Monthly Archives: January 2011

Each year when a new 'Citizen of the Year' is announced, a timely reminder is given to us to be thankful and grateful for our wonderful community and its people. This year's winner was no different.

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Our recently awarded Citizen of the Year, Greg Hannon owner of Hannon’s Mt View Pharmacy is dedicated to his profession as a pharmacist, always going that extra mile to give his customers care and consideration.

It's people like Mr Hannon who share their time, knowledge and undying passion for Armidale that deserve the highest of accolades.

To all of our community who work just as hard and as tirelessly as Mr Hannon, we hope you enjoyed your Australia Day, and we thank you for everything you do.

It’s impressive to see how the flood cleanup is coming along in South East Queensland and it certainly does make me think about what some of New South Wales went through after the floods last year. It’s also wonderful to see how many people who feel like they can’t give money are giving other goods like tinned foods, clothes and toys.

I read today, though, that there is currently a case of too much of a good thing when it comes to donating your items to flood appeals. You might recall that lots of main roads have been cut for various areas – leading, for example, to milk shortages in suburban Brisbane nearly a week after the first flood subsided.

Well if you take that into consideration then it’s no wonder that the Salvos and other organisations are actually asking people to stop giving goods – they simply don’t have the manpower or infrastructure to distribute physical items.

There is some good news, though. Through the wonders of electronic banking, the thing that you can give that will arrive to flood victims fastest is actually a cash donation. So please, if you want to give, even if you can’t spare a lot of money, it’s probably better to give five dollars at the supermarket checkout than to haul your unwanted pots and pans down to the charity shop.

And please, most of all, give generously.

So you’re going to do it: you’ve decided to sell the family home. This is a massive decision, but you think you’ve found the perfect villa. There is one small hitch – you’ll have to give away a third of your belongings if you don’t want to feel like you’re living in a crowded jumble sale 24/7.

So what are your options? Let’s do the run-down:

Gumtree: This popular new classifieds website allows you to market your items (including whitegoods, furniture, you name it!) for free. You can also list things you’re giving away for free: this is great if you want to get rid of larger items.
eBay : The popular online auction site also has classifieds section so you can list items that you’re interested in selling on enquiry.
Garage and Yard Sales: these are not such a great idea if you live in a Cul de sac or quiet street, but you can utilise signs and ads to let people know that you’re getting rid of some excess belongings. The key to a garage sale is to accept
Charity begins at Home: This is, of course, the best option if you can afford not to sell. Lots of charities like the Salvos now have a pick-up service and will see that your beloved stuff goes to someone who needs it, or into one of their shops.

Some people like to put the items of highest value on eBay, and then put the rest in the front yard to sell at a garage sale and then give the remainder to charity – just make sure that everything you’re giving is in good or saleable condition. .

One advantage of this process is that you’ll (hopefully) keep only your nicest things, and the home you’ll end up with will look amazing – so take heart, once the hard part is over you’ll be more stylish than ever! Don’t be afraid to shed a few tears over the old house; you may have raised your children there, it may be the place you spent the first years of your marriage, but with time another couple or family will get the chance to enjoy it and you’ll feel better about letting go.

Next week, we get to the exciting part: falling in love with your new home!

Hello from professionals Armidale. Following on from last week and the residential tenancy act 2010 more major points and main reforms of the act.

Water efficiency

The act will require rented premises to be water efficient if tenants of separately metered premises are to pay for water. The standards for water efficiency will be determined in regulations (our team are across these requirements) This change will mean that most rental properties in Armidale will not comply with the new provisions of the act and we will need to amend our current systems to protect your interests.

PRE-TENANCY

The act will permit holding fees to be charged only after an application for tenancy has been approved. It prohibits certain terms from being added to a lease and requires the disclosure of material facts to prospective tenants , such as if the landlord has drawn up a contract to sell the property or if a mortgagee has taken court action to recover possession

BREAKING A LEASE EARLY

The ACT will enable tenants to break a lease early without penalty in certain situations, such as when they accept an offer of public housing or need to move to a nursing home. The act also introduces the concept of an optional “break fee” fixing the penalty payable in other cases where a tenant breaks a lease. There are other changes to this important issue and our team are well informed how to handle this situation.

