How to protect your house from fire

House on fire We remember the Black Saturday fires too well. They were a tragedy for so many reasons - people were unaware of the danger, unaware of how quickly they had to react or what to do. I can’t even imagine what it feels like to leave your home, drop everything and run for your life, wondering what will be left to come back to. And I can understand completely the ones who stayed to protect their homes, to try and save something they were building for so long.

This summer, according to the weather people, can be even worse than the last one and if you are worried about the fire situation in your area, you’d be relieved to know that there is a way to protect your home from fire. It’s easy, quick and works like a charm. Before you read any further, just know that this is not a paid review (which I never do anyway) - this is a product I found out about and wanted to share what I learned.

Migrants speak up: why property prices will drop if immigration stops.

Migrant Doctor My dear readers,

I love when you speak to me. It gives me a clue to what you really think about the stuff that I think (and write) about. One of your latest responses was too good not to share, and I decided to dedicate a post to it.

Migrants are being accused of driving the property prices up

Migrants in Australia I hope you’re sitting down to read this, because you’re in for a shocker.

Personally, reading this article in News.com.au I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If you were ever wondering what drives the property prices up, now you have the answer - it’s the wealthy migrants, from Britain, India and China.

How Aussies like their kitchens and bathrooms

Bathroom In 2 words? Bigger and better, that’s how Aussies like their kitchens and bathrooms.

Just to give you an idea of what people are prepared to spend on their kitchens and bathrooms, here is a quote from the HIA report: they predict that the amount spent on renovations and installations of kitchens and bathrooms will hit a record $12 billion by 2012.

The next trend: renovating, not relocating

Painters Lately I had one of my little “AHA!” moments when I understood what 2010 and probably 2011 will be like in the property world. It happened when I read 2 reports - one by Archicentre on renovations and another by HIA on kitchens and bathrooms - and the things they were saying drew me the following picture.

It looks like a large proportion of Aussie population, known as baby-boomers, will be preferring to renovate their homes, as opposed to relocating. This, according to Archicentre, is their new superannuation strategy - a change that was caused by the global financial crisis and it’s consequences for the baby boomers. This looks like a reasonable strategy, especially with the estimated costs of moving being between $50,000 - $60,000 with all the property taxes and expenses added up.

De-cluttering your house quickly to make it look bigger and better

Cluttered house If you still haven’t sold your house, then it means that you’ll need to try harder :)

As promised, this post is about making your house look bigger and better through de-cluttering. With all the tons of “useful” Christmas presents you just got, this post can give you some breathing space.

Happy New Year 2010 to the readers of Home I Own!

Happy New Year 2010 Looking back at 2009, what do you see?

What were your highlights and lowlights? Have you achieved what you had planned? Where would you like to be next year? Or do you want any changes at all?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas My wonderful loyal readers and awesome new visitors, I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Spend it with people who love you and who you love the most. Spend it with family and friends, enjoy each other’s company, eat much, drink much and laugh much more.

Selling your house: 12 tips for a beautiful home that will capture all the possible buyers.

House interior Like it or not, first impression counts. Estate agents insist that it’s critical - I’m not convinced, but think that it matters. A lot. Enough to make you want to present your house in the best possible light.

Here is what you can do to make your house a buyers-magnet:

People are in mortgage pain, yet interest rates are pushed higher

High rise building

There I was, reading the latest headlines to see what’s on in the property world - after all this is the busiest season - when I found these interesting articles, definitely worth sharing. This is not just news, but definitely is food for thought.

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