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Kevin Eddy via Domain.com.au

Deal with caveats and encumbrances early

A major cause of anxiety that can cause settlements to be delayed are undetected legal caveats and/or encumbrances on a property. These must be legally lifted before you can settle.

Ideally, you should aim to buy a property with no caveats or encumbrances upon it in the first place – you can uncover these by instructing your solicitor or conveyancer to carry out a title search prior to purchase, or at the very least before the contract goes unconditional. If anything crops up, your solicitor/conveyancer should instruct the seller’s legal counsel to resolve the issues – or you can simply walk away from the purchase if you prefer.

Make sure the money is in place

One of the most common reasons for settlements being delayed or failing altogether is the funding not coming through. Mortgage approval is usually dependent on the bank’s valuation of the property, which may not take place until late in the buying process. If the valuation falls short, you could be in big trouble.

Results Mentoring property coach and experienced property investor Brendan Kelly says you should make finalising your funding your top priority after signing the contract of sale.

“If you’re on a standard settlement of between 30 and 90 days, get your loan approved once you’ve signed the contract or gone unconditional,” says Kelly. “Make sure it’s all done well in advance of settlement.”

Even better, choose a bank that will pre-approve your loan or accept your evaluation. A mortgage broker can help you find a lender who will do this, as well as help you find the best loan for your circumstances.

Be proactive as D-day approaches

You may have a great conveyancer or solicitor, and the bank may have approved your loan, but you should also take responsibility for ensuring the settlement goes ahead as planned. You should be proactive, albeit not pushy, in ensuring that things are progressing well as settlement date approaches.

Kelly recommends chasing up your conveyancer/solicitor, your bank/mortgage broker and the vendor’s solicitor or real estate agent between seven and 10 days before the appointed settlement date.

“Call, don’t email, the key players, and ask the following questions,” says Kelly.

• Is everything on track for settlement on [this date]?
• Is there anything that is missing that could stop settlement?
• Is there anything you need me to do/anything I can do to help?

“Follow up your calls with emails confirming the conversations. That way, if there are any problems, you have evidence that you’ve ‘done your part’,” he adds. “This also helps counter any demands for additional funding or payments from your end if things go wrong.”

Kelly adds that you should repeat this process three days out from settlement as a final check. The day before or on settlement day is often too late to resolve any problems and settle on time.

Proactive preparation should mean your settlement goes smoothly, but don’t panic if it still doesn’t go to plan. There’s usually a grace period to resolve any problems, and nine times out of 10 all the parties involved will pull out all the stops to make sure settlement goes ahead within a few days.

To discuss any settlement matters please give Conveyancing HQ a call on 08 9478 6677

 

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via Domain.com.au

If searching for your keys is a part of your morning ritual, it’s time to break the cycle.

Being organised is more than just a personality trait, it’s a lifestyle decision that’s easier to achieve if you stock your home with the right tools.

These 13 clutter-busting essentials will make your days feel longer and less stressful. Cheers to that!

Key catchall

If you don’t want to hang a key hook, do yourself a favour and get a key catchall. Having a designated spot to place your keys when you walk through the door will save you from the “running late” syndrome. Don’t be that person.

Get it: Making your own leather catchall is easier than you’d think. Follow this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess to DIY your own.

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

Shelf Dividers

You know how it goes… You take the time to meticulously fold sheets and towels, and by the end of week, it looks like a bomb exploded in your linen closet. Here’s where clear shelf dividers come in. They’ll keep your stacks of linens in order without creating an eyesore.

Get it: Stock up on these acrylic shelf dividers to tame your most unruly closet.

Photo: Bahar Yurukoglu for Domino

Glass Jars

Put your pantry on display by keeping dried goods and other treats in lidded glass jars.

Get it: You can get kitchen jars in all shapes and sizes at Ikea.

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

Pegboards

If you’ve seen these used to hang pots and pans, you’ll be happy to know that the idea translates for any room in the house. We love how Sugar + Cloth blogger Ashley Rose used one for above-the-bed storage and decor.

Photo: Sugar & Cloth

Drawer Organisers

If shuffling through a drawer to find a tube of lipstick gives you anxiety, you’ll be amazed by the efficiency that a simple drawer organiser can offer.

