~Dance Like No One's Watching~ We convince ourselves that life
will be better after we get married,
have a baby, then another.
Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough
and we'll be more content when they are.
After that we're frustrated that we
have teenagers to deal with,
we will certainly be happy
when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete
when our spouse gets his or her act together,
when we get a nicer car,
are able to go on a nice vacation,
when we retire.
The truth is there's no better time
to be happy than right now.
If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges.
It's best to admit this to yourself
and decide to be happy anyway.
One of my favorite quotes comes
from Alfred D Souza.
He said, "For a long time it had seemed
to me that life was about to begin -real life.
But there was always some obstacle in the way,
something to be gotten through first,
some unfinished business,
time still to be served,
a debt to be paid. Then life would begin.
At last it dawned on me that these
obstacles were my life."
So, Work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt and
Dance Like no one's watching And remember..........Happiness is a journey, not a destination and that time waits for no one. 1. Housing finance jumps Australians are again borrowing to buy homes, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). March 2009 housing finance figures show that demand for mortgages across all major categories, especially for owner-occupiers, first homebuyers and the construction of dwellings, continues to show solid growth. Australians are again borrowing to buy homes, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). March 2009 housing finance figures show that demand for mortgages across all major categories, especially for owner-occupiers, first homebuyers and the construction of dwellings, continues to show solid growth. There has been solid improvement in growth since October 2008, with the value of loans for owner occupiers rising by a large 7.3 per cent whilst the number of dwelling commitments for the construction of dwellings was up by an impressive 13.9 per cent. The number of first homebuyer commitments as a percentage of owner-occupied commitments rose to a record 27.3 per cent. In fact, the number of first homebuyer commitments for the month, at 17,652, showed a 100 per cent increase on the 8,818 who entered the mortgage market in August 2008. The March data also showed a re-emergence of investor interest, which increased for the first time since December 2008. The value of investor housing fixed-loans commitments increased by 4.7 per cent. A number of commentators had not expected this to happen until later in the year. The overall value of housing finance commitments for all dwellings rose for the fourth month in a row, by 6.7 per cent. During the previous month, February, it had risen by 1.3 per cent. Mortgage Choice CEO Michael Russell remarked this week that the March ABS figures demonstrate the resilience of our housing market at a time when the global economy is really feeling the brunt of the financial crisis. "The strong growth we see in the results also demonstrates the positive effect of Federal and State Government stimulus and incentives, which have combined with other positive factors - very low interest rates, relatively steady housing prices, improved housing affordability and healthy population growth, along with increasing rents and historically low rental vacancies rates - to create a 'buyer's market'," Mr Russell said. "The number of housing finance commitments by first homebuyers as a percentage of the all owner occupied commitments for March was 27.3 per cent, setting a record as the highest proportion since the first homebuyer series commenced in 1991." This compared to the previous record set in February of 26.9 per cent, which was an increase on 26.5 per cent in January, 25.7 per cent in December and 23.6 per cent in November. "The number of first homebuyers jumped to 17,652, which is a 23.3 per cent increase on February's figure (14,321) and a 100 per cent increase on the 8,818 we saw enter the mortgage market in August 2008, before interest rates began to fall rapidly and Government stimulus measures were applied," he added. Loans for the construction of dwellings grew 13.9 per cent (compared to 2.6 per cent in February) and for the purchase of new dwellings (up 8.8 per cent, from 4.2 per cent in February) also showed significant improvement, as did demand for loans for the purchase of established dwellings (up 3.8 per cent, following 0 per cent in February). "The March figures - showing positive growth across all categories - are fantastic news for those with their eye on the economy and more specifically the housing market," Russell concluded. 2. Extended welcome  The decision announced in the Federal Budget to extend the boosted First Home Owner's Grant has been welcomed by housing industry bodies around Australia.
The boosted grant, which was increased in October 2008 to $14,000 for existing homes and $21,000 for new homes, was due to end on 30 June 2009. The decision announced in the Federal Budget to extend the boosted First Home Owner's Grant has been welcomed by housing industry bodies around Australia. The boosted grant, which was increased in October 2008 to $14,000 for existing homes and $21,000 for new homes, was due to end on 30 June 2009. The extension means it will continue in its current form until the end of September, when the grants will be lowered to $10,500 for existing homes and $14,000 for new homes for a further three months. From January 2010 it will return to a flat rate of $7,000. The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) commented that the Government had made an accurate and overall assessment of the property market in their decision to extend the FHOG Boost for a further six months. REIA President David Airey said the sale of existing homes is just as important as the sale of new homes to stimulate the economy. "This decision will benefit the property industry greatly and have tremendous flow-on effects to those in the business of servicing the property industry such as solicitors, conveyancers, financiers, valuers, removalists, furniture suppliers and a range of trades people," Mr Airey said. Housing Industry Association's Ron Silberberg said that given the long lead times on major infrastructure projects, it makes sense to utilise the housing industry to kick-start economic activity. "Most of the spending on housing will take place over the next year," Mr Silberberg said. "The Budget also recognises the need to invest in skills in the down time so that there will be a greater availability of people with employable skills when the recovery takes hold," he said. Robert Caulfield, Managing Director of Archicentre said home ownership not only underpinned the economic status of the housing industry but needed to be seen as a long term investment in social and health infrastructure for Australian families. "Despite the tough economic conditions ahead there are a number of fundamentals underpinning the value of the Australian property market including strong demand and historically low interest rates," Mr Caulfield said. Archicentre has seen an 18 per cent jump in its pre purchase house inspections in the first quarter of 2009 when compared with the last quarter of 2008. 