Our appreciation goes out to all of you. In property news this week, low interest rates keep housing affordable; and some ideas for adding value to your home
Rapidly rising prices have led to a downturn in housing affordability around Australia, particularly in regional areas, a new report reveals.
Nevertheless, the HIA Affordability Index* also shows that housing is still more affordable than it has been in the past 20 years...
Building approvals remain high, despite easing back in July, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The latest figures show that the number of approvals to build multi-unit housing dropped by 12.3per cent over the month, while approvals for standalone houses fell 5.8 per cent.
Does the advent of Spring have you feeling like making some changes around the home? For some, it could be just cleaning out cupboards and packing away the winter woollies, but others will look around and decide it’s time to renovate.
Renovating your home is exciting but can also be seriously daunting. There are so many questions to consider, each of which will be influenced by budget, lifestyle requirements and your family’s needs. Here are some things to consider.
Most mobile phone users around the country have probably received an unwanted spam message from a particular politician this week, which, while annoying, could just be ignored or deleted.
Of greater concern, however, are the increasing numbers of bogus investment scams that have cost Australians over $70 million in the first half of this year - more than the total losses reported for all of 2020.
Want to give the kids a fun science project and gain a new, free indoor plant? Next time you serve up avocado at a meal, keep the seed (organic is best, as it won’t have been treated with chemicals or growth inhibitants).
Wash and dry the seed, removing any skin. Locate the bottom of the seed, noting the seam where new growth will appear. Poke 3-4 toothpicks into the seed, avoiding the seam, then place it into a jar and add water to cover the lower third. Place in a sunny spot, and after several weeks you should have a baby avocado tree to care for.
In relation to property, ‘yield' can be divided into two categories, gross yield and net yield. Gross yield is the percentage returned from an investment in property, derived by dividing the rent per annum by the value of the property and multiplying by one hundred.
Net yield is the gross yield less any expenses. For example, if you own an investment property and are receiving $250 per week rent and the property is valued at $230,000, then the gross investment yield you are receiving is 5.6 per cent. If you have annual expenses of $5,000, then the net yield is 3.4 per cent.