Packing and moving. What a nightmare! Or is it? I actually kind of like it - I mean "kind of" because I wish it was done and over, but I love the end result. I love setting up my kitchen and wardrobe - even the bathroom cupboards. You get a clean slate to start with [...]
I find that it's always good to end the year with a bit of a reflection on the past and pondering on the future. So here's some tips to get you in the mood... What has 2017 brought you? Did you achieve your goals? Why did you achieve some and not others? Are there any [...]
Merry Christmas! Christmas is always a time to think about others and support those in need in any way you can. This year, instead of sending Christmas cards I've made a donation to Black Dog Institute to help them continue their great work and their vision of having a mentally healthier world. If you want to [...]
Your home loan is probably the biggest financial commitment you'll ever make, so you need to make it work for you. And you usually want to get it paid off sooner so you can kick back, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour - or you put it to work and leverage to buy [...]
There's always talk about what's going on in the property market. There's speculation, forecasting, research and all kinds of talk - that often contradicts one another - depending on their motive. So I'm going to join in on the talk because I'm excited about what I'm seeing. After a long stretch of being firmly wedged [...]
When you’re negotiating to buy a property, you need to remember that the real estate agent is employed by the vendor - your opponent, and their commission is directly proportionate to the amount of money they can make you pay. So while we love agents, we need to respect them as our opponent. That’s our [...]
Everyone around me seems to be buying and selling houses, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon too. And what a journey that is! My life outside of work at the moment is: Traipsing to open houses every weekend, Falling into the big black hole of real estate websites that seem to just eat [...]
Spring is here and that means that the real estate selling season is about to get busy. There seems to be a bit of uncertainty in the marketplace at the moment, but there are a few things that we're certain of... Real estate isn't getting cheaper - the longer you wait, the higher the prices. [...]
Buying a home used to be a simple process. You see the house, you inspect and you purchase. Done. But times have changed and the level of competition in the housing market means that it’s rarely that easy. More and more often clients are telling me how challenging and time consuming it has been to [...]
Happy New Financial Year! This is the ideal time to take control, set goals and take stock of your financial position. Here's my top tips to help you take stock: Put together a good working (realistic!) budget. Take a look at where your disposable income is going. Do you have leaks? Calculate your debt and note [...]
