Federal budget 2021-22 & Home Ownership
The budget measures affecting property at a glance: Family Home Guarantee – This government guaranteed transitional loan is for single parents with dependents. It allows them to purchase a home with as little as a 2% deposit. The scheme will see 10,000 places made available over the next four years. This is a great outcome for both single men and women.New Home Guarantee &ndas...
Asking rents soar to record highs in coastal areas
Rents have soared to record levels in many coastal areas in response to shrinking supply and rising demand from tenants moving out of the big cities and into regional and warmer locations.Asking rents for houses in the Gold Coast have surged 32 percent in the past 12 months to a record high, while units rose 16 per cent.Sunshine Coast houses also fetched record high rents, which rose 18.5 per c...
Queensland A 'Strong Bet' For Investors?
Queensland is likely to be the top destination for investors this year, as Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast record solid demand, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ).Antonia Mercorella, CEO of the REIQ, said Queensland's property market was able to remain "extremely stable" over the past year. In fact, prices in the state have increased by 6.1% over the final three months of...
What stays and what goes when you buy a property?
You’ve just made an offer on your next investment property and it’s been accepted. That’s great news, but what actually comes with the property when you settle? Is it everything that you saw when you inspected the property?Clearly not – some of the items in the property belonged to the vendor.You didn’t really expect to get that big plasma TV thrown in, d...
Why Banks Care Where You Eat (And How Often)
With ongoing regulatory changes impacting how lenders have assessed borrowers over the last few years, there’s been another issue bubbling away beneath the surface, which many people haven’t factored in: the impact on borrowers’ privacy.Paying by card has become the norm. Online shopping and hand-held apps that can get us places and serve us meals at the tap of a screen have t...
Buderim tops the most searched suburbs by home buyers
The COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on property search activity in Australia early in 2020, but since then the health crisis has proven to be a major conduit for homebuyer demand. Director of economic research at realestate.com.au Cameron Kusher said a number of COVID-led conditions have spiked people’s interest in purchasing property over the past year.“Since lockdowns eased an...
Sunshine Coast renaissance a boon for business
It has been hard to miss the news of the Covid-induced exodus of city-dwellers to Australia’s regions.What may be lesser known though, is that just an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast has been an emerging economic powerhouse for years.As a result of the exodus the region is now firmly in the spotlight as a destination for businesses to establish, relocate or expand...
What does a bank valuer look for?
Property stakeholders often feel a little nervous about a bank valuer visiting.Valuers show up, poke around and then send a verdict to the lender about whether the price paid, or estimate made, ‘stacks up to market’. It can feel like there’s bad news pending, particularly in a softer property price cycle – but the discomfort is mostly fuelled by a fear of the unkno...
Considering a granny flat or duplex on your Sunshine Coast property?
Looking for information on building an additional residence on your property? What is a secondary dwelling? Under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, a “secondary dwelling” is included in the use definition of a dwelling house, and is defined in the planning scheme as: “A dwelling used in conjunction with, and subordinate to, a dwelling house on the same lot. A seco...
