Nigella's Mince Pies

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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.

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

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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!

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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

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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!

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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."

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

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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

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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.

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!

Breakfast in the wilderness.. anyone with homes in the country/mountains? Brilliant and stylish idea. Love it!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imagine a Sunday dinner here!!!