CY Feature Property: Ardross

BRAND NEW STYLE & SOPHISTICATION

This brand new Webb & Brown-Neaves quality-built home oozes style and appeal and, offering every possible feature, has been finished to an ultra high specification.

From the showpiece open plan kitchen, dining & living area which has been pushed out to dramatically increase space through to the front electric sectional gates, so much
thought and care has gone into creating this fabulous environmentally efficient family home with a smart energy saving design.

And with a north facing backyard, alfresco entertain virtually all year round with the sunny, light filled aspect which flows seamlessly into the open living area.

• Impressive double door entry
• Gorgeous Bamboo flooring throughout
• Sumptuous extra large open plan living zone
• Large galley kitchen with expansive Almond Rocco Caesar stone bench tops
• Huge walk-in pantry!
• Quality stainless steel appliances with built in microwave
• Soft close drawers & high gloss cabinetry
• Computer nook next to kitchen
• Intelligently designed downstairs master suite
• Indulgent ensuite with double vanity & separate toilet
• Discreet powder room
• Large open living area upstairs with balcony
• 3 generous sized double bedrooms upstairs each with double built-in-robes
• Masses of storage throughout
• Oversized Batu timber-decked alfresco
• Plenty of grassed area – room for a pool!
• Ducted reverse cycle air conditioning
• Fully reticulated low maintenance lawns & gardens
• Smart wiring, alarm, and so much more
Click here for more:
http://www.capornyoung.com.au/index.cfm?pageCall=property&propertyID=1472924

How much capital growth is enough?

By Vanessa De Groot, deputy editor of API Magazine

At a recent QBE LMI conference I attended, BIS Shrapnel had compiled research to present its outlook for the Australian housing market from 2010 to 2013.

The seminar was held in several capital cities around the country, so by the time it reached Brisbane the media was already abuzz with BIS Shrapnel’s predictions for property price growth.

The predictions were for a maximum of 20 per cent growth in Australian house prices over the next three years.

The capital cities of Sydney, Perth and Adelaide are predicted to perform the best, with prices likely to rise around that 20 per cent mark by 2013, while theother cities are expected to have more modest growth. Melbourne is forecast to experience the smallest increase among the capitals over the three years, with prices likely to increase by around just 10 per cent.

Brisbane house prices are predicted to grow by around 15 per cent and Hobart is expected to see price growth of 13 per cent, while Canberra and Darwin house prices will likely rise by just over 10 per cent.

At this QBE lmiHousing Outlook seminar, BIS Shrapnel managing director Robert Mellor actually expressed surprise that following the release of the report from the seminar, the media had run with headlines like ‘Perth house prices to surge 20 per cent’, indicating that growth of that level is phenomenal.

Compared to the growth the Australian property market has seen in the recent past, 20 per cent over three years isn’t exactly huge.

Twenty per cent over three years equates to around 6.6 per cent growth in house prices per year. Meanwhile, according to Australian Property Monitors figures, for the past 10 years house prices in all Australia’s capital cities, except for Sydney, grew by at least 10 per cent per year and in most capitals it was 11 per cent or more per year.

Even in Sydney, where growth has been slower due to prices having overshot the mark earlier in the noughties, average annual growth has been 6.8 per cent over the past decade – more than the 6.6 per cent that’s forecast for the next three years.

Michael Yardney of Metropole even pointed out recently that properties in some Australian suburbs increased in value by as much as 20 per cent per annum in recent years.

While the expected price growth in Australia over the coming years till 2013 is going to be “solid” – as Mellor put it – rather than “spectacular” – the good news for investors is that there will still be growth.

And given that property should generally be viewed as a long-term investment, it’s likely those who do stick it out for the long haul will reap rewards down the track.

At least prices are likely to go up, no matter by how much, rather than fall which of course has been the case overseas, in the United States.

http://www.apimagazine.com.au/blog/2010/10/how-much-capital-growth-is-enough/

A dash of style goes a long way in a tight market

Presentation is crucial to achieving the highest price.

