Selling Brisbane

Category: Sellers Property News

  • Home values rise for first time in 5 years in US

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Home prices hit a bottom and are finally bouncing back, according to an industry report released Tuesday.
    Nationwide, home values rose 0.2% year-over-year to a median $149,300 during the second quarter, the first annual increase since 2007, real estate listing site Zillow reported. Prices were up 2.1% from the first quarter.

    Even though June marked the fourth consecutive month of home value increases, overall home prices are still down almost 24% since April 2007, when Zillow began to track home values.
    “[I]t seems clear that the country has hit a bottom in home values,” said Zillow’s chief economist Stan Humphries. “The housing recovery is holding together despite lower-than-expected job growth, indicating that it has some organic strength of its own.”
    Last winter, Zillow projected that the housing market turnaround would not arrive until the end of the year.
    Other home price indexes have also recorded gains lately, including the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. In it latest release, it reported that home prices in 20 major markets rose 1.3% in April, the first monthly increase in seven months.

    http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/24/real_estate/home-values/

  • MD Interiors – Pre Sale advice

    MD Interiors provides a range of services for people who are building, renovating or redecorating – colour consulting; selection of fabric, wallpaper, lighting, soft furnishings, floor coverings and window treatments; furniture sourcing and spatial planning.
    From one room to a whole house, MD Interiors can produce a professional result by discussing and interpreting your ideas to develop a scheme that will suit your style, budget and lifestyle.

    A lot of people these days are “time poor” and it can take a lot of time to choose the right colour or furnishings for your home; not to mention the costly mistake if you are not happy with the end result. MD Interiors has knowledge of and access to thousands of products and knows where to source those products from. Having access to wholesalers who supply furniture, lighting, wallpaper, fabric, fixtures and fittings is a fantastic advantage; as MD Interiors can pass those wholesale savings onto client’s.

    Another service which is becoming more important in today’s property market is pre-sale property styling or home staging. Selling your property can be a stressful event. These days buyer’s are more savvy and professionally presenting your home is becoming an essential tool for assisting seller’s to attain the highest possible selling price. A pre-sale property styling appointment with MD Interiors provides you with an independent eye.

    MD Interiors can offer suggestions to enhance the presentation of your property to help achieve the maximum price for your home. A home staging consultation takes approximately one hour at your home, after which a report will be provided which sets out a list of suggestions to help present your home to prospective buyers.

  • First Property Impressions

    First Impressions are still top of the list when it comes to selling property, and local business MD interiors can help you.

    MD Interiors appreciates that everyone has their own unique style and every project is tailored to encompass that distinct style. We understand that lifestyle; existing pieces of furniture and budget are important considerations when designing a scheme. MD Interiors can provide you with advice and direction or work closely with you to provide a complete personalised scheme.
    We can provide assistance with a range of services:

    Colour consultations
    Fabric
    Wallpaper
    Soft furnishings
    Lighting
    Floor coverings
    Window treatments
    Furniture sourcing
    Spatial planning
    Pre-sale property styling
    Mood/sample boards

    A more comprehensive range of services is also available:Finishes boards
    Finishes schedules
    Specification schedules (finishes, fixtures and equipment)
    Liaison with project managers and builders (new buildings and renovations)
    Co-ordinate trade and service professionals

  • Why Use Professional Photography?

    According to these findings, a $600,000 home, sporting only one photo, could sell for as much as 3.8% LESS or a loss of over $22,000, just because there was only one photo accompanying the listing. More amazing is the fact that only 12% of agents posted 20 photos or more.Keep in mind that none of these reports/findings mention the quality of the photographs. If photos are the most important factor, it would follow that by having great, high quality photographs, you can be even further ahead of the game. In many cases, it is the agents themselves who are snapping the pictures and posting them on the agency website.

    Because of this, it is important that sellers choose an agent who will take professional looking photos or pay for a professional photographer.