Photo: Paul Costello for Domino

A Magnetic Knife Strip

Forget the space-saving allure of forgoing a knife block – we’re crazy about the fact that you can see the shapes and sizes of your most utilised knives while keeping them in reach.

Photo: Lesley Unruh via One Kings Lane

Well-Stocked Trays

It’s amazing how quickly a tray can corral clutter. Bonus points for turning the top of your toilet into an extension of your medicine cabinet (with the addition of a slim bud vase and framed picture, of course).

Photo: Lucas Allen for Domino

Labelled Boxes

Labelled boxes are a great way to organise the things you want out of sight.

Photo: Cahan Eric For Domino

Tension Rod Dividers

Sure, you can use them to hang a curtain, but they work wonders in making the most out of shelves. Follow Martha Stewart’s lead, and use them to organise kitchen items like pot and pan lids, trays and cutting boards.

Photo: Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living. Copyright © 2015

Wall-Mounted Drawers

Whether you need more storage space for clothes or craft supplies, these wall-mounted mesh drawers allow you to customise your storage and easily see what you’re storing.

Photo: Lesley A. Unruh for Domino

Make-up Brush Cups

Instead of cramming make-up brushes into a messy drawer or make-up bag, keep them within easy reach in a stylish cup.

Photo: Michael Wiltbank for Domino

Spices at the Ready

Whether it’s a drawer filled with neat rows of spices or a creative DIY that frees cabinet space, every organised cook seems to have their spice collection under control.

Get it: A Beautiful Mess has an easy-to-follow tutorial for making these nifty magnetic spice jars.

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

Clever Toilet Paper Storage

Running out when you need it is the worst, but stacking it in plain sight can cramp your bathroom’s style. Kill two birds with one stone by turning a basket into a toilet paper organiser and dispenser.

 

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via Domain.com.au

The hardest part of buying your first property is saving the deposit.

Prospective homeowners in Queensland have the benefit of more affordable property prices, but it still takes discipline to pull together that all-important down payment.

According to Mortgage Choice’s 2016 First Home Buyer Survey, it takes about two years for two-thirds of Queensland-based first homebuyers to save a big enough property deposit.

“This data is hardly surprising when you consider that property prices continue to surge and wages have all but stagnated over the last couple of years,” Mortgage Choice’s Jessica Darnbrough said.

“Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the average home loan has climbed 300 per cent over the last 20 years, while wages have only doubled.”

Saving a property deposit has never been easy and requires discipline – usually at a time when young people are finally earning a decent salary and have money to spend.

Qualified Property Investment Adviser Andrew Hancock of MyPropertyPro said many prospective homebuyers struggle to set aside money to save each month because their expenditure exceeds their income.

“You need financial discipline on some level to save money and ultimately you need control over it, but some people struggle to deal with the expenditures and then have money left over to save,” he said.

“I personally advocate reversing the situation and viewing your savings as a bill that needs to be paid, like any bill that you can’t get out of, and put it away first. Then you’ll learn how to live off the rest and the savings plan will just naturally develop.”

With property prices potentially rising faster than a would-be first homebuyer’s ability to save a deposit, Hancock said another strategy may involve paying lenders mortgage insurance – but only after they’ve sought professional advice on their financial situation.

“Sometimes trying to ‘out save the market’ is a bit of a futile experience and it may be better to buy in earlier with a lower deposit, but people do need to understand their own risk profile and personal situation,” he said.

Darnbrough said that while it is becoming harder for many buyers to save a deposit, there are a few tactics they can employ to reach their savings goal faster.

Strategies to increase their savings include shopping around for a better savings deal from their lender, building a budget, asking for discounts, and simply taking their lunch to work, she said.

“This is an oldie, but a goodie. Those who bring their own lunch to work every day, can ultimately save themselves upwards of $50 a week, or $2600 a year – money that can then be put towards a home deposit,” she said.

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via Domain.com.au

I have moved 11 times in the past 13 years. Of those moves, two were international and one was interstate.

Over the years, my husband and I have refined our approach and now tackle a move with nothing short of military precision. We have, however, made plenty of mistakes along the way.

