Buying your first home is a combination of nerves and excitement. Is now the right time? Is this a good buy? Are we doing the right thing? These are just a few of the myriad of questions going through a first home buyer’s mind. Madeleine Hicks of LJ Hooker believes that first home buyers only [...]

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This week, thousands of cities across the globe will dim their lights at 8.30pm for an hour, joining in the world’s largest voluntary environmental action: Earth Hour. Scheduled for the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure that most cities are in darkness as it rolls out around the [...]

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Next time you’re cooking up a storm in your kitchen spare a thought for the passengers on board an A330 Qantas flight from Sydney to Adelaide on Friday, 13 April. This auspicious flight will be powered by recycled cooking oil from commercial kitchens that is mixed with jet fuel that emits 60% less carbon dioxide. [...]

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Knowing your limits and the market will help to expand your property portfolio. Why do some people struggle to buy one investment property and yet others manage to own five or six? The answer isn’t simply that they have more money. Investors who are creative in their approach to financing and who thoroughly research the [...]

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Autumn is often considered the most important season for enthusiastic gardeners. The cooling weather is the ideal time to plant. Your plant’s roots grow deep giving stability and health and setting them up for a wonderful spring. Your local gardening centre can offer advice on what plants are suitable for your area for planting in [...]

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There are times that cause you to take a reality check on Australia’s overriding view of bricks and mortar as investments. As brown swirling flood waters force thousands of people from their homes in NSW and northern Victoria last week, the images of rivers breaking their banks and gushing through gardens and into homes are [...]

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With the ATO increasing their audit activity all the time it is important to keep your tax receipts. The ATO motto is NO RECEIPT = NO DEDUCTION so you could be costing yourself thousands of dollars by not keeping them. Under the Australian system of self-assessment it is the individual’s obligation to have the correct [...]

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There’s still money to be made out of property if you are careful and hard-headed. It has been the wealth strategy of a generation. Buy a home. Look after it, improve it, upgrade it. And if cash flow allows, gear up to your eyeballs to buy more property for other people to live in. For [...]

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Making your home energy and water efficient not only assists the environment but can save you money over the long-term. Here are five water saving tips: Install water efficient shower heads Install water efficient tapware Install sprinkler watering systems with focus on efficiency Purchase water efficient washing machine Purchase water efficient dishwasher

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