    Good quality real estate photographs are difficult to achieve and it should be clear that a real estate agent can’t be expected to have professional photographic skills. Agents should, however be able to recognize the difference between good and poor photos and refrain from posting poor photos where perspective buyers will see them. With that in mind, it is amazing to find all the substandard photos, which agents and sellers seem to be willing to accept when it comes to posting photos of property on the website and into some of the advertising.

    “Location, location, location” is the common catch phrase when buying real estate. “Photography, photography, photography” will soon be the new advice when selling. When you look at the difference between photos taken by a professional and ones taken by brokers/agents with digital cameras, it’s not hard to see that you get what you pay for.

    Professional photographers use professional equipment, have the skills set to use it and they have a trained eye for making your home look its best.

    This is their job, they’re professionals. And paying to have professional real estate photographs, in comparison, is not really expensive when you consider the benefits.

    It stands to reason then, that it is very important to have photos that are professionally presented. Some agents use only pictures taken by professional photographers, because, as one agent put it, “if the photos look shoddy or unprofessional, not only are buyers going to find your property unappealing, they’re going to associate you with being shoddy and unprofessional.”

    What does all this mean? The Internet is the most powerful tool you can use when buying and/or selling a property. According to results, photography does sell real estate. And when you have high quality professional images for your marketing tools, you win by:

    . Generating more interest

    . Attracting more viewers/leads

    . Generating higher offers/selling price

    . Faster sale

  • New Pool Laws And How They Will Effect You.

    Do I need a Pool Safety Certificate in Brisbane?

    Yes. If you own or manage a pool in the Brisbane area you will be affected by the new Queensland Pool Laws, which take effect December 2010. Once certified, private residential pools will be required to renew their pool safety certificate every 2 years. This means you will be required to have your pool inspected every 2 years

    Question: If I do not sell or lease my property, how long do I have to obtain a Pool Safety Certificate?
    Answer: 5 years from the 1st of December 2010

    Question: If I am buying a property that is settling after 1st December 2010, is the seller required to
    provide me with a Pool Safety Certificate?

    Answer: No – The seller can fill in a Form 36 – Notice of no pool safety certificate and present this form to
    the buyers. The buyers will then be responsible for obtaining a pool safety certificate within 90 days
    of the contract settlement date. If the seller doesn’t provide the buyers with a Form 36, they must
    provide the buyer/s with a copy of a valid Pool Safety Certificate.

    Pool Check List

    Do all the pool gates open away from the pool?
    Is the top of the gate latch 1500mm from the ground?
    Is the top of the gate latch 1400mm from the highest of the bottom horizontal rails?
    When the gate is closed, is it securely locked or does it pull free easily?
    If a child of approx 25kg bounced on the bottom rail of the gate would it pop free?
    Does the gate self close from any position in its full arc of operation?
    Are the hinges 900mm apart? Or capped if less than 900mm apart?
    Is the gap under the fence less than 100mm?
    Is there a clear 300mm on the inside of the fence?
    Are there any sharp objects or entrapments on the gate or fence?
    (This includes sharp metal CPR signs & fence posts that are missing their caps).
    Are all components on the gate and fence tight and secure? (Including hinges, screws, latches & rails)
    Are there any gaps in the fence greater than 100mm?
    Can you create a gap in the fence greater than 100mm when you squeeze 2 rails together with 15kg of force?
    Are there any windows or louvers that provide access to the pool enclosure with gaps greater than 100mm?
    Is the fence a minimum 1200mm in height?
    Is there a non-climbable area vertically on the fence of at least 900mm?
    Are there any climbable tree branches or stumps within 900mm of the outside of the fence?
    Are there any pot plants or climbable objects against the fence on either side?
    are there any horizontal footholds on the fence greater than 10mm wide?
    If you pool fence intersects your boundary fence, is there a 900mm clear area on the outside?
    Are the rails on the boundary fence more then 900mm from the top of the pool fence?
    Is you balcony above the pool area more than 1800mm from the ground?
    Is the balcony more than 900mm away from the top of the fence?
    If No – Does your balcony comply with the fencing standards above?
    Do you have a current CPR sign displayed that is unobstructed, clearly visible & undamaged?

    Information provided by Brisbane Pool Inspections 1300 677 665