To lose is to learn, apparently, so in the interests of education, here are some of our more noteworthy blunders.

As far as moving mistakes go, mixing up your dates is one of the worst. Photo: Raquel Miguel Gueuse

Consider your moving dates carefully

When moving between rental properties in the past, we have always ensured some overlap between leases to allow us time to actually move. Earlier this year, when buying our family home, we had a few months left on our lease so agreed on a 90-day settlement period with the sellers. We then, unexpectedly, found a tenant willing to take over our lease. Gleefully proclaiming that it would “all work out in the end”, we agreed to transfer our lease before receiving confirmation from the sellers that we could move into our new home early. We ended up moving out of our rental property with nowhere to go, still frantically trying to convince the sellers to grant us occupation. The result was two moves instead of one. We moved all our worldly goods into storage, and then from storage into our new home. As far as moving mistakes go, this was a whopper – storage, cattery and accommodation costs add up quickly.

Ensure that your move does not coincide with big family or life events: I would strongly advise against moving during the first or last trimesters of pregnancy. In fact, the middle bit is best avoided too. My husband can confirm that trying to pack up a house around your wife while she is under the influence of powerful nesting instincts comes with its own set of unique challenges. Similarly, we discovered that hosting an offspring’s eighth birthday party while moving between homes is not conducive to healthy levels of stress. In our defence, party invites went out before our move dates were confirmed. Clearly, the sensible course of action would have been to cancel the party, but we opted to go ahead. It turns out that even low-key party catering, when effected from the boot of your car, is immensely stressful.

Do not lose track of your new house keys

During one move, in a fit of efficiency, we dropped off our newly acquired front door key at a local key cutter to have copies made. We were patting ourselves on the back for being ahead of the game right up until we arrived, with packed car and mewling cat, at our new home. The keys, of course, were still in our previous suburb, a good hour away. This particular mistake may have led to some mild marital discord.

Labels, labels, labels 

We have moved so many times that our boxes have numerous content descriptions scrawled down their sides. There are few things more frustrating than triumphantly ripping open the box labelled “kettle” only to find that it contains cricket bats and an old flying jacket. When reusing boxes, either use new stickers or date the content descriptions. If you are numbering your boxes and recording their contents in a list, it is probably wise to keep that list well away from toddlers and textas. Alternatively, embrace technology and take a short video clip of the contents of each box. However, if you use this system and download the clips onto a hard drive, keep the hard drive accessible. Failure to do so could lead to a lack of appreciation for the sheer brilliance of this idea.

Use small boxes for heavy items 

This is a basic rule which hardly seems worth mentioning yet, 11 moves down the line, we still cannot seem to grasp it. Every single move, we manage to fill a big cardboard box with books. The result is either an impossibly heavy box or a box without a bottom. Having a box dump paperbacks all over your feet does little to improve the mood on moving day.

Return all library books before you move

This is especially important if you are moving internationally or interstate. You will need to make this mistake only once before library borrowing becomes a banned activity.

Try not to stab anything

Opening boxes in your new home should be carried out with extreme caution, particularly if there is any kind of sharp implement involved. Similarly, if you plan to cut handles into the sides of cardboard boxes, do so before you fill them up. Take my word for it – cutting holes into already packed boxes does not end well for teddy bears.

Keep children entertained 

If you are moving children, especially young children, keep the puzzles, DVDs or sticker books on hand until the bitter end. And whatever you do, keep their most treasured belongings accessible. If you have accidentally not only packed up everything they love, but also sent it in a crate to a different country, expect to find yourself buying exactly the same talking Elmo that you were not overly keen on purchasing the first time around.

Last but not least

Never, under any circumstances, light a scented candle made of maroon wax two days before your lease ends. This rule applies even if the carpet in your rental property is not expensive and beige. Just don’t do it.

The stress of a move is epic, irrespective of whether you are moving internationally or just a few doors down. We have learnt to laugh when the wheels fall off and to dole out extra doses of tolerance and kindness in the more challenging moments. And given our impressive and lengthy list of moving mishaps, forgiveness is chief.

