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Do you live within your generation?

Making headlines this week, a generational map of Aussie households; we weigh up the advantages of pets in rental properties; ‘honeymoon’ home loans; and if you’re looking for solar power, would you turn to Google?

Why I love buying at auction

In my experience I would say very few properties sell for fair money at auction.......read more  

Talkin’ ‘bout our generations

Have you noticed how some suburbs or regions seem to be overly filled with either retirees, families or hip young urban professionals? Well, you’re not ‘seeing things’; a new report released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that different generations do congregate in specific areas around the country....

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Is your rental property pet-friendly?

Having a pet increases wellbeing and is a great way to get to know the neighbours, a new study has found. Yet pet-friendly rentals are rare as hens’ teeth. Should you allow tenants to have pets in your investment property? Let’s weigh the benefits.

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‘Honeymoon’ home loans: sweet or sour?

Most lenders offer a home loan product with an introductory or ‘special honeymoon’ rate. Should you take advantage while you can, or are they more a honey trap than honeymoon?

Introductory rates are usually lower than the standard variable home loans and run for a specific period of time, say six months or one year. Once the honeymoon is over, the interest rate on the loan will revert to either the standard variable home loan interest rate or sometimes even a higher interest rate...

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Shine on the outside

Exterior lighting for the home is important in many ways, for safety, security or appearance, and there are just as many ways to achieve the effect you want.

No longer are your options restricted to a glaring spotlight, or the single bulb at the back door; we take a look at what's on the market and how you can use it to best effect around your home.

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Bright ideas from above

Google has long been the go-to for information, humour and anything else you can poke a search engine at. Now, after successfully mapping the world's streets, it has turned its sights towards even brighter things with a search platform that focuses on solar power at home.

Set to map the planet's solar potential one roof at a time, Project Sunroof uses Google's expansive data mapping and computing resources to locate your home then calculate the best solar plan for you. The service charts how much sun exposure your roof has daily and takes into account your energy bill, then provides affordable and accessible options. Currently up and running in a few US locations, it could be the brightest idea we've heard this week.

A life in colour: the Nautilus house

We do enjoy looking at other peoples’ homes, and this week The Nautilus in Mexico City has taken our fancy.

Built in 2006, the house was designed by Mexican architect Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica to resemble a Nautilus shell, inside and out.

The entry features a wall of stained glass that casts multi-coloured spots of light inside, where different levels and areas flow smoothly around each other without specific form, reminiscent of the shell itself.