Real estate agents will tell you they no longer sell property. These days, they’re selling a lifestyle.

Perception and emotion play as much a part in the sale of a property as the actual building itself, and increasing numbers of vendors are finding property styling not only helps a home sell, but often helps it sell for well above market value.

Essentially, styling a property means presenting it in its best possible light. ‘‘Presentation is just so important to getting the highest price,’’ says Simon Gowling, a sales executive with Bennison Mackinnon, Armadale.

‘‘It’s crucial,’’ agrees John Catanzariti, director Ray White, Reservoir. In a predominantly owner-occupier market, he says, people are looking for properties to live in.

They want to see how the space can be used; they don’t want to have to work out what to do with an unfurnished empty space.

‘‘People are so much more about visual presentation nowadays and it just captures their mind and becomes far more inviting for a purchaser to buy that particular property if it’s styled correctly. It portrays a lifestyle.’’

Most property stylists are trained interior decorators and designers, meaning they are professionals who, for a modest investment, can make either cosmetic or more substantial changes to your property that can potentially add tens of thousands to the sale price.

As a minimum, property styling can involve basics such as refreshing carpet, window treatment and wall cleaning, plus decluttering. ‘‘Thank God for the garage for that!’’ says interior designer and property stylist Mary Lithari from Chic Abode.

The idea is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, she says. Cheap but effective touches such as lighting a few tealight candles, playing music and having fresh flowers help create a desirable ambience for your inspections and can make a big difference to the way the property is perceived.

‘‘Sometimes that’s all it takes,’’ Ms Lithari says. Mr Gowling has an excellent example: last month he sold a property in South Melbourne that the vendor had bought only a year before for about $750,000.

Tenanted at the time, it was ‘‘quite messy and obviously it wasn’t presented very well’’. But when the owner sold it, she had her own immaculate furniture in it and presented it beautifully. The result?

"We sold it for $1,020,000 and to my knowledge hadn’t done anything to it, not even a paint job.Wewere quoting at $780,000-$850,000. The reserve was $850,000.’’

MrGowling says that when the owner bought the property, the market wasn’t that different to today’s. ‘‘The only explanation is the difference between something that is not presented very well to something that is immaculately presented,’’ he says.

‘‘She had quite expensive furniture and I guess it gave an expensive feel and the demographic of buyer that was looking at it could really envisage themselves living there comfortably.’’
That’s the key to effective styling, says interior designer and property stylist Tara Smith of Tara Louise Designs.

Potential buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in the house and the job of the property stylist is to demonstrate the most effective use of the spaces, with furniture placement, soft furnishings and other decorative changes.

‘‘Not a lot of people can envisage what could be done. They see what’s there and they can’t see past that,’’ she says.

When John and Rosa decided they wanted to sell their house in Macleod, they hired Ms Smith to improve its appeal.With a budget of $15,000, Ms Smith ‘‘transformed’’ their home, say the couple.

She worked with some of their existing furniture and bought new pieces as well, such as a custom-made rug and bar stools, to help link the open-plan living room and kitchen together.

The laminate benchtop in the kitchen was replaced with stone and the red pendant light shades over it were repainted black, to match the black glass splashback she put in over the existing tiles.

Changes were also made in the second living area and bedrooms, all of which made previously disparate rooms function as a cohesive whole.

Describing the result as elegant and luxurious and admitting it was something they could never have achieved on their own, the couple said: ‘‘We were amazed at how much difference was achieved with a very limited budget.’’

In fact, they liked it so much, they changed their mind about selling.

Of course, each property will differ, as  will each buyer, but Ms Smith says spending $5000 on a new splashback and stone benchtop in the kitchen, as in the above example, could feasibly add $10,000 to $20,000 to the value of the house.

‘‘The kitchens and bathrooms are the main areas that sell a house, so if you can make them look amazing, you can add so much more value,’’ she says.

