One thing that is important to remember is that your agents certainly understand the pressure this time of year does bring and we will ride it out with you, after all that is our job! There are many issues facing the real estate market at this time. These include

1.       The cut back of the first home owners grant: Will this see a change in the lower end of the market? Or will it see more young families move to Armidale to chase the great Australian dream? I mean a first home in Armidale is a lot cheaper than one in Sydney.

2.       The media for the last 18months has been telling the Australian public another economic crisis is looming the word “depression”  has been also mentioned?

3.       An author from America also came over and said that our property prices should be 50% less.

So you can understand why buyers are nervous , however property is not a short term investment it is a long term investment, this is evident by a client I sold a property for last week, He said “I bought this home in 1987 for $60,000.00 and you have just sold it for $350,000.00” I think should some it up don’t you?

Until next week.

With so many home loan choices available, I’m often asked whether or not it is a good idea to talk to a mortgage broker to help find the best loan.

Mortgage brokers can be great, but whether or not they will be useful for you, depends on how confident and savvy you are in finding a good home loan deal on your own.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with home loans and don’t want the fuss of having to research home loans for yourself, then a mortgage broker can definitely be beneficial. If you find a mortgage broker that is good, then they can save you a lot of time and money and help negotiate the best home loan deals for you. Using a mortgage broker can also help you get approved for loans that you otherwise wouldn’t have if you went directly to a lender.

On the other hand if you have already done your research and have found the best product on the market, then there is essentially little need for a mortgage broker and you may find it easier to simply go and speak to your lender of choice.

Whether you go to a mortgage broker or a bank though, don’t settle for any terms or conditions you feel uncomfortable with and make sure that ultimately you end up with a home loan that meets all of your requirements.

To start doing some home loan research for yourself, a useful home loan comparison website is www.infochoice.com.au or if you would like to talk to a mortgage broker then please feel free to get in touch with me and I’ll be happy to recommend somebody for you.

To enter into the competition, Armidale’s photographers simply need to capture the theme “Make Your Mark Australia” while also focusing on the categories of local, global, humour or lifestyle and how it inspires us to live as Australians.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional photographer or a beginner – anybody can enter and there are some great prizes up for grabs too!

All you have to do is head to www.AUSSIEVAULT.com.au for all the details, and make sure that your entry is in by December 6.

Hopefully we see some Armidale residents enter into the competition, as it could be a great chance for their image to go down in history!

Most investment properties should be looked at as a long-term investment. Real estate always moves around in cycles and there will always be peaks and troughs. But if you look at the bigger picture, real estate still tends to move in an upwards direction over time and past data shows that house prices double on average about every 10 years.

When you consider other investments, like super and shares, most people get into these with the mindset that they will make a profit in the long-term, except the advantage with investing in real estate is that it can also offer you a home and a lifestyle while you’re waiting for your investment to grow.

Sure, money can and has been made through short-term property investments, but this requires good research, good timing and a bit of good luck too.

Livestock is one of Armidale’s primary industries, so while it is extremely important that this industry tries to increase its production so that it can continue to thrive, it is also important to consider the impacts that this will have on the local environment, and try to eliminate these as much as possible.

Here is a summary of the lecture from the Armidale Express:

 “In a society addicted to bad news, emissions of greenhouse gases from livestock animals are bringing them into the global spotlight as an environmental challenge,” Prof Hegarty said. “But while this needs to be addressed, we should recognise – and celebrate – the fact that ruminant animals take pasture and crop residues that hold no nutritive value for people and transform them into meat, milk, fibre and hides for the advantage of humanity. This is an animal-mediated transformation of biomass that provides approximately 80 million tons of meat and 700 million tons of milk worldwide each year. Current research aims for both greater productivity and reduced emissions.”

If you’re interested in heading along to the lecture, you can RSVP to Susan Delpratt on 6773-2960.

