Monthly Archives: September 2011

I’m sure we all remember the 2011 Census of Population and Housing that took place earlier this year, but there is another census that Australian residents should take part in.

This census is the pet census, and this year is the first year that a comprehensive pet census is being run.

The aim of the pet census is to find out more about how pets affect our finances, social relationships and our family life, as well as how we affect the lives of our pets.

The questions in the pet census relate to how pets are treated and looked after and also the motivation for bringing pets into our households.

Most Australians are probably animal lovers, so by taking part in the pet census we can find out if we’re treating out pets in the right way and if there are ways to improve the human-animal relationship.

The pet census is completely anonymous and voluntary to take part, so if you would like to help Australia find out more about its pets you can fill out the census online at www.petcensus.com.au.

If you’ve been concerned about the safety at the intersection at the corner of Dumaresq and Markham streets, then you will be happy to hear that the intersection is about to be improved.

The problem intersection will receive new traffic calming measures as well as an upgraded road surface, thanks to $20,000 that has been given to the Armidale Dumaresq Council as part of the Federal Government’s Black Spots Program.

The Dumaresq and Markham Street intersection has been known to have a number of crashes in the past due to motorists speeding through the roundabout there, so hopefully the new measures that will be put in place will help prevent speeding and make the area safer for motorists.

What do you think of the planned improvements at the Dumaresq and Markham Street intersection, have you had any problems using those roads?

Most home loans last for about 20 or 30 years which I’m sure most will agree is a very long time to commit to a loan. But you can pay your mortgage off faster by following a few very simple tips.

Here they are:

1. Pay your mortgage more frequently – If possible, make your mortgage payments weekly or fortnightly, as opposed to monthly. By doing this you will attract less interest and hence save money.

2. Pay more than you need to – If you’re mortgage is $1000 a month than pay why not pay $1200? Even if you can put away a little bit extra each month this will help get your mortgage paid off quicker, and it will help you reduce the amount of interest you pay each month too.

3. Use an offset account – An offset account is an account that is connected to your mortgage and whatever value sits in it reduces your mortgage by that amount. Having an account like this can help you cut down your mortgage by hundreds of dollars a year by reducing the amount of interest you pay.

4. Make extra payments – If you have extra money, from a bonus or whatever else it may be, then pay this into your mortgage. Even if you can spare an extra $100 every now and again it will add up over the long run, and help you get ahead.

5. Don’t lower repayments if rates go down – When interest rates drop so will your minimum payments, but if you can afford the higher rate then why not keep paying it? You won’t even notice that you are paying more because you should be used to it and if rates go back up again you will already be used to paying the higher amount.

6. Refinance from time to time – It’s a good idea to step back and take a look at your mortgage every now and again. Over time the home loan industry changes and there might be a better deal around, or you might have paid off enough money that you can consolidate debts or even afford a new home. So take the time every year or so to get professional advice regarding your mortgage.

If you would like to learn about ways that you can save power and money in your home, then the Armidale Dumaresq Council has just the thing for you.

The local council has just been provided with 24 ‘Home Power Savings Program’ Kits, which are available from the Armidale Dumaresq Library for local residents to borrow.

The Power Savings Kits offers tools and information in a fun format that helps educate households on how they can reduce power in their homes.

With the rising cost of electricity, it’s becoming increasingly important for households to learn how they can save power in their homes, so it’s a great initiative for local residents to take part in.

If you’re interested in borrowing a Power Savings Kit to try and learn more about the energy used in your home, you can pick one up at the Armidale Dumaresq Library or the Civic Administration Building on Rusden Street. Kits are available for one-week loans.

If you would like any further information about the Home Power Savings Program then you can contact the Sustainability Advantage Project Coordinator, Ms Carol Davies, on 02 6770 3686 or cdavies@armidale.nsw.gov.au.

If you want to have a friendly relationship with your neighbours and landlord, it’s important to be a good tenant.

Tenant disputes are all too common unfortunately, but they can easily be avoided by keeping your rental property well-maintained and being considerate to those who live around you.

Here are some tips for those who want to become a dream tenant:

1 – Read your lease carefully before you sign on the dotted line

It’s important to be aware of what is allowed at your rental property. For example you may not be able to have pets or hang pictures on the walls. There may also be strict rules regarding guests, noise or garbage. If you are aware of all of the rules that apply to your property then it will be much easier to follow them and you won’t risk getting a mark against your name.