SALE OF RENTED PREMISES

The ACT requires the tenant to be told before a rental property is placed on the market. It obliges the selling agent to make reasonable efforts to agree with the tenant on the days and times the premises will be available for inspection. Two inspections per week are provided in the act (inspections are not limited to numbers however and do include open homes)

Most agencies should be up to date on this act and the REINSW has held and will continue to hold more training sessions bringing property managers up to date with all the latest requirements, The above points are only an overview of many changes in the act please rest assured that our pm team have a comprehensive understanding of the act and we are ready for the act to become law. Please feel free to contact our team should you have any further questions

As life changes, so do our needs; kids grow up and move out, you might fall out of love with gardening – there are many reasons that you might contemplate selling your home and looking for something more convenient and lifestyle-friendly. So what are your options when you’re looking to downsize?

Apartment Living: If you fancy a slightly more urban lifestyle , an apartment is the way to go. You will have to sacrifice a yard, but there may be a shared rooftop terrace as well as your own private balcony depending on how much you’d like to spend. The upside is you’ll be more centrally located and will probably need to use the car less; potential downsides are a lack of street or visitor parking for guests, and the increased evening noise of town – though if you like hustle and bustle this may be a positive thing!
Unit owners Unite! If you’re looking for a something with a little more space and even a little garden then a unit could be for you. There are plenty of new units going up around Melton and most are very well finished with open plan eat-in kitchens and well-proportioned bedrooms. Garden units allow independent retirees to keep up a smaller version of the pastime.
About Townhouses and Villas: More spacious again is the popular villa or its cousin, the townhouse. They come with the upside of larger kitchens, more bedrooms and usually a courtyard or balcony. If you’re not ready to say goodbye to having your own space then a villa could be for you – and if you still have kids at home they’re often multi-storey, and you can stick your teenagers in the attic bedroom!

Once you have a budget together the best thing to do is sit down and take stock of your possessions – including an honest list detailing what you’re happy to let go and what you can’t live without . This will be your guide when it comes to fitting furniture in a new home.

Next, we’ll be talking about saying Goodbye to the family home, and how to deal with all the excess stuff leftover when you downsize.

Here at Armidale Professionals we’re fortunate enough to sell plenty of properties set on large blocks, in fact the room to move in our district is something we love!

If you’re someone who hates having idle hands, then it seems like a bit of a waste to keep your plot vacant. Even though it may not have felt like it, summer is upon us and if you think that a few fruit trees might liven up your yard then you’d best plant them out now before the heat sets in.

We benefit from a cool temperate climate, and can grow a lot of the traditional varieties that require more European weather – something that Armidale has in spades! Here are a few varieties worth a try in our region:

Lemon – The lemon tree was considered a suburban standard in Australia, but for some reason it seems to have fallen out of fashion. An attractive tree with lots of varieties, they can’t take much frost so be careful to select one that’s right for Armidale.

Apple – Apples have the reputation of needing a cold climate to develop good fruit, but luckily some cultivars can do without a full frost season. You’ll often need two trees to pollinate one another and produce fruit, so see your nursery for complimentary pairings.
Pecan – This producer of the popular nut also makes an excellent shade tree, and can often be found in self-pollinating varieties.

Don’t forget that a well-kept mature orchard is attractive to ‘tree-changing’ buyers, so if your long term plan is to sell then either looking after the orchard you already have or designing a new one could snag the perfect owner for your home.

If you’re not the sort of person who can’t commit to maintenance or aren’t interested in gardening, then it’s best to just keep things neat and tidy – neglected trees don’t sell your property very well. If you’re just starting out, then make sure you speak to an experienced nursery professional who can get you started.

Would you like to harvest the fruits of your labour (literally) in a new orchard?

Hello from all of us at professionals Armidale, as you may be aware from recent media over the past year the residential tenancies act 2010 has been passed by the NSW parliament and is proposed to come into effect on 31 January 2010

WHAT ARE THE MAIN REFORMS IN THE ACT?

1. “No grounds” termination notice

The act increases the notice given to tenants who are no longer in a fixed term lease from 60days to 90days.

2. “rent arrears evictions” The act will give a quarantee to tenants that their tenancy can continue if their rent arrears are paid of if they follow an agreed repayment plan, however this guarantee will not apply if the tenant is shown to have frequently failed to pay their rent on time.

3. Alterations

The act gives tenants greater flexability to add fixtures or make minor alterations at their own expense, provided they obtain the landlords consent. Landlords are able to reasonably refuse refuse such requests. For example if it involves painting the premises or structural changes.