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via Community News

THE Perth rental market is showing signs of improvement, with leasing activity for the December 2016 quarter 23.8 per cent higher than the December 2015 quarter.

REIWA president Hayden Groves said reiwa.com data showed all five sub-regions in Perth experienced notable increases in activity over that time.

“While conditions in the rental market remain challenging, the spike in leasing activity levels between December quarter 2015 and December quarter 2016 is a real positive for the market,” he said.

“Tenants are very active and are taking advantage of favourable conditions.”

Leasing activity also lifted on a quarterly basis, increasing 1.9 per cent in the three months to December.

“All but two of the sub-regions saw a lift in activity over the quarter, with the South-East region the stand out performer,” Mr Groves said.

“At a suburb level, the big winners for leasing activity in the December quarter were Burswood, up 78.9 per cent, Palmyra, up 70.3 per cent, Melville, up 59.1 per cent, Langford, up 54.5 per cent, and Beechboro, up 53.8 per cent.”

Tenants continued to benefit from Perth’s current rental market cycle, with the overall median rent price (houses and units) falling to $360 per week in the December quarter.

Mr Groves said median rent prices had softened slightly across all sub-regions.

“In good news for investors though, there were numerous suburbs within each sub-region that bucked this trend to record increases in their weekly median rent prices over the quarter,” he said.

“Ocean Reef and Burswood in particular saw substantial increases to their median rent prices, which can be attributed to a greater proportion of higher priced rentals leasing during the period. In both these suburbs there was stronger demand for three to five bedroom homes, which usually command a higher weekly rent comparative to smaller properties.”

On average, it was one day quicker to lease a property in the December quarter than it was in the September quarter.

“On an annual basis, the average days to lease a house or unit have come in by almost a week, with reiwa.com data showing it was six days faster to find a tenant in the December quarter 2016 than it was in the December quarter 2015,” Mr Groves said.

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Article modified via @REIWA Author: Rachel Preston-Bidwell

Buying your first home is a big deal and one of the biggest investments you will make in your adult life.

There are many factors to consider when researching the suburb and type of property you’re interested in buying. Do you buy an established home or build off-the-plan? Live in the city or on a quiet suburban street? Then there’s the question of transport, proximity to work, cafes and amenities. The list goes on.

If you’re keen to buy a house without sacrificing on an inner city lifestyle then looking into older, more established properties might be for you, especially if you’re into DIY and don’t mind getting your hands dirty or renovating.

We spoke with Kareena Ballard, Director at Jones Ballard Property Group, to get her expert advice on why you should consider buying an older property for your first home.

Why buy established?

Older homes come with greater responsibility and you may need to consider the renovation costs to modernise or touch-up the property. Some maintenance should be expected and it’s recommended a thorough building inspection is conducted before you buy. But if you’re prepared to do the work, buying an older, established property can bring some major benefits.

Typically, you can purchase an older property for a reasonable price near the CBD or an inner city suburb. Buying and living in these areas means you’re closer to the action for events and festivities, plus if you work in the city, it can cut down on transportation costs and time. This is an attractive prospect for tenants, should you decide to rent out the property in the future.

Additionally, older homes tend to sit on large blocks, making them ideal for subdivision, redevelopment or extension if you want extra living space.

Ms Ballard recommends looking out for houses built between the 1960s and 1980s, or those that lend themselves to the charm of the art deco era. Look for timber floors, high ceilings and simple design layouts, which you can easily bring up-to-date whilst preserving the character.

“Benefit from a ‘live in them or hold now’ approach. Renovate the property by renewing kitchens and bathrooms, restoring timber floors or putting down tiles, rendering the face brickwork and painting a concrete tiled roof,” Ms Ballard said.

Units and villas are also a good option for first home buyers living alone or as a couple, and there are often good buys within close proximity to the CBD.

“Older units are mostly larger than those being built new today. Many opportunities exist to invest and make money for both investors and first home buyers.

“Ensure the building is well managed and strata maintenance is being taken care of,” Ms Ballard said.

 

Renovating old houses in WA

It might be a dream for some to ‘flip’ a house quickly and sell it for a higher value. However, Ms Ballard advises this concept rarely works in Perth’s current market.