In an average size bathroom, new tiles could cost $3000-$5000. ‘‘That’s to take off the ones you’ve got, buy new ones and have them laid,’’ she says.

A cheaper alternative is to repaint them. ‘‘That gives them a big spruce-up, but at minimum cost. It won’t change the shape of the tiles or the size of them or any cracks, but it gives a fresher look.’’

A bigger outlay on such refurbishments can potentially reap bigger rewards. Mr Gowling is selling an apartment in South Yarra that the vendor bought for $580,000 18 months ago.
He has since spent $20,000 doing it up. ‘‘They did an amazing job and we’re quoting $640,000-$690,000, and I currently have buyer interest at the top of that range,’’ he says.

Another option is to clear everything out and hire furniture. Stylist Jo Campbell of Votre Monde says prices can start for one bedroom around $1500; $2500 for two bedrooms and upwards of $3500 to hire furniture for three-bedroom properties.

‘‘First impressions are lasting impressions,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s like looking through a magazine and you look at these beautiful photos and that’s what you aspire to have.’’
DIY Property Styling Tips:

The idea is to create an inviting and comfortable atmosphere so potential buyers will feel like they could enjoy living there. The more people who can imagine it as their home, the higher the price you can achieve.Basic

• Clean up: Wash walls, windows, carpets, floors. Declutter, including inside cupboards. With furniture, sometimes less is more.
• Remove: Personal effects and any rubbish.
• Freshen up: Fresh towels, toilet rolls, soaps. Fresh fruit in the kitchen and flowers throughout.
• Create ambience:  Light candles and oil burners; change to warmer light globes; play soft music; have coffee brewing. If it’s cold, heater on; hot, run the air con.
• Update decor: A throw rug over the couch, with a few new scatter cushionsand some new prints on the walls can immediately update a room.

Advanced

• Repaint:  Paint walls a neutral colour to give potential buyers a clean blank canvas for them to project images of their own life on to.
• Update: New basin and vanity can transform a bathroom; a new benchtop and splashback can revive a kitchen.
• Lighting:  Use it to focus attention on improvements.
• Furniture: If hiring, make sure it works with the house. Furnish with intended buyer in mind; if targeting families, dress one room as a child’s room.

Joanne Brookfield

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/home-selling-tips/a-dash-of-style-goes-a-long-way-in-a-tight-market-20101025-16zud.html

Greensaver: Cut your energy bill

By Susan Hely,
Money Magazine, October 2010

With power and water bills rising, it’s time to put your consumption patterns under the microscope to see if you can save money.

I was approached at my local farmers’ market to sign up for a free energy and water assessment as part of the federal government’s Green Start program, set up to help Australians reduce their carbon footprint. For more information visit http://www.climatechange.gov.au/.

I signed up and a few days later an assessor with encyclopaedic knowledge turned up. Within a few hours she told me that my family could save almost $1000 with some fairly painless adjustments.

I admit I’ve always been in the dark about how much each appliance costs to run, because my power bill is a lump sum that rises in winter because we use heaters. So it was an eye opener when my assessor efficiently calculated how much each of my appliances, from the laptop computer to the stereo, costs each year.

All you need to work out is how many hours a day or week the appliance is used. It helps to know the energy rating of your whitegoods. I found out that I spend less than $4 a year on the microwave, $55 on the iron, while the energy-efficient fridge costs around $120.

The heated towel rail with its timed switch costs $5 a year. The dishwasher costs $100 each year if we keep it on the shortest cycle (34 minutes) rather than use the longest wash cycle – two hours and 40 minutes. A desktop computer uses five times more power than a laptop computer.

While we aim to be energy efficient and have installed gas heating in the living areas, there are still changes to make to our house. The assessor said the 20-year-old halogen lights had to go.

"Did you know that 80% of halogen light is heat and only 20% is light?" she asked. We could save $120 a year by switching to compact fluorescent lights.