3. Scammers make bent meals of rent deals Recently we've become aware of scammers using the anonymous nature of the internet to advertise rental properties in an attempt to rip off unsuspecting renters. Many of the properties involved in these scams are advertised as affordable, inner-city apartments and the rent requested is below the current market value. Recently we've become aware of scammers using the anonymous nature of the internet to advertise rental properties in an attempt to rip off unsuspecting renters. Many of the properties involved in these scams are advertised as affordable, inner-city apartments and the rent requested is below the current market value. One of the many services real estate agencies provide is assurance of the legitimacy of the properties they advertise. By taking out the agency middleman, fraudsters are targeting popular real estate websites, placing fake rental listings with rents as low as $250 per week. The overseas-based scammers often use photographs and details of real homes sourced from 'For Sale' or 'For Lease' internet advertisements, providing detailed descriptions of the property on offer, or hijacking legitimate rental listings by changing the e-mail address or other contact information and placing the modified ad on another site. Typically, the scammers give credible explanations as to why the owner is overseas, often portrayed as having respectable jobs that require international travel. "I have found a procedure that will allow us to make a fast and safe deal and through this way you will see [the apartment] and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment" one email scams reads. "This way you will receive the keys in less than 2 days, if you move fast as well." Prospective tenants are asked to sign a lease agreement and instructed by the purported landlord to wire-transfer money in exchange for apartment keys that never arrive. Conducted through Western Union, the wire transfer the fraudsters instruct would-be-renters to use is irreversible and final. The scam is invariably difficult to trace as scammers tend to communicate via `free' email accounts. The ACCC's Infocentre has warned that the perpetrators are extremely difficult to trace, with the scams incurring expensive and potentially fruitless investigations. How you can spot a rental scam: - You are asked to wire money. Wire transfer is often a sign of a scam because the money, just like sending cash, is difficult to recover
- The contact claims to be out of the country. Even so, they still have a plan to get the keys into your hands. It might involve an "agent" working on his or her behalf - in this case, be sure to look into the agency, perhaps even drop by the office. Some scammers even create fake keys
- You are asked for a security deposit or first month's rent before you have met a landlord or signed a lease. It's NEVER a good idea to send money to someone you've not met for an apartment or house you've never seen;
- The contact avoids answering standard questions such as the full address of a property or where the bond is being lodged. Their stories are full of inconsistencies.
If you were overseas and wanting to rent out your apartment, wouldn't you put it in the hands of a local agent or a trusted friend who could vet prospective tenants in person and do rental inspections? 4. The Great Australian Renovation  Australians are investing at increasing levels in renovating their homes, particularly in sustainable designs and materials, building advisory body Archicentre said this week.
About 80,000 Australian households conduct major renovations annually, averaging $90,000-$100,000 per renovation. Australians are investing at increasing levels in renovating their homes, particularly in sustainable designs and materials, building advisory body Archicentre said this week. About 80,000 Australian households conduct major renovations annually, averaging $90,000-$100,000 per renovation. The total value of home renovations in Australia in 2008 was over $7 billion. Managing Director of Archicentre, Robert Caulfield said that renovations, unlike new home starts that can take several months to kick off, are usually 'hammer ready' and can be started quickly. "Importantly, renovations of Australia's existing housing stock can provide a return to the community by improving housing sustainability in the form of environmental design and the introduction of water and energy saving products to support national environmental policies," Mr Caulfield said. "The vast majority - 75 per cent of homeowners and builders - have said that their primary renovation need is for the retrofitting of homes with Environmentally Sustainable Designs (ESDs) and a range of energy-savings measures and technologies." Renovations are also labour-intensive, which can only be a good thing in the current climate.
Archicentre's research shows that of the total cost of the average renovation, materials account for 46 per cent and labour 33 per cent, while fees (consultants, levies, permits and GST) make up the balance. 5. Best house in Australia Move over Miss Universe, the best home in Australia has just been crowned. THE CNBC International Property Awards Committee has announced a Byron Bay residence has won Best Property Australia in the Asia Pacific division of the awards. Sharon Fraser, the architect and owner of the winning property `Amileka', in the Byron Bay Hinterland, says she is thrilled to be recognised on an international level for the house she is already so proud of. Later this year, top-scoring winners from the Asia Pacific Property Awards will compete against other winners from Europe, the UK, the Americas and Arabia to find the ultimate World's Best in each category. Last year, the Asia Pacific region scooped five World's Best awards. This year's judges included Peter Bolton King, of the National Federation of Property Professionals, Wilhelm Harnish, Master Builders of Australia (MBA) and Thijis Stoffer, International Consortium of Real Estate Agents Association. `Amileka' was also the recipient of the 2008 Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division Architecture Award. 6. Grounds for more use  If you believe the hype, nearly 1.5 billion people enjoy a cup of coffee every day. So where do all the coffee grounds go when the percolator has drained? We can't account for it all, though we do have some ways you can put your coffee grounds to good use -
- Rubbing coffee grounds on your hands, just like vanilla essence, is a great way to remove odours after cooking with raw onions, garlic etc.
- Keep the odours out of your fridge by putting coffee grounds inside an old stocking and placing it in the fridge - like bicarb-soda, it will absorb lingering smells
- Sprinkle coffee grounds around the base of your garden plants to stop garden pests like snails and slugs from feasting on your flora
- A mix of coffee grounds and sugar is said to revive houseplants that have turned yellow in winter.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment