Lots of Armidale residents make New Years Resolutions, but often it may seem like a big long list full of promises that we may or may not intend to keep! Beyond quitting bad habits, exercising more and cleaning out the garage, there could be lots of resolutions that will make a difference to your everyday life – many of them are closer to home than you think.

·         Sell the House: Have you long outgrown your home? Do you have young children or another baby on the way? A new year is a great time to reassess all that has happened, but it’s also a great time to plan your future in a more serious, long-term way. Buying a bigger home is a challenge for anyone, but look around you – maybe it’s time – Armidale’s market is always on the move!

·         Invest! It’s a great time to invest in real estate, with a buyer-friendly market and quality rental properties always in demand in our area, why not take the plunge?

·         Love the One you’re With: I’m not talking about your loved ones, I’m talking about your house! Your dream house may be closer than you think – you could be living in it already! Look at the blueprints for your home, check out its bones and the size of your block. Are you making the most of your home? Would renovating give it a new lease on life? Ask your local realtor about values in your area and an appropriate amount of capitalisation. Knowing what sells in your area is what gets you sold quickly and ahead of anyone else in your street when the time comes.

·         Meet Your Banker Eye to Eye – Proposed changes to financial regulations mean that it could be a year of big changes for mortgage holders and lenders. Have a meeting with your bank manager and see what they can offer you – sometimes, they can give you something better than the competitor you’d leave them for!

 

Best of luck in 2011, and here’s hoping that you make all of your resolutions a reality!

Well, firstly, congratulations on your well-earned break! It’s now less than a week until Armidale (and much of the world) celebrates Christmas. While a lot of people choose to stay in the New England region until work or school begin again, there are plenty who choose to pack up their bags and visit friends or holiday overseas.

 

Something you may not have planned for is the security of your home; an unfortunate fact is that there tends to be a higher rate of theft over holiday periods (namely December and January), so if you’re going away start out by checking that all locks and entrances on your property are secure. This doesn’t just mean the front door either. Check all doors, windows, sheds, garages, gates and anything else that could leave an easy access point into your home.

 

Whilst checking your home security, don’t forget to check your smoke alarm. To do this, simply press the button on the detector and listen for a beeping or ringing sound. Don’t worry – you won’t have to listen carefully – if your alarm is working properly the noise will be quite loud! While you’re at it, turn off non-essential appliances off at the wall (making sure you leave the fridge plugged in!). 

 

If you’re going to be away for a few weeks, a quick way to make it look like your house is occupied is to use a light or TV on a timer. It will create the illusion that someone is home in the evenings, and deter intruders.

 

Before leaving your home you might also like to ask your neighbours or a friend if they can take your bins out and collect your mail for you. It doesn’t hurt to check your insurance before you head away too, to make sure that your home is covered in case the worst happens. Leave your insurance details with a friend or family member nearby just in case.

 

Another thing to be weary of is what is posted on your Facebook profile. If you have a public profile in particular make sure that you don’t make posts that let on to others that you are holidaying away from home, and don’t “check in” at your holiday location. If you still want to let your friends know that you’re going away then check the privacy settings of your Facebook page and make sure it is only your friends who can see that you are going away.

 

If you do everything you can to make sure your home is left safe and secure over your holidays then you will be able to rest easy and enjoy your holiday away to its fullest!

With schools and some workplaces winding down for Christmas and New Years, I thought it might be nice to take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been and extend you our warmest greetings for the festive season and a safe 2011.

 

First, I’d like to thank our clients who make our business possible, and without whom I wouldn’t get to do the work I love doing. I know that buying and selling your property, regardless of the time of year, can be an incredibly emotional experience and trusting someone to handle it for you can be a big step. I hope that regardless of where you find yourself this festive season, you feel as thought you’ve found the right place for your family to call home.

 

Secondly, to my family and friends; having the support of a great community makes every day better. Without you I wouldn’t be able to get out in our community and enjoy myself half as much as I do.

 

Lastly, to those I may not have even met but who have stumbled upon this blog. I truly appreciate the ability to tell people on the other side of the world all about the place I love and the people and events that make it special. Thank you for visiting, and a very Merry Christmas to you too.

 

This blog will be gearing down slightly for the year, but stay tuned for a few festive updates and an exciting 2011!