She had plenty of tips on how to save water. Not surprisingly, getting my teenage children to take shorter showers was top of the list. I also found out that a front loader washing machine is much more water efficient, using 50 to 70 litres per load compared to a top loader’s 100 to 150 litres.

A full-flush button on a toilet means you use 12 litres of clean water with every flush. She suggested a small button from the hardware store installed in the cistern can reduce the water used.

The assessment was well worth it. I found out that washing my family’s clothes in cold water instead of warm water would save me $170 a year. Washing in warm water is around nine times more expensive. Turning appliances off instead of leaving them on standby would save $140.

While many of her assessments were about small behavioural changes that are cheap and easy to do, she encouraged me to think big picture too. Putting solar panels on our roof, setting up a greywater system and buying energy-efficient products are the most effective ways to save a great deal of energy. My assessor could rattle off all the federal and state rebates on offer.

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8108784

CY FEATURE PROPERTY: FREMANTLE

OCEAN VISTA

Awe-inspiring 180-degree views over the glistening Indian Ocean and port city of Fremantle all the way to Garden and Rottnest Island will be enjoyed all year around from your modern, secluded oasis just a short stroll to the heart of Fremantle.

Behind the secure gates and double garage you will be greeted by lush, reticulated gardens with an abundance of easy care trees ensuring complete privacy whether relaxing in the outdoor sitting area watching the sunset or entertaining friends and family from the raised decking area under the shady umbrella.
The modern bi-fold doors create a seamless flow from indoor to outdoor so you can enjoy the cool sea breeze in summer or shut out the cold air during the cooler months.

An open plan and light filled downstairs living area creates a warm and inviting ambiance and is complimented by the Tasmanian Oak flooring, down lighting and the feature open fireplace with limestone surround.

You will enjoy watching over your family from the social and modern kitchen featuring stainless steel appliances including Westinghouse dishwasher, Lofra gas cook top and ample cupboard and drawer space. The Corian bench tops and frosted glass cabinets finish off the crisp white lines, whilst the bright and effective red cupboards can be interchanged if you so desire.

Storage is in abundance throughout the home, whilst added features like split system air conditioning to the first floor and ducted reverse cycle air conditioning to the second floor and Photovoltaic panels that cut up to half an average families electrical consumption, ensure you will be comfortable and save money all year round.

The laundry is generously sized and also offers a large powder room which can be accessed down the side of the home and is perfect for the kids when they have been outside playing on the lawn or for guests’ convenience when entertaining.

Two generous size bedrooms with built-in-robes have their own bathroom and would be perfect for the kids or possibly a great bed and breakfast option! With French doors opening out of one room onto the Mediterranean style courtyard, this is the perfect place to enjoy a morning coffee or winter lunch under the big fruiting Olive tree.

For more on this property please go to:
http://www.capornyoung.com.au/index.cfm?pageCall=property&propertyID=1462980

Bathroom renovations for profit

Article by Karina May

As one of the most utilised spaces in the home, the bathroom can usually benefit from a bit of TLC. By adding some appeal and improving functionality you're set to gain in a big way.

With daily showering, shaving and...shampooing, the bathroom is frequently in overdrive – it's also prone to considerable wear and tear.This is precisely why bathroom renovations are often in order prior to selling your home. Ensuring your bathroom is in tip-top shape will help you win over discerning buyers.

Cost factor

Although often one of the smallest rooms, the bathroom can be one of the most expensive to renovate.
According to online tendering website, ServiceSeeking.com.au, basic bathroom renovations cost an average of $5,800. This price typically includes the removal of the existing bathroom, tiling, waterproofing and the installation of fittings and fixtures, including electrical work.

You should also make sure you're prepared for any unexpected costs that may arise, such as moving plumbing or wiring. To avoid a complete budget blowout, it's a good idea to factor in an extra 10% on top of the initial quote.    

Persistence pays

If you're wanting all the materials and fittings included, the cost of your bathroom renovations will obviously increase.

