Just two years ago 116 Barton Road, Hawthorne hit the market. This rundown Queenslander was surrounded by million-dollar homes but somehow got to the point of unlivable with an overgrown garden - in need of a lot of hard work and TLC. This now extraordinary home of 2 kids, a Jack Russel, a Greyhound and Mr. & Mrs Smith. Mr Smith is a builder and was doing a job across the road when he saw this house for sale. He immediately saw the character and potential for the home and his

A world of energy-efficient appliances and strategies is here. We need to be more conscious than ever before of saving money and protecting the environment. Not just for ourselves and our own homes but for our tenants and investment properties. Here are a few tips to help in the home: - Switch to energy efficient light bulbsInsulate ceilings, walls and floor - Switch to Solar Hot Water Systems - Provide outside blinds or shutters to help cut down the need for cooling applianc

On the 15th of September, it was Sustainable House Day, at first I was a bit sceptical about what this entitles but after reading into it the whole concept is very interesting! It has been around for 19 years and allows hundreds of thousands of people to visit some of Australia’s leading green homes – ones that are not only environmentally friendly but cheaper to run and more comfortable to live in. There were 252 homes open around Australia and all that was required to atten

What do you want from your property manager? Performance - Results - Communication Property management can feel like you are never on top of everything, even as a professional. But at Davine Realty we deliver the best service and use all our experience to manage your investment. Here are a few qualities that you should expect from a high performing PM. An investor mindset ⁃ A manager who has an investment mindset is something many don’t think of but can be of great benefit to

For some the decision to downsize to an apartment or smaller home is easy. The kids have moved out and you would much prefer to be having Saturday lunches and morning beach walks rather than spending the weekends doing never-ending home upgrades and maintenance. The process seems so simple and the dream lifestyle awaits once you make some final decisions. There are a few no brainers when it comes to compromising. Such as giving up that extra spare room, or not having the thir

In the 1990s, you might remember management expert Dr. Steven Covey explained what he decided to be the defining characteristics of highly effective people in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”. Recently I listened to a Podcast from ‘Real Estate Talk’ and they discussed the ways in which these habits have a lot in common with the habits held by successful property investors. HABIT ONE As a property investor, I’d suggest you be proactive like Steven Covey

Widow Blocks I have been attending an investment group for the past few months and have learnt so many things from it! One topic I found quite valuable was the talk of widow blocks, these are not discussed too often anymore however they are so beneficial to property investors as they allow owners to subdivide the lot into smaller blocks. This strategy entitles the owner to manufacture equity and provides a number of options – land banking, sell the land or build to sell and/o

In this fortnights newsletter we will discuss how a property valuation differs from a property appraisal, what will the valuer be looking at? How you can add some value to your property? Lastly ways to think like a property valuer when investing in property. Property valuation versus appraisal Investors and home owners are sometimes surprised by the substantial difference between a market appraisal and a valuation. Real estate agents provide property appraisals using their lo

Securing a strong yield in rental income is the strategy of many property investors. Strengthening this further doesn’t always have to wait until market conditions get better. Here are some tips to consider for your investment property: Adding security- ensuring that doors and windows have good key locks, and even adding a security alarm provides peace of mind and sense of wellbeing and safety. Tenants can also receive a discount on their contents insurance if the dwelling ha

It feels like a lifetime ago since I started working in the realestate industry and during my last 11 years of being a Senior Property Manager I have seen a lot of good, bad and down right silly things. However, through all the late rent and unapproved pet and people stories I have also become aware of the more important aspects of property management including some common mistakes that many Landlords may make when picking a property manager. The most prevalent is thinking th