“To do this successfully, you need a rapidly rising market. A second story addition may work in this case if built well and quickly – the addition must blend well with the old,” Ms Ballard said.

If you’re buying your first home with the long term view in mind however, you can potentially build equity in an established property by renovating it bit by bit over the years.

“First home buyers could start with a property under $300,000, live in it, renovate and then move out, using the equity that has been built up as the deposit on the next purchase,” Ms Ballard said.

If you do decide to buy an established home with the aim to renovate, be sure to use quality fit-outs and reputable trade companies.

“There’s nothing worse than a renovation done cheaply, it will look as cheap as it cost and be difficult to sell. Buyers and renters alike have so much choice now, you need to stand out in the crowd to achieve a profit.

“Good luck and happy hunting. The property no one else wants is often a property worth researching,” Ms Ballard said.

If you’re looking for an established house with old-world charm, find properties for sale on pmmetro.com.au

 

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Team SPICY are currently looking for a buyer manager to join their successful team.

You will ideally ;

• Have 2 year’s experience minimum as an agent or in a similar role
• Have an enthusiastic and approachable personalilty
• Be able to work weekends

We can offer a chance to;

• Work in an award winning team
• Mentoring from experienced staff
• Be rewarded with an attractive commission structure & bonus
• Fun office environment and social events

You will not need to do;

• No Vendor management
• No Listing presentations
• No Marketing expenses

If you think this role suits you, please send your confidential details through to spicy@pmmetro.com.au (PDF only).

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Have a look at our client discussing the benefits of selling their property with Team Spicy and Porter Matthews Metro.

To find out more please give us a call on 9475 9622 or email us at mail@pmmetro.com.au

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via @The West.com.au

The new year has delivered a small boost to Perth’s beleaguered property owners with values lifting in the first month of 2017.

Figures from CoreLogic show dwelling values in the city improved by 0.2 per cent in January to be 2.1 per cent up over the past three months.

The increase was driven by units with values lifting by two per in the month. Over the quarter, unit values were only up by 1.5 per cent and down by 3.8 per cent over the past year.

House values were flat but thanks to a pre-Christmas improvement they were up by 2.2 per cent over the quarter.

Through the past 12 months, however, values were down by 3.2 per cent.

Nationally, values were up by 0.7 per cent led by a 1.8 per cent increase in Hobart house values.

House values in Sydney lifted by another 0.5 per cent to be 16.6 per cent up over the year while house values in Melbourne have improved by 12.9 per cent through the year.

CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said there were signs the bottom of the market had been reached in both Perth and Darwin where values have climbed by 1.8 per cent over the past three months.

“Buyers still have a great deal of leverage in these markets, with listing numbers remaining high, long selling times and high rates of discounting,” he said.

“However, in another indication that conditions may be moving through the bottom of the cycle, transaction volumes moved higher across both markets prior to the seasonal downturn in December and January, whilst the average selling time reduced from previously higher levels.

“With economic and demographic conditions remaining weak in these markets, a recovery in dwelling values is likely to be a slow process.”

Since January 2009 Perth is the worst performed property market in the country with values up by 8.1 per cent. In Sydney, values have jumped by 99.4 per cent while in Melbourne they have lifted by 85 per cent.

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via Domain.com.au

The once-humble kitchen, increasingly the showpiece of any house, is growing ever grander.

No longer content with a basic stovetop and the almost-forgotten art of dish drying, Australian homeowners are lusting after kitchens that wouldn’t be out of place on the set of MasterChef.

But when it comes down to it, what do most of us really need in our kitchens on a day-to-day basis? We asked a couple of experts for their top tips.

Decent bench space

Cherie Barber, a regular TV fixture who also designed the course Renovating for Profit, says having enough room to whip up your creations is one of the essentials.

“In my experience one of the fundamental things with any kitchen design is the bench space. It tends to be a big issue in a lot of kitchens – particularly a lot of older kitchens built in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,” says Barber.

“I’m having to rip out a lot of kitchens because people ultimately have no bench space.”

An “appliance centre” where you can hide away your kettle, toaster, juicer and other cooking accoutrements can leave your benches feeling less cluttered and more spacious.

