Despite a drop in November, building approvals are still higher than last year, according to seasonally adjusted data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that the total number of homes approved fell…
New rules that affect all Australian residents selling property are now in place and effective, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has announced. Changes to the Foreign Resident Capital Gains Withholding (FRCGW) legislation mean that Australian residents need a clearance certificate…
How did your budget pull up after the Christmas break? New research from ASIC’s Moneysmart has revealed that Aussies possibly spent, on average, almost $800 each to fund gifts, holidays and celebrations. The research reveals 74% of people set a…
Some people might feel blessed to have possums living nearby, but most of us think a cute face is just not enough to make up for the poor housekeeping, late night stampedes and shameless raids on garden beds. Like all…
Before you go ahead with those renovation plans, you’re going to have to deal with local council to get any building work approved. Here are some tips for making the process as painless as possible: – speak to the neighbours…
Following years of resilient growth, home values in some states reported falls over the final months of 2024, according to new data released this week by Corelogic. CoreLogic’s Home Value Index (HVI) showed values were down 0.1% nationally in December,…
If your New Year’s resolutions included eating fresh and healthy food in 2025, make it easy on yourself by planting a herb garden now. Growing herbs makes sense in so many ways. They smell good, taste (possibly) even better, are…
2024 saw some astronomical prices paid for real estate around the world, the Daily Mail reported this week, with the biggest sale raking in US$90 million (AU$144m) for Ellen DeGeneris’ Santa Barbara home. DeGeneris, who has expatriated to the UK,…
In a definite step-up from the regular porta-loo, German architect Nico Goebel has designed and built ‘thegoodviewloo’ – a translucent on-site bathroom offering scenic views of Cantabria, in Spain. Covered in corrugated polycarbonate sheets, thegoodviewloo provides a composting toilet and…
Australia’s population grew by 2.1% in the year to 30 June 2024, according to the latest figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). “Our population at 30 June 2024 was 27.2 million people, an increase of…
