Buying a house

The Block Sky High: a doorless ensuite, are you serious?

by Chris on May 22, 2013

I’ve been watching The Block Sky High, week one, where 5 couples had to renovate a bedroom with ensuite and whoever does the best job wins money to use towards the next room they will be renovating. All the couples did a good job, some went to the extremes of design extravaganza, others kept it [...]

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Good-bye First Home Owners Grant (Vic)

by Chris on May 17, 2013

Have you heard? There will be no more First Home Owners Grant in Victoria for established houses. When the new legislation passes, from the 1st of July 2013 people purchasing their first (established) home won’t be receiving $7000 any more. For new houses and apartments’ buyers there is some good news though – they will [...]

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Home I Own won People’s Choice Award in the Best Australian Blogs 2013 competition

by Chris on May 1, 2013

Today I am having the best day in a long, long time, and it started when one particular email in my Inbox, titled “Your winner’s badge”, jumped right at me. Everyone… we won! Home I Own won the title of the Best Australian Blog in People’s Choice round! Woo-hoo!

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Cost of living in Australia

by Chris on April 24, 2013

Cost of living is very important to any prospective migrant, because it varies significantly from country to country. You can’t model your living expenses based on what you pay in your home country. To get an idea what it will cost you to afford the basic necessities in Australia you need the most recent data, [...]

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Why 2013 Could Be a Good Time to Buy Sydney Property

by Greg on April 3, 2013

The past years have not been kind to the Sydney housing market. You do not need to be an expert to realise that the real estate sector has suffered – and it’s not just Sydney, but the rest of the country as well. Truth be told, Sydney in particular is one of the most – [...]

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The importance of having a property portfolio review

by Greg on March 18, 2013

This article is from one of our sponsors, AllianceCorp Property Experts. It will help property investors to understand better what strategy they should follow when buying property. A portfolio review is the process of regularly reviewing each of your purchases, and the portfolio as a whole after each purchase, as well as prior to future [...]

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How to significantly reduce (or even cancel!) your mortgage

by Chris on March 14, 2013

We have been completely unaware of this until now, but according to Money Morning, vast amounts of Australian borrowers can significantly reduce, or even cancel, their mortgages if the mortgage documentation was manipulated. Have we not missed their first story, originally published in August last year, we’d be reporting on this sooner, but – better [...]

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Readers share: Louise’s advice on buying land

by Chris on March 12, 2013

Louise P shared 3 great tips on buying land, which in my opinion apply to buying a house just as well. Louise says: “Our dream home is still a work in progress as we are building, but here is some advice on buying land. 1. Keep an eye on the property, any little change can [...]

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5 Shattered Myths About the Contract of Sale

by Chris on January 24, 2013

First home buyers, having just embarked on their journey may find the process VERY confusing, and perhaps the most confusing thing of all is the Contract of Sale. It’s surrounded by some potentially dangerous myths which we are going shatter in a moment! Myth #1 – “You are just making an offer” The Contract of [...]

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Readers share: Lessons from Rachel’s first home buying experience

by Chris on December 18, 2012

Here’s how Rachel describes buying her first home – and the lessons she learned in the process: “Buying my first home was one of the most important and exciting yet terrifying experiences I will ever have. There are so many things to consider! The biggest pieces of advice I would offer: Do you research, shop [...]

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House-hunting expenses and how to minimise them (part 2)

by Chris on December 14, 2012

Expense: Property reports. There are many reports available: recent house sale prices per area, house history, information about suburbs, etc. Once you’ve decided on a house, you may want to check how many times it was sold in the past, when and for how much.

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