A large pantry (preferably built-in)

Barber says a good-sized pantry is an “absolute must”.

If you’re short on space, one option is to reclaim part of your laundry.

“More often than not your laundry is very close to your kitchen. Quite often you can steal half of your laundry and that can become your walk-in pantry,” says Barber, noting that a European-style laundry is a massive space saver.

Two bonuses: it’s cheap to do, and you don’t usually need council approval.

A well-planned layout

In designer lingo, the ultimate aim is to go for the “golden triangle”. For the uninitiated, that’s planning your kitchen in a way that spaces its three main elements – your sink, oven and cooktop, and fridge – evenly apart.

“You hover between these three areas in the kitchen,” says Barber. “It’s OK to have a triangle with a really long side, but obviously the longer it is, the less practical it is.”

Likewise, you want to make sure your dishwasher is flush to your sink – not across the other side of your kitchen which could lead to you ferrying dripping dishes across your kitchen floor.

Barber also warns anyone getting new cabinetry designed to take into account the increasingly size of modern fridges, and the extra space they’ll need. Be sure to leave at least 50 millimetres clearance on either side, and remembering your living situation may well change.

“Definitely if you’re designing a new kitchen, design it also with a larger fridge capacity,” says Barber. “You might only be a couple right now, but you could be a couple with two kids in five years’ time.”

A sensible splashback

“A lot of people really screw up in their material selection in their kitchen,” says Cherie Barber. Stainless steel splashbacks are one of the worst offenders when it comes to a high-maintenance kitchen.

“They look great when they’re brand new, but it’s probably about the only time they look great,” she says.

Dennis agrees, saying you need to think carefully when selecting a style of splashback.

“Test them for practicality. All these things you sort of have to think – ‘in an ideal world, how do I live and how often do I clean?’”

Tiles are making a comeback, and Dennis suggests going with bigger tiles. Make sure you get the grout sealed to avoid your errant pasta sauce becoming an accidental feature of your kitchen.

A quality tap that won’t date

Better Homes and Gardens presenter Tara Dennis says a small thing like a tap can make a major difference to the practicality and look of your kitchen.

“The kitchen tap for me is really high on the list. It can sort of set the tone for the kitchen, it’s something you use every day,” she says.

The type of tap you opt for – a sink mixer, pull-down mixer? – will depend on the way you like to cook and the style of your kitchen, says Dennis.

“I love brass taps but I think that the fashion will come and go. I think for long-term value you can’t beat a good old chrome tap.

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03 January 2017

First home buyers purchasing newly built properties will now have access to a $15,000 First Home Owners Grant until 31 December 2017.

Announced last week, Premier Colin Barnett said the decision to increase the grant from $10,000 to $15,000 would help first home buyers enter the property market, stimulate construction in WA’s housing market and provide around 2,000 new jobs.

“We are conscious about housing affordability and this boost will provide more families an opportunity to get into the housing market,” Mr Barnett said.

Speaking to ABC Online last week, REIWA President Hayden Groves said he was worried the increase to the grant would be a detriment to the property market and would like to see the same incentive given to first home buyers purchasing existing homes.

“As an Institute we’re a little concerned that the gap between established property and new property for first home buyers is getting larger,” Mr Groves said.

As with the existing grant, the boost payment applies to new homes up to the value of $750,000 (or up to one million dollars if the home is located north of the 26th parallel).

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Here are some tips to prepare your home for a professional photoshoot.

General:

• Open all blinds
• Turn on all lights & lamps, replace burnt out light bulbs
• Remove excess clutter, vacuum, clean and mop titles
• Wash windows inside and out

Living Areas:

• Unclutter the rooms
• Magazine & newspapers removed from view
• Remote controls to be stored away
• Hide power boards & cords out of sight where possible
• Arrange furniture so the room looks as spacious as possible
• Remove Throw rugs and area rugs where possible
• Study – clear & declutter desk, straighten items on bookshelf, file papers away
• Toy room – organise & declutter

Kitchen:

• Counters to be clean, uncluttered and clear of appliances and utensils
• Kitchen sink to be free of dishes
• Remove magnets, photos, calendars, etc from refridgerator
• Take away tea towels