2 – Be Nice To Your Neighbours

One of the biggest complaints against tenants is too much noise. It’s important to remember that you are living near people who might have a different lifestyle to you, so while you may want to have parties and turn the music up, your neighbours might have a baby to look after or they might need to wake up early to get to work. Try and keep noise at your property to a minimum not only so you don’t get noise complaints in the mail, but also so you can live peacefully next to your neighbours.

3 – Take responsibility for your guests

It’s important to remember that you are responsible for your guests’ behaviour, so if you know someone that is likely to cause harm to the property or make excessive noise then you will end up to blame for any disturbances or damage that occurs. It is important to keep this in mind when you are considering inviting large groups of people over to your property, as you may not be able to control their behaviour.

4 – Clean up after pets

Just as you are responsible for guests, you are responsible for your pets. Don’t make your landlord regret allowing your pet on the property, clean up after them, take care of them and make sure you keep their behaviour in check.

5 – Maintain and care for your property

Take pride in your rental property and keep it clean, well-maintained and presentable. If you look after your property then you won’t need to worry about doing a mad clean when you have inspections. Also let your landlord or property manager know when something needs fixing straight away. It’s much easier to fix smaller problems immediately than large problems later on.

6 – Give proper notice

It’s important to give the proper amount of notice (as outlined in your lease) before leaving your rental home. If you give notice and communicate with your landlord or property manager then you will find it much easier to get your bond back and if you leave on good terms you’re more likely to get a good reference too.

7 – Last but not least – Always pay on time!

Landlords love dependable tenants, so try your best to always pay on time if you can. Landlords will however understand if there are times where you might not be able to pay on time, but if this happens then it’s a good idea to call your property manager and explain the situation and let them know when you will be able to pay. Never make a landlord or property manager chase you down for rent, it is better to be open and honest with them and in return they are much more likely to be understanding of your situation and reasons for not being able to pay rent on time.

There are lots of things that can help influence people’s decisions to buy a home. Among the top priorities for most home buyers are the location, price and quality of the home, but are you thinking your priorities through rationally? I came across an interesting article on lesswrong.com about rational home buying and thought it provided some great tips worth sharing that can help anyone looking at buying a home.

What’s in a location?

Most people choose a location based on areas they know and feel comfortable with, or because they can afford to buy in the area, but people should remember to factor in their lifestyles too.

Do you have a family, or do you plan on having one in the future? If so, then an area close to schools and parks should be high on the consideration list. Also think about where you work or if you like spending nights out on the town. If you do then you should probably consider home options near city centres, because while you may be able to buy cheaper further out, you may not end up being happy with your home choice.

According to the Rational Home Buying article, people should pay particular attention to their daily commute. People who have long daily commutes to work have been found to be generally less happy, and for anybody who does or has had to endure long daily commutes, I’m sure you will agree that it takes away much needed time in the day and it is just plain exhausting!

Remember when buying, that where you live becomes a big factor in how you live your day to day life, so think carefully about the location you choose carefully and try not to be swayed into buying something cheaper if you know you ultimately won’t be happy living there.

Price Differences

The biggest factor for most homebuyers is cost. Houses are expensive and so people can only buy what they can afford. But because homes are already expensive, people may discount a few extra thousand dollars as not being that significant and may choose a home they slightly prefer even if it is thousands of dollars more.

As mentioned in the previous point, it is important to buy a home that you’re happy with, but before you spend more money on a home, ask yourself if the extra money spent will give you that much extra value. If you want to spend an extra $10,000 on a home because you like the colour scheme better or because the bathroom is nicer, ask yourself if these things are really worth the extra money. Could you fix these things yourself for less? Ten thousand dollars might not seem like a lot in the scheme of a house, but every thousand dollars you save is significant money in your day to day life.

Do You Really Need It?

Pools, cinema rooms, spare bedrooms – they all sound great, but do you really need them? There are a lot of extras that that come with homes that sound great, but before you fall in love with them, ask yourself whether or not you will even use that extra home feature you payed so much for. While pools for instance sound great, how much will you even use it? Would you be better off paying more money for a home that has what you actually do need (even if it doesn’t seem as exciting in your head) such as an extra bathroom or a garage? Think about your priorities and don’t get carried out with fancy home features that are fun to imagine but probably not as important to your day-to-day living.

