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Feb 16, 2024
The Most Affordable & Expensive Pockets in Footscray
Click on the Interactive Suburbs Map to find the priciest and most affordable pocket in your suburb. A new analysis of the price differences within suburbs shows that a typical home buyer could save about $365,000 by searching in the most affordable pockets instead of the priciest areas. But in particularly exclusive enclaves, buyers pay a multi-million dollar premium to secure the best real estate in town, with the data highlighting just how much home values can vary in certain suburbs. The PropTrack analysis of home values by SA1 regions — small neighbourhoods made up of a handful of streets and typically home to a few hundred residents — has revealed each suburb's most affluent area, as well as where homebuyers might find pockets of affordability. Source: Realestate.com.au
Sep 1, 2023
Australia's most tightly held suburbs: Where people buy and never want to leave
Homeowners are holding onto properties for longer than ever, with new research revealing the suburbs where people buy and stay put for decades. With owners retaining properties for longer, options have become increasingly limited for buyers hoping to get a foothold in suburbs so desirable that people rarely sell. Click here to read further and find out how tightly held your suburb is.
Nov 25, 2022
A Decade of Data - September Quarter 2022
Has your home DOUBLED in PRICE in the last 10 years? Find out HERE.
Oct 8, 2019
Footscray ranked among top 50 coolest suburbs in the world.
See full article here.
Jul 31, 2019
Questions to ask a Potential Real Estate Agent
Before you agree to hire any real estate agent, you need to ask them some questions. Some people hesitate to do this as they don’t want to pry or seem difficult to work with. The truth is, it makes sense to ask any potential agent some key questions. You don’t want to leave something this important to chance! A quality real estate agent isn’t going to mind your inquiries. How long have you been an agent and why? Find out what their experience is and how long they have been a real estate agent. There are perks to working with a seasoned agent. However, don’t rule out newbies, because they are often very motivated. They don’t have lots of clients yet so they have more time to get your house noticed and sold. Ask them why they became an agent and what they like about it the most. Do you currently have clients interested in homes and how many sales have you had in the last 3 months? It isn’t out of line to ask about how many sales they have had in the past few months. This gives you an idea of their motivation and about the movement in the market. Knowing if they have clients looking for a home like yours can also help you to see them as a bridge to assist you and the other party involved. Don’t be shy to ask them for references or contacts of other people they have helped to sell homes for recently. What do you think is a good selling price? A professional opinion about a selling price can help you to be on target, otherwise emotional connections can cause you to go too high or a desperate need to sell can cause you to go too low. Ask them what they are basing that figure on too. To go even further, ask them how long they think it will take for your home to sell and why. What forms of advertising will you use to promote the home and what will it cost? Never assume a real estate agent is going to use a multitude of advertising means to help you promote the home. Make sure you know exactly what methods they will put in place. Ask them to give you a good idea of the cost involved in such promotional efforts too. Ensure you inquire about their cost for promoting your home so you can budget for such costs.
Jul 23, 2019
Making Property Settlement a Smooth Transition
Selling your home either through a private sale or an auction is a great accomplishment. You may feel wonderful knowing that the deal has gone through. However, you still have the obligation of making sure the property settlement goes though as it should. The best way to do this is to make sure the documents clearly outline what will take place, who is responsible for the event, and when it will occur. Final Inspection Typically, the seller gets to set the settlement date. This is anywhere from 30 to 90 days after the sale. The final inspection should take place during this time. The seller legally has to give you the property in the same or better condition than when it was sold. Anything listed in the contract that is to remain on site must be there. Insurance The buyer needs to have proof of insurance ready when they take over the property. If there is a loan on the property, it is a requirement. The lender isn’t going to take any chances something might occur and destroy the home, meaning they lose all of that money. The insurance has to cover at least the minimums by law and they have to cover the dollar amount owed on the mortgage loan. Handing Over the Keys Once everything is completed above and there aren’t any issues to iron out, handing over the keys is the next step in the process. Make sure you deliver all copies of all keys you have for the home. This should include any garage openers. Most buyers will go ahead and change the locks anyway once they take over ownership, but that is up to them.
Jul 16, 2019
Common Tasks to take Care of before you Move into your New Home
Before you move into a new home, there are some tasks you should take care of. They will make you more relaxed and on top of things, and importantly, help you to enjoy your new home from the very start! New Locks Always give yourself the peace of mind of getting new locks on all the doors to your home. Make sure you get spare keys made too, then you won’t have to worry about being locked out. Put a spare well-hidden on site. Schedule Hook Ups You need your water, electricity,landline and internet hooked up before you move into your home. Get those scheduled so they are ready when you arrive. If they need to come into your home to connect, make sure they do so the first day you are there. Help with Kids and Pets You aren’t going to get your home organised with children or pets under foot. Get some help in place so you can focus on what you need to do around the home. You can get someone to come to the house and be with them. You can also schedule to take them somewhere while you focus on your new home. Change of Address Let your friends, family, employer, and the post office know about your change of address. Otherwise, you may miss out on wedding invitations, Christmas cards, and other information you would love to receive from your contacts. If you have any subscriptions for magazines, make sure they know your updated information so you can continue to get your issues on time.
Jul 9, 2019
Make Buying a Home a Smooth Experience
Buying a home doesn’t have to be a nightmare. It can be a smooth experience if you know what to do and how to do it. Too often, it is a learning experience and people find out the hard way they should have done things differently. This information can help you to have a solid plan of action that works to your benefit. Potential for Future Value Don’t think just about a home for the present, what will it offer for the future? Is the area under development and more homes will soon be in demand? Does the neighbourhood offer safety and a friendly atmosphere? What are the going prices for similar homes and what types of interest rates can you get right now? Is it reasonable to think you will be able to sell the home for a profit later on? Location does Matter Think about where you would like to reside and look for homes in that radius. Don’t fall in love with a home that is an hour from your job and then reason you can make the commute each day. It will take a toll on your free time and it will catch up with you quickly. You want to be happy with the area where you live. Avoid buying a home in a neighbourhood where you don’t feel you fit in or you don’t feel safe. Those are factors you should never overlook when it comes to feeling great about the home you invest in. Location can influence price, so consider moving to a suburb of a main area you are looking in. As long as it offers what you want and the commute isn't too time consuming, it can help you to reduce the purchase price. Get yourself Approved It is smart to get yourself approved for the loan before you look for a home. Knowing you can get the money for a mortgage is important. It is a huge let down if you can’t get approval for a loan, once you find a great house. You will feel that loss for a very long time. Knowing how much you can borrow and that the repayments won’t be overwhelming, can put your mind at ease. Then you can look for homes in a location you are happy with, in a price range that is reasonable for your budget. Ideally, try to avoid maxing out the loan amount. This will reduce the repayment figure each month and give you more disposable income in your budget to work with.