave and stop paying rent, as soon as you serve a Notice to Landlord explaining why you are leaving.

During a fixed term agreement, you can only end the lease if your landlord agrees. 
If the lease is causing you severe hardship, you can also apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to end a fixed-term tenancy early.

Remember to give notice correctly!!! No one wants to be paying rent even after having moved out!

Tenant giving notice of intention to vacate:  

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing-and-accommodation/renting/ending-a-lease-or-residency/tenant-or-resident-ending-lease-or-residency/tenant-giving-notice-of-intention-to-vacate

Share houses mean shared responsibility

If another tenant takes your place when you leave, you'll need to send a completed tenant transfer form to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). - call on 1300 137 164 or email rtba@justice.vic.gov.au

- Get the new tenant must also sign it. - Make sure your name is taken off the lease, or you could be held jointly responsible for any damage or repairs, even if it happens after you move out.
- When one co-tenant leaves, sorting out the return of bond money is a private matter between you and the other tenants.

When you're not the main tenant

When you leave, you must give them the proper notice, which depends on the reason for leaving.
If you paid a bond, the head tenant was obliged to lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). The head-tenant is, in effect, your landlord for the RTBA's purposes.

Show me the bond money

If process was correctly followed, signatures on bond claim form matches RTBA's records and RTBA has bank account details, you should receive bond money within 2-3 days.

If you met all the conditions of your lease, you should get the full amount back.

If you can’t reach agreement, you can apply to your state tribunal for a hearing to resolve the matter.

** Never sign a Bond Claim form that doesn't show the amount you're to receive as a bond repayment **

HOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS:
  • check the property against the condition report from when you moved in
  • compare the property now to any photos taken at the start of the tenancy
  • take photos when you leave
Check out link above for step-by-step process of claiming a bond

Your things must vacate the property too

If you leave anything behind when you leave a rented home, you will have to arrange with the landlord to collect them as soon as possible - They cannot refuse to return them, even if you owe rent.

 

 

Suburb Property Data and Trends

Simply choose your choice of State and suburb and wallah! All the information you are looking for is infront of you. As easy as that! If you need help interpreting data or need more information, call us today at 88776688 to speak to our friendly, professional and knowledgeable property agents.

For example: GLEN WAVERLEY, Victoria

The most recent median house price for Glen Waverley is $909,000 and the median unit price is $430,000. 

Median sale prices in Glen Waverley for the past 12 months

Date Median House Price Median Unit Price
Dec-11 $661,500 $548,500
Jan-12 $736,500 $513,000
Feb-12 $682,500 $452,000
Mar-12 $725,000 $520,000
Apr-12 $735,000 $582,000
May-12 $730,000 $478,000
Jun-12 $812,944 $465,000
Jul-12 $755,000 $590,000
Aug-12 $729,000 $483,000
Sep-12 $641,000 $582,500
Oct-12 $721,000 $630,000
Nov-12 $909,000 $430,000        

For more statistics and visual/graphic information on 
- Demand ratio - Interest rate Trends - Supply and Demand - Monthly property prices - Annual Property Prices - Local Sales 

Check out : http://www.rs.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=sp&s=vic&u=glen+waverley
 

Land tax revenue might triple!

If State abolishes stamp duty, land tax revenue would triple!

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has urged the states to reform their own taxation regimes, saying they could start by getting rid of stamp duty. This means that Victorian families will be hit with a huge increase in land tax. This will then be levied on the family home.

The meeting wound up without any major agreement on the GST - The Victorian coalition government had said on a number of occasions that it did not support extending GST to services like health and education.

"We have advocated for a number of sensible reforms, including a lowering of the low value GST threshold for imports," he said.
 
"The Commonwealth also needs to make an effort to close loopholes in the GST system which are undermining the revenue base."

