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9 mistakes to avoid with your new kitchen design
No room carries more influence with a buyer than the kitchen – it’s where the family gathers and many memories are made. The kitchen can represent up to 20% of the entire value of a property, and if it’s not up to scratch, many buyers will walk away regardless of how good the rest of the home might be. Homeowners seeking to maximise the value of their property at sale will often pour more dollars into improving the kitchen than any other area. Countless research studies have shown that along with bathrooms, a kitchen renovation offers the best return on investment. As local agents, we see...

Three ways to understand the value of your property
There are three key ways to understand the value of your property and keeping them in mind makes it easier to understand how you can add value to your investment down the track. Those three elements are Land, Dwelling and Extras. Let’s step through each of these: Land In some respects, there’s not much you can do about the land. Your location, size and elevation are locked in but it pays to be mindful of the size, shape and scope of your land when you buy. Consider how you can use the land to its best advantage. Can you improve access to the property, or enhance its privacy, or how it can...

How to beat the heat in your home this summer
With summer well and truly heating our homes, you’ve probably fired up the air-conditioning unit and decided to worry about the electricity bill later. But there’s a better approach that will add value to your home as well as give you a comfortable living experience. It’s called passive cooling, and it aims to work with nature to maintain a cool temperature in your home, or work in concert with air-con units on scorching days to minimise your power consumption. As an experienced local agent, I work with buyers who prioritise the environmental credentials of prospective properties. They’ll...

Create a family kitchen without breaking the bank
It’s so easy to walk around kitchen showrooms and go crazy with excitement at the possibilities. Their designers seem to have thought of everything – and you want it all! There’s no doubt that a beautiful kitchen enhances the enjoyment of your home and adds tremendous value to the property when it’s time to sell. But unless you are a dedicated gourmet cook or love nothing better than working at a stovetop to delight family and friends, then you can over-capitalise on this feature of your home. What do I mean by that? You spend so much money on a state-of-the-art kitchen that no buyer will...

How much a school – and family-friendly features – add to your home price
If your home is near a top-performing school and you think that’s it’s time to sell, then it’s possible you’re sitting on a potential gold mine. Property within the catchment area of Australia’s highest-ranking schools command a price premium of up to 15% – and that can mean tens of thousands of dollars more for your home if it is marketed to young families. Competition for your property could be fierce, too, as living close to the local school can offer excellent lifestyle benefits, such as a reduction in travel time for the children. This means you should thoroughly explore the benefits of...

Spring into action!
If you’re thinking of selling your home before Christmas, now is the time to take action. The selling season this Spring and Summer is set to be a bumper one. The shortage of properties for sale during Covid has caused a build up of demand from buyers, giving sellers every reason to be optimistic. Buyers love the spring selling season because their purchase can be completed in time for Christmas and the summer holidays. And for families, the children can synchronise switching schools with the beginning of the academic year. But as more properties come onto the market, competition will...

Six ways to buy with confidence
One of the sins when you’re buying a property is to allow yourself to be rushed into a decision. It might seem strange, even ironic, to learn this from a real estate agent but there’s no denying its truth. It’s a great time to buy right now with record-low interest rates and an unprecedented level of government support for the construction industry and first-time buyers. And while the pandemic and the subsequent economic uncertainty has curtailed the number of properties for sale, it has also reduced the pool of buyers against whom you’d typically compete. The limited supply has stabilised...
Renovate or Relocate?
You purchased your home some time ago. Time has passed and your family has grown. So has the amount of stuff you own. Does this sound familiar? What was once vast space and minimalist design now feels cramped and lacking in storage options. Your spacious study has become the kid’s music room . . and you now find yourself working from the kitchen bench. It’s time to ask yourself: renovate and extend your property or relocate and start over? Perhaps your neighbourhood has changed or your current property doesn’t have the space for extensions. The factors that contribute to this conundrum are...

Why Canberra agent Cory gave former workmate Jenny a kidney
A chance encounter between Capital Residential Director, Cory McPherson, and former colleague Jenny McReynolds over 10 years ago helped save a life. 1 in 3 Australians are at risk. Don't take a chance, do the test!
The Language of Real Estate, Days on Market
Like most industries with a long history, the business of real estate utilises a language of its own. These terms and phrases, while used regularly by agents, are often unclear to those buying or selling a home. Within this series of articles, I’ll be breaking down some of this language to help you understand key concepts and specific terms. To get started I’ve chosen a phrase that, while important, is regularly misunderstood by clients – “Days on Market”. You may have wondered what this means and how it might affect the process of a sale. Starting the sales process The phrase “Days...
Top 5 tips for choosing the right agent
What is the key to success in the current real estate market? From my 20-year perspective in the industry, it has to be choosing the right agent. In today’s market it’s more important than ever to find an agent that’s capable of maximising your sale price with a minimum of fuss. I suppose that most people, when assessing an agent on first impression, consider us all alike. However, like any other industry, the quality of service varies greatly. In fact, there are five simple ways to assess your potential real estate agent. The questions below provide a handy guide to assessing a...
Buying or selling – which comes first?
One of the things I love about my job is helping clients solve conundrums like this. Buying or selling a home can be a challenge, no matter what stage of life you’re at. But there is one approach that everyone should take – and that’s a strategic one. The accepted wisdom As a general rule, it’s considered wise to sell first (with a long settlement) then purchase your new home at a time when the banks are more cautious about lending. This is all well and good – in theory – but as many a home buyer will vouch, stumbling across your dream home can happen when you least expect it. Often at a...

Buying in Canberra tips
Is there an affordable way to buy into Canberra’s blue-chip suburbs? Check out this article with some tips from Cory.

Want to know how the Canberra market went in 2018?
Here is a breakdown of market comparisons between Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne...

The Canberra light rail recent discussions
We all know the ongoing discussions about the light rail but what are the real benefits of it? Who will this help? Here is an article discussing benefits that some districts may receive once its completed.

Melbourne is getting ahead with pets allowed in Apartments!
Erin Munro has wrote an article about Melbourne starting to warm up to the idea, and creating developments that are pet friendly.

Outstanding result at Auction
Cory is at it once again, with his craftsman ship in real estate achieving another outstanding auction result. Please have a read of this Article by Lucy Balden and watch the exciting auction at 11 Warramoo Cresent, Narrabundah that took place on the 18 August 2018.

A must read June’s special
It takes a very special kind of person to do something like this. This story really warmed our hearts. We are all very excited to find out the outcome of this sale.

Canberra property market is making gains as of last April’s short snapshot
Nicole Cox touches on Canberra's property market and statistics for last April and the gains that were achieved. Finishing up with some insight from Tim Lawless, the head of research for CoreLogic is discussing the change of market habit that has been occurring for the past approximately 5 years.