Are we doing better or worse than 25 years ago?
As affordability improves again, a new study puts it to the test. In other news this week, 3 sure ways to invite termites to your home; and turning renovations into a game...
Housing affordability improves: REIA
Housing affordability improved around the country in the March quarter, new research shows.
The March quarter 2019 edition of the Adelaide Bank/REIA Housing Affordability Report reveals that New South Wales had the largest improvement in housing affordability, with a 1.3 per cent decrease in home loan repayments.
Lending rises
Uncertainty in the investment sector prior to the recent election was evident in lending for April, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The figures show that new lending commitments for dwellings edged up a modest 0.2 per cent from March to April, with a rise in lending for owner-occupier dwellings (1.0 per cent) mostly offset by another fall in lending for investment dwellings (down 2.2 per cent).
The Australian Economy: Now and 25 years ago
Every generation believes they face tougher times than other generations. Yet a new report shows that the current economic times stack up surprisingly well compared with the past.
CommSec economists this week looked back over the past 25 years, to glean a clearer picture; this is what they found.
Not just for The Tired Man
Now that winter has set in, what could be more appealing than a comfy lounge chair and matching ottoman, covered in luxurious sheepskin?
When Danish designer Flemming Lassen designed the overstuffed easy chair ‘The Tired Man’ for The Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Competition in 1935, its organic, bear-like shapes created a sensation. And still do.
In the designer’s own words, sitting in the chair should be ‘as warm and safe as a polar bear cub in the arms of its mother in the middle of the ice cap’.
Welcome, termites
Termites are an ever-present risk to homes across Australia. What’s more, the damage caused by the wood-devouring vermin typically goes unnoticed until it is critical, as much of their activity happens out of sight from the human eye.
While it is widely recognised that termites can be difficult to control, it helps if homeowners are also aware of a few things they could be doing to attract these pesky critters.
Here are three unexpected ways you might be making your home more appealing to termites...
Renovating? It’s child’s play
The inhabitants of a mysterious skyscraper have left their homes in your hands, with just a blueprint of how the house should look when they come back.
All you need is some friends, a couch and a Nintendo Switch, to play at renovating with a new, soon-to-be released game called Tools Up! Paint walls, tear off wallpaper, lay tiles, move furniture and unlock the secrets of the building. No stress, no mess: this could be the most fun you’ll ever have renovating.