Go With Your Gut

An interesting part of the lesswrong.com article pointed out that over-thinking and over-shopping can lead to less satisfaction in your final home decision. The lesson here is to go with your gut instinct and choose a home that you know will make you happy.

Don’t try to compare or explain why you like the house you do, because as said in the article, this can make you focus on the details that are easier to explain in words rather than on the features that are actually important to you.

Only you will know what it is that will make a house a home for you, and while some of the points above may not be practical for your situation, they certainly provide some food for thought.

If you are trying to choose a new home, I strongly recommend reading the article on Rational Home Buying, as it may help give you a clearer picture of the home that will ultimately make you happy.

I’m interested to hear what factors have influenced other people’s decisions to buy a home, so please share your stories here.

What are your goals? Where do you think you could be if you followed your goals and did everything that you set out to do?

Sometimes it’s hard to do all of the things we set out to in life, but I just came across a great story on Keith Abraham’s blog about a person who stated exactly what they set out to do, and then want on to complete their goal, even though there were obstacles on the way that seemed impossible to break through. You can view the story by following this link and watching Keith’s VLOG.

I thought this attitude could also be applied to those who are thinking about buying a property but for whatever reason; don’t think that it’s possible.

Anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it. There are hurdles that can get in the way of property ownership, but with any problem in life there is always a solution.

So watch Keith’s VLOG and find out what one man can achieve when he sets out to do something, and for anyone out there who needs help tackling any hurdles to their property dreams, please give me a call and I will assist in any way that I can.

Sustainable living is becoming increasingly important for Armidale residents and businesses, and in response to the growing demand for sustainable products and practices, Armidale holds the Sustainable Living Expo (SLEX).

SLEX will run from October 21-23 and it is now in its fifth year. The SLEX event helps provides the Armidale community with valuable information about living sustainably and it also provides tools that can help attendants become more sustainable in their lives or in their business practices.

There will be a range of workshops, activities and events for all age groups at SLEX, so no matter what walk of life you come from you are sure to find valuable information at the event to help you become more ‘green’.

Even if you only have a mild interest in environmental sustainability, it is well worth attending SLEX as you might just find some inspiration to help you live greener or you might come across some information that proves to be invaluable.

To find out all the details about this year’s Sustainable Living Expo in Armidale, visit their website at www.slex.com.au.

The same can probably be said about any aspect of life, but when it comes to renovating it’s important not to cut corners.

Renovating shows seem to have taken over our television sets, and while this is great because it is inspiring people to do up their homes, it’s important for everyone to make sure that they’re carrying out their renovations correctly.

There can be a lot involved in renovations and while it can seem easier or cheaper to cut corners, it can end up costing a lot more in the long run.

If for example you don’t get council approval or you carry out your own handy work without at least obtaining professional advice, then you could end up being liable for hefty costs in the future.

By carrying out illegal building work in your home there is a chance that you will have to rectify your works in the future, or if any accidents occur to tradesmen or visitors to your home because of dodgy work, you will be liable. Think about when you go to sell your home too, there’s a chance that buyers will ask for council permits and carry out building inspections before buying your home, so it’s important to make sure that everything is up to scratch.

No matter how tempting it might be to save money or time, cutting corners is definitely not worth it, as it can be dangerous and extremely costly.

If you’re thinking about renovating your home make sure that you get professional advice where it’s called for and that all works meet council regulations.

Carrying out your home improvements by the books will mean that your home will be safer and it will likely be much more valuable too.

Shopping online is becoming increasingly popular amongst Armidale residents, but while shopping online can be an easy and convenient way to shop, locals shouldn’t forget to still try and support our local businesses.

A lot of local shoppers may wonder why they should look to local businesses when shopping online can offer competitive prices and we all want the cheapest products. It also seems so much easier just to click and buy the product you want rather than getting to a local store.

But even if you don’t want to visit a physical shop, a lot of local businesses have online shops too and it is worth hunting them out to avoid buying products that have to travel from overseas. By buying a product from somewhere local you are likely to have cheaper and quicker deliveries and it will be much easier to return products, not to mention you will be helping to support the local economy.

To help the Armidale community realise all of the benefits that come from shopping locally, a local campaign has been developed that will help promote local businesses. The campaign is called ‘Locals 4 Locals’ and you will likely notice it through advertisements in The Express and the Extra.

It would be great if more Armidale residents saw the advantages in shopping locally, because supporting local businesses means supporting the local community and keeping it thriving.

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