News

Frazzled parents gave a sigh of relief this week with the news that organiser guru Marie Kondo has ‘kind of given up’ on maintaining a tidy house, after all. The woman who coined the concept of only keeping ‘what gives…

The number of homes being built around Australia broke records in 2022, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figures show that the total number of dwellings under construction reached a new record of…

Everyone has a theory on how the dishwasher should be stacked – but many of us are not so knowledgeable about how to keep it clean and running efficiently. Choice whitegoods expert Ashley Iredale says that sometimes it’s the things…

Summer in Australia is traditionally fairly extreme, and this year has been no exception. In the midst of a heat wave you’ll notice it’s not just the kids who like to get out and play under the hose – there…

Land prices remained relatively stable over much of 2022, new data has revealed. The latest HIA-CoreLogic Residential Land Report shows that new residential land prices declined by 0.2% in the September Quarter 2022 to $328,954, remaining relatively stable over the…

Most homes have at least one bookshelf; it’s perfect for holding the book collection, but also useful for displaying art and treasures. Apart from that, however, it can also be quite a boring piece of furniture, unless it’s German designer…

Ever wondered where the word ‘cupboard’ came from? According to Merriam Webster, the ‘board’ in cupboard is an archaic word for ‘table’, and ‘cupboard’ was originally used in the Middle Ages to refer to a board or table holding cups…

Refinancing reached another record high in November as borrowers switched lenders for lower interest rates, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that the value of owner-occupier refinancing between lenders…

Do you find some neighbourhood noises more disturbing than others? If you’ve ever lived in an apartment block, a college or even a large share house, you’ll know that the most annoying neighbours aren’t necessarily the ones who play loud…

One in three borrowers are likely to refinance their home loans this year, a new survey shows. The survey*, commissioned by Mortgage Choice, found that almost one-third (31%) of respondents are considering refinancing their home loan within the next 12…