Armidale truly has transformed into a lush springtime oasis over the past weeks, and I for one am enjoying the bright green sheen of properties I’ve been visiting lately. Armidale a spring and summer truly is a jewel of a town, but there are some downsides that come with it!

 

An article in the Express the other day explored the prospect of fining residents and others who have repeat complaints against them for not maintaining excessively long grass that has grown as a result of the spring rains.

 

Regardless of whether or not you own your home, yard maintenance is something that should be on the top of everyone’s weekend priority list in the warmer months. Even though we don’t have the same paralysis tick concerns as the eastern seaboard, our pets deserve the safest home possible – and that includes removing any potential homes for snakes and spiders.

 

Vermin also tend to use long grass as a haven, and goodness knows the last thing Armidale needs is a rat problem!

 

If you’re renting out an investment home or several properties with lawns and you’re worried that they might not have the time or effort to maintain it themselves, consider offering your property with ‘serviced gardens’. If you have several properties you may be able to broker a deal with your local gardener to maintain them. When you compare it with the cost of replacing lawns or gardens, the inconvenience of finding someone to mow seems like small change!

Hello from everyone at Professionals Armidale,

 

The great news over the past week is the RBA’s decision not to raise interest rates and will not until at least Feb, even if the RBA did raise rates last week I could not see this having an adverse effect on the market in Armidale and will not in Feb either.

 

Next year is shaping to be a big year for the real estate industry with major changes in the residential tenancy act due to be implemented and also changes into auction laws being proposed which would see vendors having to provide both building and pest reports to potential bidders with the successful bidder then re-reimbursing the owner upon settlement……. This proposal is to eliminate under quoting from agents and also help purchasers with the risk of spending money on reports especially if the property is out of their price range to begin with, this however does not mean that a potential buyer can not get their own report it just gives the option, I will stress however that this law is not passed and if and when it does your agent will advise you before listing your property for auction.

 

A congratulations also needs to go to Sarah Frizell from our office who was last week awarded the shinning star award for professionals this award is the highest accolade a staff member can win and we are all absolutely ecstatic for Sarah, this is the third year in a row a member from our office has been won this award.

 

Having trouble either selling or renting your property? Call Armidale’s most awarded team! 

I wrote last week about my encounter with a Sydney cabbie and about how buying real estate in Armidale is turning out to be a sure investment in your future. Australia’s anticipated population boom is well on the way and one of the ways that pressure can be taken off the major cities is through the growth (and in some cases) re-emergence of rural centres.

 

Of course I’m delighted at the thought of Armidale and other New England towns being on the move; the new infrastructure and amenities that the growth of our area could bring will make our town an even better place to live! So, I thought I’d expand on the discussion by talking about what you can do now and in future to make your home or investment property the pick of the crop.

 

·         Keep your home up to date, so that when the time to upgrade or downsize comes along you don’t have to renovate extensively. Take a look at your floor plan and see if you’re getting the most out of the space you have.

·         Armidale is blessed with a variety of architectural styles so don’t be afraid to embrace the natural character of your home. Many tree-changers are looking for a period feel, so choosing heritage paint colours or even luxury touches like a claw-footed bath could pay dividends in the long run.  

·         Don’t fear Modernity. On the same token, don’t be afraid to embrace the fusion of new and old. A brand new kitchen may look out of place in a period home, but other modern touches can help your stainless steel fridge marry with a high ceiling or art-deco wallpaper.

·         Upscale Your Investment. If you have rental properties and one of your tenants needs to move on early, this could be an excellent opportunity to upgrade appliances and fittings. It may seem more expensive at first, but putting in a higher quality kitchen or bathroom along with some fresh carpet and paint may attract tenants such as professionals and lecturers who are willing to pay a premium for exceptional accommodation.

 

There’s a lot more you can do, but I’d recommend doing research in your area to make sure that you don’t over-capitalise or make the wrong move for the suburb. I’ve got experience in all parts of Armidale, so please call in and make an appointment if you’re looking at selling and would like a valuation or some advice.

Students at TAS were excited yesterday as the school hosted Aussie soccer great Craig Foster for their annual speech day. Mr. Foster was the guest speaker for the day and told students about his career and congratulated graduating students on the completion of years of hard work.

