Happy Easter, borrowers
A lot of people breathed a sigh of relief this week when the Reserve Bank of Australia elected to make no change to the official cash rate this month, leaving it at 3.6% for now. Following much speculation, the Board…
News
Home values rising again
The value of homes across Australia grew in March, new data shows. After remaining virtually flat in February, CoreLogic’s national Home Value Index posted the first monthly rise since April 2022, to be up 0.6% in March. Dwelling values were…
Houses win approvals
Building approvals rose again in February, due largely to a jump in houses, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The seasonally adjusted figures show that the total number of dwellings approved rose 4.0%…
Home’s in the eye of the beholder
The UK woman who turned her home into a life-sized gingerbread house for Christmas has now swapped it out for a giant Easter chocolate fest – complete with chocolate bricks, daffodils, a picket fence and Easter bunny. Making use of…
Secure your home for Easter
The Easter break is here, and if that means you’re heading off for a few days, it can be handy to know your home will be safe and secure while you’re away. School holidays, particularly around Christmas and Easter, are…
Population rebounds
Australia’s population is rebounding, and Queensland is the big winner, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that Australia’s population grew by 1.6% in the 12 months to 30 September…
Builders: thanks for the extension
The move this week to defer the deadline on applications for the HomeBuilder scheme has been broadly welcomed by the housing industry. On 26 March, The Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Small Business, the Hon Julie Collins MP, announced the…
Plant a bigger garden
As our houses get bigger and blocks smaller, it is becoming ever more important to optimise the space available for a garden. Fortunately, it only takes a few clever plantings in a border along the fence line to make your…
‘Honeymoon’ home loans: sweet or sour?
Most lenders offer a home loan product with an introductory or ‘special honeymoon’ rate. Should you take advantage while you can, or are they more honey trap than honeymoon? Introductory rates are usually lower than the standard variable home loans…
Trees rule here
A group of residents in Hobart have opted to swap out car parking spaces on their street for more trees, the ABC reported this week. Rupert Avenue resident Ruby Wilson told ABC Radio Hobart that a community petition resulted in…