For all the bells and whistles, such as underfloor heating, expect to pay upwards of $12,000.

While bathroom renovators can include a provisional sum in their quote for bathroomware, you are sometimes better off sourcing your own products. If you put in the legwork yourself (think eBay, auction sites and factory outlets), you can often track down better quality products for just a fraction more. Your efforts will be rewarded on inspection day. A potential buyer is much more likely to be dazzled by Kohler or Grohe tapware than some no-name spout.

If you're just after a bathroom renovator on a project-by-project basis, such as installing fixtures you've sourced yourself, you can expect to pay an average of $57 per hour. To keep costs down you might consider using a handyman for the job. At an average hourly rate of $46 you're set to save a stack of cash.

While a handyman can handle small odd jobs, like simple carpentry work and plumbing repairs, with little or no formal qualifications more complex renovation jobs should be left to licensed tradespeople.

Cutting corners on your bathroom renovations will only cost you more in the long run – when you need to call in a professional to “patch up” the job.

Fail-safe bathroom renovations

If you're looking to spruce up your bathroom on a shoestring budget you'll have to shelve the grand design and décor ideas for now and focus on the more practical elements. That means getting back to basics and ensuring first and foremost that there are no dripping taps or plumbing leaks.

Tiles are also a crucial part of any bathroom. Cracked tiles should be fixed and replaced where required. If you can't afford a full tiling job, a lick of tile paint will give your bathroom a fresh look. At a minimum, you should make sure the grout is clean and free of mould.

To really value add you should consider installing a skylight. For around the $500 mark you can transform your damp and dreary bathroom into a light-filled haven.

A well-executed bathroom renovation is a great investment. Not only does it add value to your lifestyle, but when the time comes to sell up and move - it's a real turn on for buyers.

http://experts.realestate.com.au/renovating-building/how-to-bathroom-renovations-for-profit

Perth key to nation's $213bn property sales

TOTAL property sales in Australia to July 2010 amounted to $213 billion, with more than $1 billion in home sales coming from Perth’s top five suburbs, new figures show.

As a comparison, just five years ago the total value of sales across the country equated to more than $165.5 billion – an increase of 30 per cent, according to RP Data’s Property Pulse.
Dalkeith topped the list for WA with 74 home sales at a median price of $2.7 million            garnering $239.5 million in total.

The upmarket suburb was ranked number 12 in Australia in terms of the greatest total value of house sales.

Cannington, where 413 homes at an average price of $550,000 have changed hands in the year to July, came in at number 13 with $234.2 million.

Mosman Park ($208.2 million) and Cottesloe ($203.5 million) took out places 16 and 17 respectively with Nedlands rounding out the top 5 for Perth, coming in at number 20 nationally with more than $178 million worth of dwellings sold.

RP Data analyst Cameron Kusher said it was interesting to see a trend across those suburbs that have recorded the greatest total value of sales for houses; only one of the top five performers in each state has recorded a fall in median price over the last 12 months and that was Mosman Park in Perth where house prices have fallen almost seven per cent to a median $1.35 million.

RP Data said the unit market results show a number of similarities with the housing market results.

Scarborough was Perth’s number one suburb in terms of the greatest total value of unit sales for the years to July.

The beachside suburb came in at number 17 nationwide with 340 units sold at a median price of $455,000 equating to $242.7 million in total unit sales.

Como ($159.9 million), South Perth ($115 million) and Maylands ($108.7 million) were ranked 18 – 20 respectively.

Yokine was the next best placed Perth suburb in terms of the total value of units sold, ranked 21st nationally, with 176 units at about $361,500 sold for a total of $71.7 million.
"The next time it seems as if there are a lot of real estate agents or mortgage brokers in one of these the areas you can now understand why – it’s because these suburbs have the greatest amount of commission to be earned," Mr Kusher said.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/perth-key-to-nations-213bn-property-sales/story-e6frg2ru-1225938830994