If you are looking for a property to purchase you will find the Century 21 website a great resource. Subscribe to HouseHunter to be automatically sent the most up to date listings. Talk to your local Century 21 agent about the property you are looking for, because we’re the experts in any neighbourhood and might be able to tell you about upcoming sales or auctions.

Once your Century 21 agent knows the kind of property you are looking for it will be like having an extra pair of eyes with your aim in mind – when they receive a new listing they will consider whether it fits your requirements. This site contains tips for potential buyers from the experts at Century 21.

Whether you are saving a deposit for a home or you are ready to buy now, a budget is a great tool for finding out where your ‘spending leaks’ are and how you can save more money. Every person can benefit from doing a simple budget. The more you know about your incomings and outgoings, the more control you have over your finances.

Start by making a list of all your ‘incomings’. That includes your salary, any interest from bank accounts, rental properties, dividends or any other money that comes in. If it’s easier you might want to work it out on a yearly amount and then simply divide into 12 for your monthly incomings. (And don’t forget to make it after-tax, particularly when you are considering your salary.)

Next step is to work out your ‘outgoings’. And this is the trick to a budget. First start with your ‘big picture’ outgoings. Rent or mortgage, credit card payments, school fees, utilities, food bills. Again you might want to make this a yearly figure and divide by 12 to get your average monthly outgoings. These major outgoings are generally a good starting point, and will show you how much is left after you deduct the outgoings from the incomings, for your average monthly ‘disposable income’. However you also have to consider what you spend on clothes and shoes, school uniforms, memberships to clubs, the amount you spend on toys or gadgets, birthday and Christmas presents, eating out and so on.

To get a fuller picture of what goes out try keeping a ‘spending diary’ for a month. We guarantee it will throw up a few surprise ‘leaks’ in your financial bucket! Just one example: if you buy coffee and toast at work every morning, and that costs you $5 per day, over a year that could add up to $1,300. Or if you miss a payment on your credit card and get charged additional interest or a late fee, that will really add up over the year. Something as simple as making the payment on time by direct debit, or making your breakfast at home can save you literally thousands of dollars per year. With very little sacrifice on your part. Why not make today the day you start to work out your own budget. Think of the home you could put all that extra money towards!

Make use of calculators that show what your repayments would be per month on a certain loan figure. Shop around for the loan that suits your lifestyle but always factor in the possibility of interest rate increases – could you still afford to make your repayments at a higher interest rate?

Click here for Century 21 finance.

"Set yourself an upper limit when bidding at auction and when you reach it, stop bidding. Often people find themselves having to borrow extra money from family and friends to cover an emotional extra bid made to secure a property – when they have not been approved for that much from the bank."


Glossary of property terms