Friday, December 14, 2012

Christmas is coming! Best time of the year for a yellow christmas for us Australians



http://discover.realestate.com.au/renovating-building/news/10-festive-season-decorating-ideas

Who ever said decorating for such an occasion is expensive???? Here are 10 brilliant ideas, maybe this shall trigger that creativity in you. Share it with us on our facebook page. OMG GUYS! EXACTLY 10 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS :))))

HANDMADE SNOWFLAKES

Cut snowflakes from heavyweight white paper and hang them in all of your windows, over the tree, from the ceiling or over the dining table.

COOKIE WREATH
I would highly suggest quadrapling this! Within seconds it will no longer be a wreath. So yum! Brings out the kid in all of us


CHRISTMAS LIGHT BOWL



 BRANCH ART



Andrew Winter's Outdoor Overhaul






http://www.realestate.com.au/home-ideas/editorial/andrewtwinter/outdoor-overhaul

Andrew has 25 years' experience in property, starting his career in a UK estate agency at the tender age of 17 and sold his first home within a matter of months.
Again a small suburban yard, but exterior of house, the walls/fences etc all are beautifully blended into one another. Planting has been really considered here and a lot of regular pruning is involved, but what a look and when you need shade, or cover, the shade extends across!
VERY EURO!
 Again a small suburban yard, but exterior of house, the walls/fences etc all are beautifully blended into one another. Planting has been really considered here and a lot of regular pruning is involved, but what a look and when you need shade, or cover, the shade extends across!

If you are going to live right next to the bush, you should embrace it!
Breakfast in the wilderness.. anyone with homes in the country/mountains? Brilliant and stylish idea. Love it!!


OK this would blow the budget for most of us, the sunken table, that glass sided plunge pool, exotic fencing panels, the list goes on and not sure how Nanna might cope coming over for Sunday dinner at this outdoor table; whole garden is about style! Plants are nominal.       
Imagine a Sunday dinner here!!!

I'm proud to say I'm a Melbournian!

For the second year running, Melbourne has been ranked the worlds most livable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest live-ability ranking. Adelaide, Sydney and Perth also made the top 10.
10 Most liveable cities:


Melbourne 97.5
Vienna 97.4
Vancouver 97.3
Toronto 97.2
Calgary 96.6
Adelaide 96.6
Sydney 96.1
Helsinki 96.0
Perth 95.9
Auckland 95.7


“The ranking scores 140 cities from 0-100 on 30 factors spread across five areas: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. These numbers are then weighted and combined to produce an overall figure. The cities at the top of the table are separated by tiny differences, with just 0.3 percentage points between first and fourth.” – source “The Economist”.

Head over to leave your comment : http://www.realestate1.com.au/blog/post/2012-08-14-melbourne-ranked-the-worlds-most-liveable-city-2012

Friday, December 7, 2012

Rent or Buy??? Hmmm... the $13m question answered





For more detailed explanation about advantages and disadvantages, head to : http://discover.realestate.com.au/buying/news/buying-news-rent-or-buy-the-13m-question

BUYING ADVANTAGES:
(1) As the value of your property increases, so does your net wealth.
(2) You are more in control of how long you can live in your home.
(3) Your mortgage repayments remain about the same over the life of the mortgage with slight interest rate changes


BUYING DISADVANTAGES:
(1) Mortgage repayments are usually higher than rent
(2) Have to pay for repairs, maintenance, rates, taxes, insurance, etc. All these extra costs add about 20 per cent of whatever the rent would be on the property.
(3) Buying and selling costs restrict you as to how often you can move.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING EVERYONE!!

RENTING ADVANTAGES:
(1) Weekly rental is usually less than the mortgage repayments.
(2) You can shift homes on a frequent basis
(3) You can rent where you’d like to live but you may not be able to afford to buy in the same location.
(4) No repairs or maintenance costs. Landlord pays for all the expenses

RENTING DISADVANTAGES:
(1) Your time in your home is determined by the landlord and the lease. Once the lease is over, the landlord can tell you to move on
(2)  If you don’t do the right thing, you can be evicted.
(3) The landlord and/or property manager has the right to come into the property, given the correct notice
(4) Rents will continually increase.



