With the property market getting a shot in the arm, it has become significant to look at the aspect of home renovation, too. While décor regarding indoor spaces, gardens and patios are sufficiently considered, issues of home insulation are still ignored at times, writes Carolyn Boyd for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Tracey's Property News
Small apartments may make great investments
Australia is living its dream of being the land of the largest properties but at the same time it is doing equally well for a horde of small one-bedroom units. Michael Yardney for the Property Update writes how such properties are appealing to the 4 chief types of buyers:
Sydney Home Values Surpass Their Previous Peak
In his latest article, Cameron Kusher, senior research analyst at RP Data, states that home values of mid-range suburbs across Australia’s capital cities have increased this year.
In Sydney, housing prices for both the mid-priced and the most affordable segment have risen above their previous peak this year. On the other hand, home values of the most expensive suburbs are decreasing.
Home values have risen above their previous peak by 2.8% across the most affordable Sydney suburbs and by 2.4% in the middle priced suburbs. The most expensive Sydney suburbs have been noticeably weaker by losing about 3.9% compared to their previous peak.
You can read the full article here.
The Importance of Hiring a Property Manager
Managing your own investment property could have its advantages and disadvantages. What a landlord like you should keep in mind, however, is that saving money is not always the best option. Sometimes, it could cost you much more in the unforeseen future. So, here’s a list of advantages if you hire a property manager.
Print Media Real Estate Ads – Jurassic Practice
In a recent article for the Property Observer, Terry Ryder talks about print media advertising for real estate agencies. He cites the example of a Melbourne based agency that decided to stop all printed newspaper advertising. In their words, advertising in newspapers is somewhat “Jurassic” in nature. Have you tried looking for a 4 bedroom apartment in Double Bay using a printed newspaper recently?
The question of many is that why has it taken so long for such agencies to actually realise the importance of online marketing for real estates as opposed to newspaper ads. There are a few real estate agencies that have been doing their advertising online for around 10 years now. These days, clients are becoming outraged that some agencies still charge them a huge amount of money for advertising.
Real Estate Agencies’ Ulterior Motives for Print Media Real Estate Ads
There are speculations that some agents get a commission for every ad that they refer to a newspaper company. If you also notice, it is usually the real estate agency’s own logo that is most prominent, rather than your home that they are trying to sell. So the agency really gets free advertising using your money.
The Convenience of Online Marketing for Real Estate
By doing online marketing, it is easy for buyers to filter the property that they are interested in. They can filter location, price and type of property. Not only that, most people these days would like to browse through pictures of the property first and save a lot of time and energy. No longer will they have to visit each property to have a good look.
So, if a real estate agent advises you to spend tons of money for newspaper advertising, I agree with Terry Ryder: kick this agent out and hire a new one.
Read the full article here.
More Women Own Homes than Men
In Australia, statistics show that more women own homes compared to men. Diane Leow of PropertyObserver.com writes that this is mostly because potential buyers are actually drawn into buying with the way the properties are being marketed and that is by displaying kitchens as nicely as they could.
