News Bulletin
Good time to buy…
Making headlines this week, sentiment is high for property purchasing; why checking comparison rates is important; and a new building code to improve standards of living for young and old…
Building value increases
Building work done on new apartments in the March 2010 quarter lifted the value of new residential work generally, according to figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The seasonally adjusted March quarter estimate of the value of total building work done rose 5.2 per cent to $20,055.3m, following a rise of 4.7 per cent in the December 2009 quarter.
Consumer sentiment surges
It is a good time to be buying property, according to the latest monthly poll of consumer confidence released by Westpac this week.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index rose by 11.1 per cent from 101.9 in June 2010 to 113.1 in July 2010.
How does your loan compare?
With a possibility that rates will rise again in the future, is it best to choose a loan with the lowest interest rate? How can you tell if one loan is as good as it looks, or even better than another?
Mortgage lender Resi Mortgage Corporation says borrowers hunting around for the best standard variable rate need to also check the comparison rate because it will give them a better indication of the loan's true cost.
Planning for the future from the start
A new voluntary building code to improve living standards for people of all ages has been welcomed by industry bodies.
The Federal Government this month launched the Universal Housing Design Standards that will include wider doorways, ground level bathrooms and entry-level access for all new homes - about 140,000 homes a year nationally.
Real Estate Glossary - Outgoings
"Outgoings" in real estate are defined as any amounts of money or charges on a property that are paid to any competent authority.
These can include payments for water rates, council rates, land tax, fire service or Body Corporate levies.
Up the wall
The Disney rendition of Beauty and the Beast depicted a world where household furniture danced, sang and created all sorts of mischief. We've never seen a couch climb a wall in real life, though designer Lila Jang's Canape sofa comes close.
Made to sit in the corner of a room, a 90-degree bend in the middle of the couch leaves 3 feet resting on the floor and 3 feet against a wall, as if it were beginning an ascent on the vertical surface.