THE PROVE AS TO WHY BUYING WOULD MAKE YOU A MILLIONAIRE!

Assumptions:

- You are a first home buyer, 25 years old and based on life expectancy tables, you should live until 75
- I have used a $300,000 unit in my example

Renting

- An investor expects a 5 per cent return from a $300,000 unit
- Rent on a $300,000 unit @ 5% = $15,000 pa or $288 per week
- Rent increases on average at about 7 per cent a year, which means it doubles every 10 years

Buying

- A first home buyer requires at least a 5% deposit = $15,000
- First home buyer borrows $285,000 @ 6.5%, interest only for 30 years = $21,617 or $416 per week
- Home ownership expenses, such as rates, taxes, insurance, repairs, etc, average approximately 20% of the equivalent rental income = $58 per week
- I have calculated capital growth of about 7% per annum, which means it doubles in value every 10 years
This simple example above shows that you that it costs $9,600 pa or $186 per week extra in the first year if you buy the unit rather then rent it. This assumes that you have a $15,000 deposit and the FHOG & FHOB pay for all other buying costs. Now let’s look at the long term picture.

In summary, if you are now 25 years of age, by the time you are 75, you would have paid a total of $5,655,000 in rent over 50 years and your net worth is $0, if you didn’t buy any other assets.
However, if you bought the unit, you would pay $649,000 in mortgage repayments over 30 years and $1,131,000 in home ownership expenses over 50 years, totalling $1,780,000, making a difference of $3,875,000 in cash payments.
So there you have it - $13,475,000 difference. The home owner has $9,600,000 million in equity plus $3,875,000 better off than the renter because they made the decision to buy the unit rather than rent it.


Tips on buying in a low priced suburb by Peter Koulizos

LISTEN UP!! Peter Koulizos is a lecturer and author of The Property Professor’s Top Australian Suburbs (John Wiley & Sons) with some tips on buying properties in a low priced suburbs.

3 HOT TIPS: 

(1) Why is it cheap, ask yourself?! It is because of poor condition BUT in a good location adn is structurally sound? Then yes, go ahead, it's easy to dress it up abit and add value to become an improved conditioned house.

(2) Remember you can't change the location of the property.. think hard and carefully. 

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

(3) Base your decisions on the following 3 reasons:

- High land component =  best capital growth

Properties in lower price brackets = Greater potential for an increase in value.       Remember though, there is a limit to how much property will sell for in a low priced suburb

- Families seeking rental properties are often seeking houses over units in the outer  suburbs. Therefore, tenant demand can result in higher rent!! :D


For more tips : www.thepropertyprofessor.com.au

Melbourne Market has spring in its step

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/market-has-a-spring-in-its-step-20121201-2ao0l.html

Clearances rise to 60 per cent, from 50 per cent earlier this year for Victoria!! Yay!!

Some real estate analysts believe property purchasing behaviours in Melbourne are now mirroring those that kick-started the housing market recovery of late 2008.

RP Data research analyst Cameron Kusher confirmed ''The current data is a telling sign that although there have been ongoing weaknesses in housing markets, there are signs of improving market conditions,''

Current 3% interest rate is the lowest it ever has been for 8 years!! This should improve housing affordability, boost sales

Sellers -  are becoming more realistic in their expectations and purchasers are realising that this might be the levelling of the market. While it is not going to turn around quickly, it is certainly not going to fall any further.

Buyers - are no longer waiting for a further drop in prices

Check out the video in the link above :
Weekend auctions: hammer horror --> Megan Gale's pre-auction sale was a model result, but the clearance rate appears to be on the slide. Simon Johanson reports. 
Quick review on Megan Gale's house and comparison of Melbourne and Sydney's property growth status

Have a look at the properties we currently have listed

Or alternately, visit our website at: JMChase.com.au

Real Estate For Sale @ Domain.com.au