One isn’t necessarily better than the other and the way in which you choose to sell your home will likely depend on a number of factors such as the time you have to sell in and the type of market you’re selling too. Sometimes even if a property isn’t sold at auction, it can still be used as a tool to market a property and to identify serious buyers.

If you are confused as to the pros and cons of selling via an auction or private sale, then here are some of the advantages of each:

Auction Pros

·         Pressure, emotions and competitiveness can all lead buyers to higher prices than they otherwise might have paid.

·         An auction can be useful in determining the price of particularly unique and/or desirable properties. 

·         There are no price limits.

·         For many home sellers, the idea of a definite sale date can be very appealing, though this doesn’t always happen if the reserve price isn’t reached.

·         Having a set date for the sale helps encourage buyers to act quickly.

Private Sale Pros

·         A lot of sellers like private sales because it gives them time to mull over the buyer’s offers and negotiate if need be.

·         A private sale only requires one interested buyer, whereas an auction requires interest from at least a few buyers to be successful.

·         Potential buyers are unaware of how high others are willing to offer, and so they may want to secure the property by offering more themselves.

·         Private sales are generally cheaper because there are no auctioneering fees and marketing costs are likely to be less.

Your real estate agent will be able to offer you the best advice for your property so it is best to discuss your property sale with them, but if you have any questions regarding selling your home then please don’t hesitate to ask.

The rate cut is the first rate movement that we have seen since this time last year, when the Reserve Bank decided to lift interest rates during the 2010 Melbourne Cup.

The official interest rate is now at 4.5 per cent and the average mortgage holder should save about $60 a month thanks to the cut.

But if your lender does pass on the rate savings, that doesn’t mean you should necessarily start paying less on your home loan each month.

If you have been comfortable paying the higher interest rate level then it is a good idea to keep paying the same amount, to help you get ahead on your home loan.

The rate cut should helpfully help provide the Australian property market with a much needed boost, as it may help to increase confidence amongst buyers.

For those buyers who are interested in looking at properties in Armidale, please feel free to get in touch with me at Professionals Armidale.

This past Friday we also held our annual NBCF fundraising BBQ which raised much need funds to this worthy charity, I was also taken back buy the amount of money the professionals group has raised this year across the eastern seaboard at last count we had just passed the $1.7million mark and our on track to reach our goal of $2million.

One of the best parts of in real estate is being able to give back to the community whether it be through hosting information nights for property management or raising funds for those in need, the entire team and myself can not thank the Armidale community for allowing us to be able to help.

During the day you will be able to explore the cycling and walking tracks of the Pine Forest and discover the local wildlife. Visitors will also be able to help plant tree seedlings in the forest and weed warrior, Rachel Betts, from the New England Weed Authority will also be at the event to provide information and help educate visitors about identifying and dealing with weeds. The Herbert Park Rural Fire Service Fire Engine and Shane Burns, general manager of Armidale Dumaresq Council are other guests expected to be at the field day and picnic.

There will also be a free sausage sizzle for those who attend, or you might prefer to bring along your own picnic and simply enjoy the lush, green surrounds of the Armidale Pine Forest.

If you would like to attend the Armidale event taking place this Sunday, November 6 from 10am, then you can contact Helen Schwarz from the Herbert Park Local Area Committee on 6772-1584 or email woshes@bigpond.com. It is asked that guests RSVP by Friday, November 4, for catering purposes.

The rate cut is the first rate movement that we have seen since this time last year, when the Reserve Bank decided to lift interest rates during the 2010 Melbourne Cup.

The official interest rate is now at 4.5 per cent and the average mortgage holder should save about $60 a month thanks to the cut.

But if your lender does pass on the rate savings, that doesn’t mean you should necessarily start paying less on your home loan each month.

If you have been comfortable paying the higher interest rate level then it is a good idea to keep paying the same amount, to help you get ahead on your home loan.

The rate cut should helpfully help provide the Australian property market with a much needed boost, as it may help to increase confidence amongst buyers.