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If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by market predictions, rising interest rates, or the endless stream of conflicting advice on when to buy a home, you're not alone. As a first home buyer, you’re probably wondering: Is now the right time to take the plunge, or should I wait until things settle down?

Here's the truth—the best time to buy a home is when YOU are ready. Forget trying to time the market perfectly or waiting for ideal conditions. Let’s break down what really matters when it comes to making your big decision.

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When it comes to real estate, figuring out what lies ahead can be a tricky business. The start of a new year often brings with it new property goals and planning for future transactions. 

If you’re thinking about selling or buying property in 2024, the key takeaway is to keep it simple and stick to what’s happening right now, rather than speculative forecasts. Don’t wait for an ideal moment that may never come or rush into things too quickly. In a nutshell, if you're in the property game for 2024, keep it real, stay in the now, and leave the crystal ball at the door.

You can use historical data to give you insights, but real-time information is crucial. 

CoreLogic’s 2023 Home Value Index (HVI) has just been released so here is a snippet from what was reported nationally:

There was a significant turnaround, with an 8.1% national increase, bouncing back from a 4.9% drop in 2022. However, this surge is considerably below the 24.5% rise that was recorded in 2021.

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The property market is forever changing but over the last 12 months we have witnessed more radical change than we have ever experienced before.

The demand for property during 2020 – 2021 caused significant demand for property resulting in an increase in prices across the nation. Record highs were recorded as Australian home values rose by 25% between March 2020 and February 2022. 

This was due to record low interest rates, high household savings, government grants, a shortage of homes for sale and an insatiable appetite for bringing decisions forward due to lifestyle choices and a new landscape for working remotely.

Buyers were desperate to purchase and some even bought homes sight unseen during lockdown periods. Sellers had all the power until they sold and then became buyers themselves. 

Towards the end of 2021 property prices were peaking and the pace at which prices were increasing was no longer sustainable.

In 2022 inflation became an issue that could not be ignored. It was up to a 20 year high. 

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When you decide to buy a home, one of the first things you will need to do is work out how much you can afford to borrow and what you are prepared to spend on a home.

Knowing what your borrowing power is will be determined by how much you have saved along with the consistency of savings you’ve managed to have, how much you earn, what your expenses and debts are along with your credit score and how you want your lending structured.

Finding the best loan (which is not always the cheapest), can be time consuming and in most cases it can come down to the good old saying, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’.

Like everything these days, there are so many choices and if this is your first loan or things have changed or it's been some time since your last loan, chances are some expert advice could certainly make a difference to your experience.

Speaking with someone you can trust and that takes the time to understand what’s important to you as well as being prepared to work on finding the right loan is what every home buyer needs.

Below is an explanation of what the difference is between using a Mortgage Broker or going directly to a Bank

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I always find questions people ask me interesting... I never assume my clients know everything there is to know and I believe there is no such thing as a silly question.

A question I often get asked is ‘what happens when a property is passed in?’

I think it’s important to share this information as it can sometimes be used as a strategy for success.

There are several things that can happen at an auction for both buyers and sellers. One of the key things to understand is what could happen, how to be prepared for it, and to know what to do.

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A question often asked and discussed, to sell before you buy or buy before you sell?

The process for most of us would be to sell before you buy because this is less of a financial risk.

You will know how much you have sold for and can work your budget for your next purchase based on the result.

During Covid19, the lockdown effects on the property market in Victoria and NSW, has created a significant change in the way people are viewing their choices. In a market with little stock, some areas are seeing house prices increase due to competition beyond comprehension.

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Imagine this: Auction day is here. You feel excited, in control, you know exactly what will happen and have a plan for every possible scenario. You have experts you trust and know exactly where you need to be, what you need to do and can sit back and watch the show unfold.

If only everyone felt like this on the day their home went up for public auction.

Unfortunately, it can be one of the most stressful, confusing and overwhelming experiences to go through- but with a clear auction process it does not have to be so hard.

Price is the driving factor of selling a home and it can feel like an enormous decision when YOU need to put a price on your own home that you will accept.

BUT if you know how, you can use your reserve price as a tool to get the best result.

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Selling or buying a home can feel like a completely foreign process for many people and there’s so many aspects that can easily become overwhelming. One of those being an abundance of people you’ve never heard of before. You need to feel confident and trust that the information you are getting is in your best interest. After all, this is going to be one of the largest transactions you’ll make in your life.

Of course everyone will claim to be able to help you through the process. So before you interact with any of these people, it’s a good idea to get some understanding of what they do and where their interests lie. This way you'll be able to recognise some key warning signs.

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A Floor rug’s purpose is to anchor a room. Getting this right will help create harmony and balance. The scale and proportion of floor rugs are actually key elements to interior design. If your rug is not in proportion, you will lose the desired affect and could risk having a major bugger up on your hands…

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You’re ready to buy a house.

You’re spending your weekends searching and inspecting properties, which means you are getting to know the agents well. They are also getting to know you quite well and would be speaking with you to get your feedback and discuss your intentions (if they are good at what they do).

You will have questions about the properties you are inspecting and who better to ask then the agent showing you through.

So, what should you be asking?

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There really is nothing like making a good first impression. You hear this all the time. So, what is a first impression?

It’s when someone has an encounter for the first time and forms an opinion.

In fact research tells us it only takes 20 seconds for a buyer to make a decision.

With this in mind, you need to be able to welcome people to your home

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Why can buying a home be a stressful experience?

What does it mean to feel stressed? Stress is actually a reaction to feeling pressure from a situation or an event. Now when this happens, our body is stimulated to produce a stress hormone. Yep, another hormone to add to the list…. It even has a name. Cortisol! This then activates a response in the immune system and can make you feel sick. Now, everyone deals with stress differently and it’s a feeling that can be hard to identify and explain. Did you know the worst type of stress is formed around Money, Relationships and Health? So, it’s no wonder that buying a house and spending hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars can make us feel SICK!

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When you think about it, the most important decision you will make when you decide to sell your house is selecting the right team of agents to market and sell your home. You can do everything else right to prepare and present your home in the best possible way, but if you put your trust in the wrong agent, it can have a significant effect on your experience and your result. Imagine if you were unhappy with the decision you made and you were stuck with that decision and the result you would have….It’s easy to see how this could turn into a stressful and tense situation!

So now I’m going to show you exactly what you need to know and how you can protect yourself from a potential legal battle.

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Stuff, what stuff?

The important stuff you might just need that’s taking up all that room in your closed cupboards that no one really sees anyway….

That’s OK but if you are selling your home, I need to let you in on a little secret…. The people that come to inspect your home will open these cupboards, pantry doors and wardrobes to see if their STUFF will fit. If it’s full of your STUFF, it makes it hard for them to imagine how they will make it work for them.

If you follow these simple steps you will increase the value of your home.

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There shouldn’t be any confusion around this area of selling or buying a property. Sometimes agents can take it for granted that we all understand our rights and don’t really explain this part of the process very clearly.

There can be risks involved and it’s important to know what each of these mean.

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