Caring for a pet is a popular lifestyle choice for many Australians - and that includes those who rent a property. However, when you're the owner of a rental property, its understandable to feel a bit anxious about the impact pets might have on your investment. In this article, I'll outline some of the most effective ways to ensure your property is 'pet proofed'. To begin with, it's important …
2022 school zone changes set to deliver property value increases to swathes of homeowners
Changes to school zones in 2022 are set to bring substantial increases to the value of homes that are suddenly cast into sought-after zones. While most school zones will remain unchanged, a number of them will be realigned to accommodate the "14 new schools and campuses opening next year, as well as changes in enrolment demand". These new schools are part of the State government's 100 New …
Building a more sustainable home – where should you start?
Building or renovating a property has always involved a lot of decision-making. Aesthetics, functionality, and return on investment have traditionally been key considerations for anyone planning to build or upgrade their home. However, factoring sustainability into building design is a more recent trend - and it's important to know where to start. A good way of thinking about …
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Restrictions are back for real estate as Melbourne enters it’s sixth lockdown
After one week of eased restrictions, Melbourne residents are facing another lockdown going into this weekend. This means that the restrictions which applied to real estate services in our fifth lockdown have been reimposed. This will no doubt have an impact on the plans of buyers and sellers over the next 7 days - and particularly this weekend. Two of the most wide-reaching restrictions for …
Live auctions and property inspections return as Victoria eases restrictions
This morning Premier Daniel Andrews announced that restrictions will ease across Victoria at 11:59PM tonight. This is incredibly welcome news for Melbourne's real estate sector, which has been unable to conduct live auctions or property inspections for two weekends in a row. The latest table of restrictions for the State includes the following rules for real estate services: auctions are …
The resilience of Australia’s housing market since the arrival of the pandemic
The effects of the pandemic on Australia's housing market has been relatively benign, as outlined in a report released this month by CoreLogic. Focusing particularly on Sydney and Melbourne, our two largest real estate markets, the report reveals that we've weathered the pandemic exceedingly well. Key factors that have underpinned this success include: CoreLogic's research shows that …
New restrictions for real estate as Melbourne enters it’s fifth lockdown
Melburnians may well feel as though their head is spinning with the reintroduction of stage 4 restrictions yesterday. After all, it's been a mere 7 weeks since the previous snap lockdown. However, having recently emerged Victori-ous from a lockdown involving the Delta variant, we should be confident that we will do the same this time around. Certainly, anyone seeking to buy or sell property …
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Price cap increases from July 1st for eligible first home buyers and single parents
The 2021/22 fiscal year is now underway and that means that many government programs and initiatives have been given the green light to go ahead. For anyone seeking to enter the property market, some welcome news is that price caps for homes bought under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, New Home Guarantee, or Family Home Guarantee have increased from July 1st 2021. In Melbourne and …
Victorians increasingly seeking homes with a “secondary living space”
Since the onset of lockdowns across Victoria almost 18 months ago, there's been a surge in demand for secondary living space, particularly within Melbourne's housing market. Christina Karras from Herald Sun has highlighted "a massive 450 per cent spike in shed sales across Australia in the past 12 months, and a 50 per cent increase in Melbourne during the latest snap lockdown alone". On top of …
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Federal government announces a new scheme to assist single parents with buying a home
As part of its 2021-22 Federal budget, the Federal government has announced a new scheme aimed at supporting eligible single parents to purchase a home. As explained on the Housing Australia website, the Family Home Guarantee "provides eligible single parents with dependants the opportunity to build a new home or purchase an existing home with a deposit of 2 per cent, subject to the individual’s …
