Anglicare has declared the plight of low income renters in Mudgee “dire”, after a national survey failed to find even one rental property in the town which would be deemed “affordable” for a family on a single minimum wage.
Anglicare’s National Rental Affordability Snapshot examined about 50,000 properties across every state and territory on the weekend of April 14. More »

Housing starts won't revive without a bit of help - mostly from governments, Michael Pascoe argues.

It turned out to be good advice.

Now the RBA is pointing to housing remaining subdued until lower purchase prices, higher rental yields and population growth get us building again. More »

Pittance ... This house on Wirraway Avenue was sold for just $1000.

The Sheriff’s sale of a repossessed house in Melbourne’s west for $1000 — that was worth an estimated $630,000 — has today been overturned by the Victorian Supreme Court.

The five-bedroom, two-storey brick house in Wirraway Avenue, Braybrook, built in 2006 by owner Zhiping Zhou, was repossessed by the Sheriff in late 2009 after Zhou failed to re-pay a $100,000 debt. More »

Appetite for mortgages has risen for the first time in two years, unofficial data show, offering hope that home prices may lift in the months ahead.

Mortgage inquiries rose in 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the first quarter of 2011, according to Veda’s Consumer Credit Demand Index. They ticked up 0.2 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012. More »

There’s nothing like the prospect of guests to inspire a whirl of house cleaning.

And when you’re opening your home to an unknown number of people, one of whom you hope will buy it, there’s even more reason to get out the vacuum, duster and household cleaners and get ready for action. More »

Now’s the time to start the ball rolling so that your property report can be completed well in time for the end of the financial year.

Whether your investment property is a residential or holiday rental, The Property Shop Mudgee has the expertise to prepare the reports that are essential if you’re to keep your money rather than sharing it with the Tax Man. More »

As some business leaders came forward to state the economy can handle a large cut in interest rates to boost business sentiment, nationally few new jobs are being created apart from in the mining industry.

Questions are being asked if the Reserve Bank of Australia really understands where the economy is at the moment. More »

Auctions are becoming increasingly popular and hugely successful in the Mudgee area as vendors rush to cash in on the fact that demand currently exceeds supply.

According to The Property Shop’s Hugh Bateman, private sales have traditionally been the marketing method of choice in the area but this is rapidly changing. More »

The Hamilton's home before renovations

A family’s budget-friendly transformation gives their cottage twice the previous space.

The Hamilton family finished their budget renovation four months ago so the question is: what does $300,000 get you? More »

Anyone who has ever gone camping will be able to tell you the basics of cross-ventilation – opening up opposite windows (or tent flaps) to allow the air to flow from one side to another.
It’s the same thing that you would do if you have to sit in your car on a hot day. One window is simply not enough, but one open on each side of the car does the trick. Now apply this to your home and you’ll find substantial reductions in your energy costs for cooling. More »