Property trends occur as they do in clothing wear. Many designs trend indefinitely, while some come and go. One area of the house that takes a lot of attention are kitchens... What is currently trending in kitchens? We have summarised some of the growing trends that are occurring within our kitchen. Kitchen island bench - Looking at most of the trends, this is the most common. Most of you would know,...
Spiral staircases are becoming more popular to your normal traditional staircase. They are becoming a modern display feature to a large double storey family home. Today spiral staircases are known for being space-efficient as well as magnificently beautiful and even majestic. As family needs and tastes change, we are seeing common feedback to the stunning look of a spiral staircase bringing the home to...
According to research conducted by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), homes located within some of Melbourne’s best public school zones have asking prices in excess of $100,000 more to similar properties that position outside school zones. Its becoming public knowledge to learn housing prices within school zones are higher to neighbouring properties, but the price differences may surprise...
Federal Budget - 2018/19 The Federal Budget was recently announced and little was associated to the property market other than some massive infrastructure changes that will place a positive impact on property prices but also impact interest rates in the near future. The government confirmed that wage increases have averaged 2% p.a. but they predict this to increase to 3.25% p.a. by 2020. Should this...
Overcapitalising - How to avoid this problem. This is a very common word used in both the finance and real estate industry. Many investors and owner occupiers would also be familiar with this term. Overcapitalising is caused in situations where you pay to much on renovations or home improvements. Implementing capital improvements such as laying high quality outdoor decking, changing a gazebo into an...
It is very common for anyone considering buying a property to feel scared investing. Investing in property has been proven to be one of the most rewarding financial decisions to achieving financial independence. Owning an asset that grows in value and pays you a regular income stream (through rent) makes this a very smart investment strategy. If you are scared investing in property, you are not alone....
What is Tax Depreciation? Tax depreciation expenses are not actual cash expenses. They are known as a non-cash entry. They are charges used to recover an asset's earlier purchase. To claim tax deductions, an investor can apply for any non-cash depreciation expenses against their taxable income. An investment property is an asset that can receive tax depreciation. This can be used to lowering the amount of...
This is the latest Rental Market Snapshot as at March 2018. Here we highlight, metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. According to the The Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) :- The proportion of vacant properties in metro Melbourne remained 2.1%, while regional Victoria fell to 1.8% in March 2018. The weekly median rent for houses in metropolitan Melbourne remained at $450 a week,...
This is the latest Rental Market Snapshot as at March 2018. Here we highlight, metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. The Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) has now released the property medians for the March 2018 quarter. New REIV data for the three months ended 31 March 2018 reveals that the median house price in middle Melbourne exceeded seven figures for the first time -...
Would you accept your tenant with a pet? Let's be honest... Australians and Melbourne love animals and pets. Who doesn't love being greeted by their puppy dog after a hard day at work? Who doesn't love hugging their bunny rabbit or patting their cat while relaxing on the couch? The decision to allow pets into your investment property is important – and when you start thinking about dog hair, possible...