Category: Buying
Preparing for what the 2012 residential property market has to offer
Welcome to 2012! I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and New Year period. Even for those who didn’t manage...
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Rate cut provides Christmas relief for property buyers and mortgage holders
At its December meeting held in Sydney last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia elected to cut the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.25 per cent. This was the second consecutive cut to rates made by the Reserve Bank, after a year of keeping rates on hold at 4.75 per cent.
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Australia’s best architectural projects
Being in the real estate industry, I often find myself in conversations with people discussing their homes, investment properties, renovations and the like. People like to get an idea about popular renovating trends and the best ways to add value to their properties, and frequently ask me about what I’m seeing with regards to the CENTURY 21 properties that are being purchased and sold. For those who are interested in the most impressive, innovative designs,...Read complete post
SA Government establishes urban development authority to oversee projects
Given the ongoing demand for residential property that Australia will likely face over coming years, it is excellent to see the progress being made in some areas of the country towards achieving not just the construction of new projects, but the redevelopment of otherwise unutilised residential space. Promise for such progress was seen in South Australia recently, where the state’s Premier, Jay Weatherill, announced the establishment of a new urban development...Read complete post
A review of the spring selling season so far
We’re now just over halfway through the traditionally busy spring selling season which places us well to see how the residential market is faring so far. A guest column by CENTURY 21 Chairman and owner, Charles Tarbey, recently appeared on Property Observer, the independent news website for investors and astute buyers, in which he considered spring sales activity up to this point, and gave his thoughts on what he expected to see in the real estate market for the remainder...Read complete post
Know your potential property costs before buying
There is no doubt that the upfront cost of purchasing a property can be expensive, especially taking into account the additional legal costs and taxes that are often involved. What many people don’t realise however is that the various repairs that a property could require may make a purchase quite expensive in the future. According to Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, up to 75 per cent of the thousands of people buying a...Read complete post
Things to consider when selling in spring
The spring selling season often proves to be quite a busy period for real estate agents. The warmer weather seems to draw prospective buyers out of the gloom of winter and reinvigorate their search efforts for a property to purchase, while many sellers will have used the colder months to prepare their properties for a September sale, in order to successfully relocate by Christmas time. I think it is fair to say that the residential property market across...Read complete post
To renovate or buy?
There are usually a couple of different camps when it comes to deciding whether to renovate or relocate to a more suitable property when the needs of the occupants change, for example, when more space is needed to accommodate growing families. While some people like to be able to design and construct a property to their exact specifications, others prefer to move to a different home that is already suitable, with no, or minimal improvements needed. ...Read complete post
Housing affordability improves
In some good news for the residential property industry, the recent release of the Housing Industry Association-Commonwealth Bank Housing Affordability Index showed an improvement in housing affordability levels, which my colleagues and I at CENTURY 21 hope will help to deliver a much needed boost to Australia’s residential real estate market. The June 2011 quarter saw the Index rise by 0.8 per cent, a result that sees it sit 7.2 per cent above where it was at the same...Read complete post
Rate rest continues for borrowers in August
Last week saw the Reserve Bank of Australia elect to keep the official cash rate on hold at 4.75 per cent for the eight consecutive meeting, a move which no doubt had home owners and prospective buyers sighing in relief. I am hopeful that the move will help to provide some stability for home buyers and investors in what is otherwise a time of economic uncertainty. While rates have been steady for some time now, it was quite possibly this decision that...Read complete post