Slash hundreds of thousands of dollars and years off your mortgage

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Buying just one suburb away from your preferred location could help buyers own their home outright up to 17 years earlier...

Most Australians consider owning their home outright a key priority - this can be achieved much faster by having a broader look at suburbs.

 

The benefits of saving a larger deposit and paying off your mortgage sooner are the savings on interest and the faster build-up of equity.

This would benefit all home buyers, but particularly for first-home buyers that are just beginning to build their equity.

WHY PAY MORE?

House
Popular suburb: Median: Neighbour: Median: Saving:

BERWICK $447,995 CRANBOURNE NORTH $330,542 $117,453
ST KILDA $807,057 WINDSOR $742,154 $64,903
BRIGHTON $1,739,840 RIPPONLEA $739,339 $1,000,501
MORNINGTON $495,274 BAXTER $310,300 $184,974
GLEN WAVERLEY $734,776 SCORESBY $440,656 $294,121 40.0%

Units:
Popular suburb: Median: Neighbour: Median: Saving:

SOUTH YARRA $514,818 BURNLEY $377,265 $137,553
BERWICK $352,890 CRANBOURNE NORTH $274,404 $78,486
TOORAK $746,098 ARMADALE $498,237 $247,861
RICHMOND $495,129 MELBOURNE CBD $389,682 $105,447
GLEN WAVERLEY $558,411 WANTIRNA SOUTH $360,848 $197,563

For full article, click here

Melbourne named world's most liveable city ... once again!!

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WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Aren't we just a lucky bunch?! I know I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had in this beautiful city.. Let's hope this city will only improve :) 

Melbourne has again been rated the world's most liveable city - for the third year in a row!!

 

Three other Australian cities were in the top 10 - Adelaide (5), Sydney (7) and Perth (9)....

 

"Improvements to infrastructure in Australia, where the federal government initiated an ambitious long-term road-building programme in 2010, prompted rises in some cities in 2011"

Strong battler appeal for house sellers

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TOP 10 VICTORIAN HOT SPOTS

Albury-Wodonga

Ballarat

Bendigo

Berwick

Epping

Frankston

Geelong (city)

Maryborough

Sale and East Gippsland

Sunshine

Ballarat town

"It is really evolving into a major hub for education and medical sectors."

 

 

Surrounding suburbs also boast good affordability and could soon be looking good to investors --> a big factor in real estate these days!!

"Benny Nguyen, from Sweeney real estate in Sunshine, said the area had been transforming for a while and prices were rebounding well from a dip following the market peak in 2010.. It's a great location and five kilometres down the road is West Footscray and their prices are already up"

Geelong

For full article, click here

House Hunting?? Then, do your homework!!

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The search is long and exhausting.. make sure you have your needs carefully planned..

Buyers should continually drive around the streets they want to live in!! Get a feel of the environment, imagine yourself living in that area.. is it the close proximity to the shops or beach or park that you enjoy? Or simply the tranquility and safeness of the area?

''They need to start doing the rounds, even if they are properties they are not interested in. Look at who is going to open for inspections and listen to what agents are telling them and start reading the media about home-buyer reporting. Compare this period data with the same period last year - year-on-year."

Buyers should ask themselves why they are buying - for a home, for lifestyle reasons, for an investment or a combination of both? The answer will determine the features that are important to them.

They need to work out the budget and to obtain finance pre-approval.

''Get a feel for the overall state of the market, but confine it to the general area they are interested in, one or two suburbs. Establish whether what other properties are actually selling for are within your budget to see whether the quoting range is then followed through, and go to the auction - see what it actually sells for and how much competition there is for it.''

Buyers should ask whether the vendor would consider a pre-auction offer - more likely when the market is not booming - while Coutinho recommends saving such questions for a follow-up phone call or private viewing, rather than alerting potential competition at an open home.

HOWEVER.... Questions such as openness to offers and flexibility of settlement period should be asked only when buyers are sure they are very interested in a property. And don't tell the agent how much you have to spend, or give clues by divulging which other properties you have seen.

''You never reveal your hand publicly.."

 

Here's a few starting points to finding the right one for you :

- Begin by making lists: your preferred areas, essential features and non-essential features.

- Research market values in your preferred areas.

- Make several visits to a home before deciding to buy it.

- Don't be pressured into making hasty decisions.

- Read and understand all documents before signing. Have all verbal agreements put in writing.

