News Bulletin
To rent or buy…
In the news this week, we weigh up both sides of the question; home lending gets a boost; and taking the comforts of home to a different plane…
Longer to find deposit
It is now taking more than four years for first home buyers to save for a house deposit, according to a new report.
The second annual Bankwest "First Time Home Buyer Report" shows that housing affordability has continued to worsen over the past year, with first home buyers needing 4.5 years to save for a house deposit, up from 3.7 years.
Booster shot for housing finance
The number of loans taken out by homeowners and investors to buy homes rose in May, according to figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Loans for the purchase of new dwellings grew by 4.7 per cent in May; however, the number of loans for construction fell by 2.2 per cent. Overall, loans for new housing dropped by 0.2 per cent to be 20 per cent lower than six months ago.
Put herbs to work in your garden
Growing herbs makes sense in so many ways. They smell good, taste (possibly) even better, are incredibly easy to grow, and although a herb garden may be a relatively small landscaping addition, studies have shown that well maintained and landscaped gardens can increase your home's value considerably.
Herbs can be grown in gardens, pots, tubs, in full shade or sun so are easy plants for any conditions. It is simply a matter of choosing the right ones for your situation and needs.
Many, such as rosemary, lavender, thyme, lemon grass and wormwood, require very little water.
Is it time to leave the rental roundabout?
Rising rents and lack of available rental properties is a cause of concern for many Australians. Could buying a home instead provide a solution? It may not be as difficult as it seems.
Buying your own home requires careful thought and planning, covering a wide range of aspects including what, where, how and how much? When considering the option of buying versus renting, there are a lot of issues to take into account.
What's buried out back
You may laugh at the thought of a friend or family member heading out into the backyard with a metal detector, but you never know what treasures may be lying around.
After traipsing through a field with a metal detector, a UK man has found a stash of over 52,000 Roman coins in a field, the BBC reported recently.
When the detector made an irregular noise, the man dug 35cm into the earth to find one tiny bronze coin, leading to a further discovery of more than 52,000 - one of the biggest coin finds in Britain.
On a different plane, entirely
It's not often you get a good night's sleep on a plane, but Jumbo Stay has big plans to change that with a decommissioned Boeing 747-200 jumbo jet, a grassy hill near Sweden's Stockholm airport, and 25 comfortable rooms.
The recycled hulk now offers accommodation for one to three adults in each quarter, with a dormitory option available for backpackers and traveling groups, all with separate shower and toilet facilities. There's also a luxury suite where the cockpit used to be, offering panoramic views of the airport.