Viewing by month: April 2011
Rental market in queensland's resource - rich areas doing well
As a result of the devastating floods that occurred in January, Queensland did not have the best start to 2011. The natural disaster hit most sectors of the Queensland economy, including mining, agriculture, housing, retail, tourism and the ports/rail operators, among others. We’ve now reached April and it is fantastic to see that the economic recovery process has started. From my perspective in the real estate industry, I am particularly happy to see that the rental market in...Read complete post
Getting back to basics - simple things to consider when buying a property
Over the years that I’ve been writing this blog, I have tried to make the issues and topics covered as diverse and interesting as possible, so as to be informative to all members of the property market – whether residential buyers, prospective purchasers or investors. As I was reading the Daily Telegraph a couple of weeks ago, I came across an article that contained a very simple checklist for buying a property. It occurred to me that in my pursuit to cover a variety of property...Read complete post
Things to consider when purchasing an apartment
There is no doubt that apartment living can be a very attractive housing option for many people. But before purchasing an apartment, it is important to understand how the ownership of an apartment differs from that of a house, and the responsibilities that you may inherit upon buying into an apartment complex. OwnershipIn the majority of cases the ownership of an apartment or unit comes under strata title – which refers to the individual ownership of a single unit within a...
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Plan a cost effective renovation
Whether it’s a weekend retiling a courtyard, or a full-scale home renovation, I think most people are attracted to the idea of a building project that is as cost effective as possible – which could mean managing it yourself. And for the majority of people that I’ve spoken to over the years who have made changes to a property, building projects usually end up costing a fair amount more than what was originally budgeted for. It would seem that Archicentre, the building advisory...Read complete post
RBA leaves rates on hold for the fourth consecutive metting
There was good news for the residential property market again last week as the Reserve Bank of Australia decided in its monthly meeting to leave the official cash rate on hold at 4.75 per cent. This means that all mortgage holders can rest assured that interest repayments will remain the same for another month at least. In his statement that accompanied the decision, RBA Governor Glenn Stevens referenced various factors that had influenced the Board’s thought processes. He said...Read complete post
A good time for buyers in the housing market
The residential property market can sometimes be a confusing space to navigate, especially with the media attention it often generates and receives. The views of property commentators, as well as the constant flow of data released, often appear to be conflicting, with the media conveying sometimes contradictory signals to buy, sell, or hold. I consider myself fortunate to be in the position I am, as I have access to our internal company data as well as the experience and opinions...Read complete post
Should you buy a house or an apartment?
It seems to be a very common question when it comes to buying real estate, particularly for first and second-time buyers – will it be better decision to purchase a house or an apartment? As a starting point, the factors that go into making this decision are mostly personal preferences. These include whether the property is an investment or to be your residence, the location that you’d like to live in, how many people will be living in the property, what types of maintenance you are...Read complete post
How to Be a Green Renter
There is a lot of talk at the moment about how home owners can make their homes more environmentally sustainable, with governments and companies offering financial incentives for various green initiatives (such as the installation of solar panels and water heaters) that people are encouraged to take advantage of. But what about the renters who are environmentally conscious but cannot action such projects because they do not own the property they live in? With growing numbers of...Read complete post