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5 top tips to negotiate your way into a pre-auction purchase

March 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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When a purchaser gets involved in negotiating for a property they’ve fallen in love with, emotions can rule logic.

It’s easy to get caught in the moment and end up paying more than you perhaps should. [Read more...]

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Buying a property investment in Victoria? The rules have changed.

March 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Whether you are buying a property investment or your next home in Victoria you will find that the cooling-off rules have changed since the 1st of March.

Each state has slightly different rules that allow purchasers to “cool off” – change their minds.

In Victoria you have 3 working days to back out of a contract you signed, after that the contract goes unconditional, but in the past if you sought advice regarding the contract from a solicitor before signing it, you lost your entitlement to this cooling off period. [Read more...]

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Cashed up would-be homebuyers continue to proceed with caution

February 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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We Australians can be an impulsive lot.

Particularly when it comes to home loans and whether we choose to fix interest rates or take our chances with the going variable rate of the day.

More often than not, a large percentage of homeowners jump on the fixed rate wagon when it’s too late; just after the Reserve Bank starts pushing rates up to keep inflation in check. [Read more...]

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The homebuyers’ secret weapon – Having a buyer’s agent on your side

February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Normally buying a home is a major experience, filled with excitement, pleasure and pride. But in many instances and without professional guidance, stress and fear can consume much of your precious time, money and energy.

Choosing the right property for your family comes down to knowing what you need, knowing what you can afford and knowing exactly what’s available at the time you are ready to buy.

Many home purchasers feel the landscape is stacked in favour of the sellers because that’s who the agents work for, which is why more and more home buyers are turning to buyers’ agents for help.

[Read more...]

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13 Common Mistakes Home Buyers Make – and how to avoid them

February 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

Buying your next home can be a daunting task, especially if it’s your first home. It’s exciting but full of complexities.

While it’s likely to be the largest financial transaction you will ever make, we’ve found that many home buyers are poorly prepared to ensure they make a good purchase decision.

And it’s not their fault. The system is stacked against them, with much of the power being on the side of the seller.

To help guide  you, let’s look at 13 Common Mistakes made by Home Buyers – ones that you should avoid. [Read more...]

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Is the Great Australian Dream no longer a home?

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

43% of Generation Y’s upcoming first-time property investors are putting aside the traditional ‘Great Australian Dream’ of a home for now and instead buying an investment property as their first purchase. This was the finding of a survey conducted earlier this year by Mortgage Choice.

Not only will they ignore the First Home Owner Grant and first home buyer concessions, 77% of Gen Y respondents to the national Mortgage Choice 2011 First Time Property Investors Survey* are making lifestyle sacrifices to achieve their goal. This compares to only 66% of Gen X and 66% of Baby Boomers. [Read more...]

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Is bigger better? Not necessarily when it comes to house size.

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With our wide open expanses and love of the great outdoors, it’s not particularly surprising that new data reveals Australians are still building the largest homes in the world.

Even though, until recently, the number of people living in each house has been shrinking, it seems we have an innate attachment to traditionally sprawling dwellings, the likes of which we saw gain huge favour late last century.

But is all of this changing?

What’s happening to dwelling size?

It seems like the size of our average dwelling is shrinking…. [Read more...]

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Is it better to rent or own your home?

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Is it better to rent or own your home?

The answer depends on whether you are asking it from a financial point of view or from a lifestyle point of view.

Let’s answer this question from both perspectives. [Read more...]

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How to speed up the home loan process?

November 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Finance is a critical part of the home buying process. While much of the loan application process is out of your control, and this is where a good finance broker will help speed things up, there are still some things you can do to make the process easier.

Let’s look at a few things you can do to make things easier for you:

[Read more...]

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How do I save for my deposit?

October 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The first step toward successful saving is to determine your goals – what do you specifically want to save your money for? What is it you want to buy?

We assume that because you are reading this article your main goal right now is home ownership, but that’s a little too vague for the purpose of this exercise.

We want you to really think about the home you want to own. [Read more...]

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