Making news this week, homebuyers see opportunities; architecture awards shortlisted; and tips for opening your home to the outdoors
On Saturday I witnessed two auctions that were marketed in two different ways which resulted in very different outcomes. The first property was advertised with a fairly typical auction marketing campaign which included the usual underquoting. The price guide that was provided throughout the marketing campaign was $1.050m. At auction the bidding ran out of steam short of the reserve. The agent came and told me he needed...
A sense of disappointment when the Reserve Bank chose to leave interest rates unchanged earlier this month has actually had little impact on homebuyers, new figures suggest.
As Australian cities continue to grow both in size and population, so do the challenges of effective urban planning. In a country known for our hot summers, reducing urban heat islands isn’t just about comfort, it’s about reducing public health risk.
To help planners, developers, councils and community groups address these ‘hot spots’, the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) has developed a new online resource called ‘Cooler Places’ - a practical toolkit for designing cooler, greener and more liveable urban spaces. Image: Planning NSW
Australia’s most outstanding new architecture has been revealed this month, in the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2025 National Architecture Awards Shortlist.
Comprising 62 individual building projects from every state and territory (plus two internationally), the shortlist represents the cutting edge in architectural innovation from Australia’s sharpest design minds. We look at some of the finalists.
As part of your next renovation project, consider imagining your home and its exterior areas as an integrated whole, rather than separate spaces. Opening your house out into the back yard could not only give you more functional living space, but might also free up some internal rooms to be used differently.
With many families needing more than one car, garage space is becoming increasingly important for home buyers. So if you’re putting your home on the market, remember to show the garage to its full potential.
Start now to clear out any junk, donate old toys, bikes, or sports equipment to your local Men’s Shed, take paint and oil tins to the local council for recycling and assign those half-finished repair projects to the tip.
If you have Bluey-crazy kids at home, you might consider luring them out into the garden with a Bluey gnome (or four) of their own. When introduced earlier this year to coincide with the ‘Hammerbarn’ episode, the garden gnomes sold out in days.
Alternatively, for cosy days inside you could indulge them with a watermelon or kiwi fruit rug for their playroom, straight out of the series.