4. Sub-letting

The act gives tenants greater flexibility to sub-let part of the premises or wishes to include an extra co-tenant, provided they obtain the landlords consent .

Next week I will go through some more important parts of the act, the act simply just emphasizes the importance of selecting a professional property manager the industry has become serious – so should you, please only appoint a property manager that has experience and has been a landlord themselves. Until next week!

A lot of people in Armidale with modern homes have a standard two car garage, and yet I always notice that people tend to park their cars on the driveway or in the street! Once I got to thinking about it though I realised that the majority of Australian garages are probably doing other work!

What is your garage? Is it the garden shed? Maybe a rumpus room or play area for the kids? Or maybe you’re still storing all of your unwanted wedding presents! Either way, with the start of a new year I think it’s time we all got into the places we don’t like to look – like the garage, roof and shed – and figure out how we can actually use the space to its best advantage.

Donate things you’ll never realistically use, give everything a good scrub and take a look at all that space – are you looking for somewhere to store a rebellious teenager? A garage is a good size for a teen den or retreat.

But then, perhaps once you’ve cleaned it out you may realise that you don’t actually need a garage! I’m noticing more and more developments in urban areas without them. Initially I raised my eyebrows and thought this seemed a little odd for new premises. But then I started to think about the reasoning: less cost to build (therefore less cost to buy), and public transport and cycling are becoming more popular.

It’s important to note that all of the examples I saw still had ample off-street parking, so the car has not been forgotten entirely. So what do you use your garage for? What is its role in your home? Just some points to consider, especially if you’re moving this year!

The New England region is lucky enough to have a rich local history with lots of families being settled in the area for several generations. It’s wonderful that our area is beautiful and interesting enough to keep people in Armidale!

So, it stands to reason that a lot of us probably have box upon box of old and new photos lying around the house, as well as a hard drive full of family snaps that we haven’t organised or printed.

Luckily, help is at hand with an upcoming workshop on photographic preservation being held at NERAM in association with the visiting exhibit of Max Dupain photographs from the National Archive. Presented by NAA conservator Peter Shaw on the 22^nd of January, he will cover the printing and conservation issues surrounding digital and film prints, and will discuss the best way to store them for future retrieval.

It’s true that the digital revolution in photography has changed how we store our memories, but hopefully this workshop will show us that with a little organisation it’s possible to have a professional-looking system of storing and displaying beloved photos – something that’s sure to be of interest to family historians looking to preserve old and new prints.

RSVPs are required by January 15, but this is sure to be a popular workshop so I reckon it’ll pay to get in early. As usual, NERAM are being good sports and putting on complimentary Tea and Coffee to keep your attention on the task at hand! You can book by calling NERAM on 6772 5255.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2011! The entire team at professionals are really looking forward to another wonderful year in the Armidale market. Towards the end of last year buyer enquiry was at an all time high and many homes were sold, this enquiry will continue to be strong we believe throughout the year however especially strong between now and march. If you are thinking of selling please contact us for a free no obligation market appraisal.

When deciding to sell you have many decisions to make when it comes to appointing an agent; much like employing a staff member you employ your agent so below is a handy resume checklist:

1. Does this agent have a great track record of success?

2. Does this agent have the support of a national brand to allow clients from out side the area to see my property?

3. Does this agent have the support of a dedicated marketing professional?

4. Does this agency truly work as a team?

5. Has this agent bought and sold property themselves?

6. Is this agent in this profession because it is a career or is it just a job or mid life crisis to them?

7. Is this agent recognized in the industry as an award winning performer?

8. Does this agent truly care about my result or just getting a deal done? (this happens a lot when an agent will try and buy your business by reducing the fee…simply they need to turn your property over and that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars plus… all for a tiny difference in fees… there is a big difference between amateur and professional.

9. What does this agent offer me in terms of marketing? Is it professional or does the agent just drive past and take a photo from their car?

10.Did this agent bully me into a form of selling? Eg; Auction or normal for sale - Remember it is your home and the agent should provide you with options for both not just what they want because they aren’t good at one form of selling.

“When I decided to sell my home I interviewed many agents and what Professionals offer is so much better. Their marketing is great, their feedback brilliant! I really felt they looked after me! They achieved a better result than I expected getting me thousands extra. I urge anyone thinking of selling to call them first… you will be given so much more!!!” Melissa – Sydney

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