Two Australian suburbs have been named in Timeout’s list of the world’s 51 coolest neighbourhoods. The Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy came in at number 27, noted for its terrace houses, narrow streets, street art, second hand shops, vegan cafes and…
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Lending took another fall in August yet first-home buyers soared by one-tenth, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that the value of new loans for housing fell 3.4% to…
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With the government offering further incentives, prospective first home buyers are faced with a dilemma. Interest rates are rising, but rents are also going up. Would it be better* to borrow and pay interest on your own home, or keep…
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As the weather warms up, Australians are beginning to look forward to days spent in and around the backyard pool. Yet with an ongoing threat of La Niña weather conditions over the next few months, that pool might need more…
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Cement has long been an important component in the construction of roads, buildings, bridges or dams, yet is widely recognised to be a major pollutant, due to the carbon dioxide emitted in its production. According to research conducted by scientists…
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An air-conditioning system that needs no power to run sounds like a dream, but in reality, the ‘Nave’ is winning awards. Drawing from Egyptian architecture and traditional Palestinian cooling systems, designer Yael Issacharov created Nave to operate on an irrigation…
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The first month of spring saw another slight drop in housing values, property data firm Corelogic announced this week. Corelogic’s national Home Value Index (HVI) recorded a 1.4% decline in values in September, showing the rate of decline easing back…
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Approvals to build new apartments rebounded in August, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figures show that approvals for ‘dwellings excluding houses’ rose 99.1% in August, with a sharp bounce back in…
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The Reserve Bank of Australia has once again lifted the official cash rate this week, taking it to 2.6%, the highest level in nine years. While the move was widely expected, the amount of increase (0.25 of a percentage point)…
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Making changes around the home can absorb considerable amounts of time and money, but that does not mean you should shelve your renovation dreams altogether. Here are some quick-change ideas that will give your home some of the uplift it…
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