- Consider obtaining independent advice, especially if uncertain about documents and contracts.

- Consider obtaining an independent, professional building inspection report, even if the agent or seller offers one.

- Use an inspection service with full professional indemnity insurance.

 For the full article, click here

Is Micro living for you??

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'Micro-apartments'' are a trend in the world's Western cities 

Micro trend constituted ''rampant exploitation of renters'' and called for minimum size standards.

Chef Josephine Lee, 37, in her 'micro apartment' in Flinders Street. She pays $300 a week for 11.2 square metres of living space.

Investors usually buy such apartments and rent them to international students and workers.

''Often the bedrooms have no direct sunlight,'' he said. ''Developers make money by such cramming but also by not providing car parking and other facilities. People who buy such small spaces don't live in them.''

However, other cities have embraced micros

The Urban Development Institute of Australia said there was demand from Melbourne buyers and renters. 

''It's very dangerous trying to interfere with the market by having a minimum size because we need the choice of affordable stock,'' chief executive officer Tony De Domenico said. ''If there are people who are prepared to live in smaller apartments, and most are not, why should they have to pay double for space they don't need?''

For full article, click here

Outdoor Resort Entertainment Ideas

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Cosy

Love it.. So rustic, country-side like or maybe a stylish cabin in the woods?

So much personality! Neat and spacious

Now this is like a holiday retreat! Hawaii inspired?

Best of both worlds

Click here for more pictures and ideas

Beware: playing with hot spots can burn you

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Thousands of people in search of significant returns are paying for advice on selecting the right property in mining towns, regional centres and some cities ----- But be wary!!

The gloss is fading from many mining towns, where not long ago ordinary houses changed hands for big sums because of sky-high rents and yearly capital gains of 20 per cent-plus. Mines are closing and winding back operations as China's economy slows and coal and iron-ore prices fall.

Eg : Queensland's industrial and mining city of Gladstone is a red-flag example of what can go wrong with real estate investment. According to property valuers at Herron Todd White, the prices for older houses and units in the centre of Gladstone have fallen by as much as 20 per cent since last year.

HTW says the Gladstone property market - driven by liquefied natural gas and coal projects - is volatile, with the stabilisation in rents flowing through to softer capital values.
Andrew Wilson, senior economist at the Fairfax-owned Australian Property Monitors, says the boom in Gladstone house values since the late 2000s was driven by speculative buyers.
''Now investors who bought properties at $700,000 are struggling to get in the $400,000s for them when they sell. There's a 10 per cent vacancy rate and rents are falling - it's very hard to get a tenant in Gladstone.''

Solution : A better option is to target towns with ''diverse and multifaceted'' economies.  Investors should not think in the short term!!

For full article, click here 

Buyers rush to grab the high life

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''The demand was so strong we had no need to go overseas,''  

 

''It was a four-week campaign and we received 3000 inquiries and had over 600 inspections in the display suite before the launch."

"Retired Qantas flight steward Ken Loye has just bought a three-bedroom 14th-floor apartment in an older-style block in Hollywood Avenue through Ray White's Monica Shor. ''It's the view that sold us,'' Mr Loye said. ''You can see Shark Island and to the left you look down the harbour to the bridge and the Opera House.''

 

For full article and other links, click here

Moonee Beach Concepts

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Just Stunning...

personal villa

Sailor-themed room

"Shared" room

How lovely.. great use of space!

modern yet rustic

mini forest

Modern Western-Balinese style homes

Coconut Flour Banana Pancakes

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SUNDAY PANCAKES... I THINK SO!!

{Ingredients}
Makes 5 pancakes
2 eggs, preferably organic
125 mls full fat milk
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
1 tspn honey
35g Coconut Flour
1 tspn Baking Powder
Sea Salt
Coconut Oil – for frying
1 Banana
Knob of butter
1 tspn Honey



 

{Pancakes}
Beat the eggs until light and frothy.
Add in the milk, honey and vanilla essence
In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
Slowly fold in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a smooth batter forms.
Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Ladle in the pancake batter and fry on each side until golden and fluffy.




{Bananas}
Heat a frying pan with butter (and a little honey for extra crispiness)
Slice in the banana to the pan and fry until crispy and golden.
For the salted caramel sauce check here
Stack the pancakes, scatter with banana slices and drizzle with caramel sauce.

OH MY.......