Bathroom & Ensuite:

• Clear countertops
• Polish faucets and mirrors
• Removed stains from sinks, grout and bathtubs
• Clear away any personal items & cleaning products
• Remove all towels & toilet paper roll
• Toilet seat lid closed

Bedrooms:

• Make the beds with fresh, clean linen
• Clear out anything from under the beds that is visible
• Bedside tables to be decluttered ie; tissue boxes, remote controls, alarm clocks, jewellery

Front Area, Gardens & Outdoors:

• Move vehicle out of view from front of house
• Paving & sidewalks cleared, swept & weeds removed
• Rubbish bins and garden hose to be stored out of sigh
• Fertilise lawn, mow lawn
• Trim hedging and overgrown shrubbery
• Put away lawn equipment and gardening tools
• Neatly arrange outdoor items such as furniture & play equipment
• Pools – cleaned with leaves and debris cleared. Water feature to be turned on
• Creepy Crawley and pool equipment to be stored out of sight where possible.

 

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Have a look at an In House Auction Event with Porter Matthews Metro.

For more details give our office a call on 9475 9622 or email mail@pmmetro.com.au

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With over 25 years in business, Porter Matthews Metro is a well established and highly respected Real Estate company in WA.  We are currently expanding and looking for an experienced Senior Property Manager to join our experienced property management department.

Your skillset will reflect the following:

• Superior analytical and customer service skills
• Minimum 3 to 5 year’s experience in residential property management
• Current Property Management or Sales Registration (and accompanying police clearance and drivers license)
• Excellent time management skills
• Knowledge of REST highly desirable
• Well developed communication and written skills
• Ability to work in a team environment
• A positive attitude
• Sound problem solving skills
• Ability to act in a professional manner both externally and internally
• Fundamental knowledge of the Residential Tenancies Act

 

What we provide:

• Continuous, ongoing training and development
• A strong team environment and modern office environment
• Social events
• Structured systems and contemporary, industry recognized software programs in place
• Well established procedures and checklists
• Mobile Phone iPad/Tablet
• Vehicle Allowance
• Free parking
• Fuel Allowance
• Bonus structure
• Salary negotiable on experience

 

Please note that this great employment opportunity is extended to experienced highly skilled individuals.  If you have the right skills and enjoy working in a team, we would welcome your strictly confidential application to darran@pmmetro.com.au  (PDF only).

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15 November 2016 via @REIWA Author: REIWA President Hayden Groves It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. For most of us, it’s the busiest time of the year, when there is often a mad rush to meet deadlines and get things completed before the holiday season begins. Beat the rush If you are thinking of selling your home, it’s better to get it on the market well before Christmas, if you can. By the second half of December you can expect the market to go a little quiet until late January when it tends to pick up again. Use the holiday season to prepare If you are considering selling, but are in no rush, now is the time to speak to a REIWA real estate agent. They’ll advise you on what you need to do to your property over the holiday period in order to attract the most attention from buyers when things pick up in the New Year. This might include things like painting, general maintenance or cleaning up the garden and pool. By using the holiday season to get your property primed, you’ll be able to maximise your asking price when you go to market. Understand your marketing approach If, due to circumstances, you need to put your house on the market at this time of year, or if you have not yet sold your home, you can expect a temporary slowdown. Your real estate agent can advise you on the best marketing strategy during this period, which may include a different approach to other times of the year. Some sellers will choose to delay the marketing of their property until things show signs of picking up, however, if you do decide to promote your home over the holiday season there can be some advantages. These include the fact that there is less competition and that those looking to buy at this time of year are generally more motivated. They have more time to view properties and are keen to lock in a deal quickly. Potentially longer settlement times If you have recently succeeded in selling your home you should allow a little extra time for settlement. Usually five weeks is enough between the contract of sale and the settlement date, but the holiday break may cause delays. Give yourself time to undertake things like building inspections and termite clearances. I recommend allowing around seven weeks for the settlement period at this time of year. The festive season is the perfect time of year to relax and spend time with family and friends, so it pays to be organised early so you can enjoy it.

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