 

I know that lots of fans of the sport were upset when Australia’s bid to host the World Cup did not make it past the first round, but it’s people like the ‘Fos’ who show our residents (young and old) that just they shouldn’t be upset that the Cup isn’t coming – it’s all the more reason to chase your own soccer dream.

 

We’re fortunate to have a long-running football club in the Demon Knights, as well as our own Football Association as part of the Northern Inland Association which organises competitions and tournaments. And, if you’ve got kids at TAS or O’Connor, both schools run their own competitive teams.

 

Foster started out playing for his local team, and went on to represent Australia on the world stage; so even though it’s the off-season, why not get in training for next year?

 

You can find the District Football Association on Facebook.

Seasons Greetings from the team at Professionals Armidale!!

 

What a busy year 2010 has been for the Armidale real estate market!!!

 

Last week I had the pleasure of being in Sydney for the Real Estate Institute of NSW AGM and the figures are alarming as far as supply and demand and projected population growth go. I remember thinking that this has got to be good for Armidale!

 

My thoughts were confirmed when talking with a taxi driver. When I was talking with him and informed him I was from Armidale, his eyes lit up and he said “Oh the promised land, I am moving to Armidale in February”. When I asked him why he was moving he told me that Armidale is one of the few cities in Regional NSW that has everything: good schools, good jobs, good water, good university and hopefully next year a state of the art hospital.

 

Believe me when I say this is a sign of things to come! The biggest appeal however was our property market “I could either get a flat for my family in Sydney, or some acres and a nice house in Armidale”.

 

With Sydney already bursting at the seams and millions more to come, Armidale just makes sense and over the next few years Armidale will continue to grow. The negative though is the lack of residential land in Armidale. This will make land prices higher and we will also see continued growth in existing housing.

 

This year we have seen 4 interest rate rises and a growth of 10% in prices. Because of our diversity and location these rates may affect local buyers however it will not affect tree change buyers, if anything, it will encourage them to move to Armidale.

 

Simply buying property in Armidale now is like knowing the lotto numbers before they are drawn!!

 

THINK REAL ESTATE, THINK PROFESSIONALS

It’s always great to see other Armidale locals online, and I was really pleased the other day to discover http://thelatestoldnews.wordpress.com, which features news from times gone by in our fair city.

 

Published by Gordon Smith, he highlights parts of the area’s local history through the use of the ‘digitisation of newspapers’ project within the National Library of Australia. In addition to correcting the digitised text of old articles about Armidale, he shares his favourite selections which can range from death notices to the latest article – a fascinating account from 1934 of our new Teachers’ College which you probably know better as the University of New England!

 

Some of the news seems like it could, with a few small changes, be the news of today. It’s truly sobering to read back through news about government funding cuts and refugee housing and realise that not that much has changed in the nearly 100 years since a lot of the articles were published.

 

I think that it’s a really interesting project that contributes greatly to the cultural and social history of our area, so well done Gordon! Not only is he helping Armidale residents better understand their history; he’s helping anyone using the digitisation of newspapers project better understand the news of old.

 

If you are an Armidale local who’s blogging about life in our town or local events, please contact us via the comments section and we’ll see if we can feature you next time on the blog!

Well, I hope you’re enjoying the Christmas season and not feeling too stressed about the preparations that are part and parcel with the holidays.

 

As a realtor, one thing I really enjoy seeing is people applying their house-proud attitude to the festivities, and I can’t think of a better example than our local annual Christmas Lights Competition. There are some great prizes on offer in the form of Myer Gift Cards (the winner will receive $400 worth!) and you can enter your house or your street. If you haven’t done anything but want to recognise the great work of one of your neighbours, you can also nominate others.

 

It can all be done online by heading to the Christmas Lights website, and by getting into the spirit I’m confident that we can make Armidale a truly magical place this Festive Season.

 

If you do decide to get in the game and put up some lights, while you’re up on the roof (safely, of course) maybe take the opportunity to inspect the condition of your tiles or iron? I t never hurts to prepare yourself for the new year by looking at what maintenance needs to be performed to have your house looking its best.

 

Are you going to enter the Christmas Lights Competition this year?