Market Insights

Mitcham_Primary_School

Victoria’s biggest schools by attendance

When purchasing property, many buyers are influenced on school locations when choosing a home. Both owner occupiers and investors want to remain close to a reputable school. In this article we take the opportunity to summarise some of the biggest schools in Victoria based on enrollment size.  Here is some interesting information that may take your interest, when you next look to buy a...

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Thieves disguising themselves as Uber Eats

Unfortunately, burglary and home theft is always an ongoing issue Australia wide. It’s not unheard of hearing cases where thieves follow you home, learn when you are at work and discovering ways to enter your home or garage. One of the most popular reasons why Australians buy and occupy Apartments is its enhanced security. Most modern Apartments are harnessed with their own intercom, camera access to...

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Victoria’s crime rate has fallen to three year lows

According to the latest statistics from the Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, we have seen our crime rate fall by about 7.8 percent. Victoria Police deputy commissioner Shane Patton "Whilst we acknowledge any crime is one crime too many, when you can see these type of results, it's some validation — it's some vindication that we are heading in the right direction”. The most notable criminal...

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Do we lock in a fixed interest rate or do we ride out a variable interest rate?

For people in the property market, a large consideration to work through prior to buying a property is which type of mortgage to apply for. Mortgage Choice published a useful article highlighting a hot topic in the current market. Do we lock in a fixed interest rate or do we ride out a variable interest rate? If this is you, you’ll need to carefully consider the following points. Obtaining lending...

Rental Market Snapshot – March 2019

According to the The Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) :- The proportion of vacant properties in metro Melbourne as at March 2019 remained at a recorded rate of 2.2%. The proportion of vacant properties in regional Victoria as at March 2019 remained at a recorded rate of 1.2%. The weekly median rent for houses in metropolitan Melbourne stayed at $450 per week. The weekly median rent...

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Median Property Prices – March 2019

Overall, Melbourne’s median house price fell 1.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 to dip below $800,000 at $793,000. REIV President Robyn Waters said the median house price in Eltham increased 7.3 per cent to $950,000 in the January-March 2019 quarter while Greensborough’s median house price soared 6.0 per cent to $808,000. “Melbourne’s Green Wedge Council proved to be our property hot...

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What is land tax and what do I need to know?

Property land tax is imposed by government to generate money for a public purpose. Essentially, it's a tax charged on any land you own or co-own above a certain value threshold. In Melbourne, did you know the State Revenue Office of Victoria (SRO) orders over 300,000 property land tax assessments each year? Calculating property land tax can be a complex assessment. In our experiences, even...

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Fixing creaking floorboards

A property with timber flooring is very popular. They look sophisticated, improve hygiene and often last longer than carpets. However over time with constant walking, the timber flooring can start to creak. There is nothing worse than waking up your partner or child as you head out to work walking of a squeaky floor. Do you have creaking floorboards? Here are three simple tips that may help with those...

Market_Insights_Air_Conditioner

An air conditioner in an investment property

When buying an investment property, many landlords are conscious not to over budget. Knowing property maintenance in inevitable, many often disregard outlaying the extra cost of installing an air conditioner. Looking back upon Melbourne's summer, it's the perfect time to reflect on how extreme the heat can be. We had quite a hot spell earlier this year with nights holding onto some serious...

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Federal Budget – Lacking housing affordability initiatives

The Federal Budget 2019-20 was released at 7.30pm AEDT last night dated 3rd April 2019, featuring the first surplus in 12 years. Delivered by Josh Frydenberg, the pre-election Budget detailed the Federal Government's policy plans for the year ahead and not much was said about the Australian property market. The Treasurer appears to realise housing affordability is still a major problem for...

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