Category Archives: Uncategorized

11 things your real estate agent may not tell you but should

Posted on November 12, 2015 | Leave a comment

Real estate agents live a conflicted life. On the one hand, they are salespeople. They only make money when their deal closes.

On the other hand, they are consultants. They advise buyers and sellers throughout the deal process, ideally giving their clients advice that is not influenced by their own financial outcome.

Often, these two objectives are aligned and there is no issue. For example, an agent makes more money if he is able to sell a house for a higher amount. However, there are many situations where the right advice for a client is not aligned with the agent’s monetary incentives.

Most successful real estate agents are true professionals who take the long view. Their advice is in their clients’ best interests. Some agents go further by being fully transparent when conflicts arise (which they often do) and make certain any conflicts are fully disclosed to their clients.

So how do you know your agent is doing the right thing and giving you the best advice? Here are 11 things that selling agents and buyer’s agents should be telling (or asking) you:

Stay Put – From a purely financial perspective, you want to move in life as few times as possible. Let’s face it, moving is expensive. Once you add up the transaction fees, costs of moving, costs to furnish your new place and so on, it’s a lot of money. Further, in the early years of paying off an amortised mortgage, your monthly payment goes mostly to interest. As you hold the mortgage longer, your payments increasingly go to paying principal. Staying put is a great forced savings tool.

More house, more problems – As a buyer, you should try to find the most modest home that will make you (and your family) happy. The larger the home you own, the more expenses and headaches you will have. Whether you are looking to buy a two-bedroom, salt-box house or a 6000-square-foot, five-bedroom home, you should consider whether the house is too big for your current and future needs.

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

15 simple ways to deal with a small bathroom

Posted on November 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

You’ve got to get creative to make a small bathroom sparkle. It’s a matter of doing more with less, and finding ways to sneak in extra storage without adding clutter.

While this sounds like a challenge too great for even the space-saving pros among us, it can be done. All you have to do is get organized down to the very detail and put your imagination to the test.

Eliminate clutter on your shelves with baskets and bins

Strange things you can do to make money from your house

Posted on November 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

Let people camp out in your yard – Renting out your garden to campers might be an option for you. Homecamp, a startup launched in August, allows you to advertise your home’s garden to travelers. They’ll pay to come along, pitch a tent and stay a while.

Victoria and Sydney have the most listings on the website, ranging in price from $10 to $50 a night.

You can indicate whether you’ll accept caravans, tents, campervans and motorhomes and the number of people you’re willing to host. It is recommended that the guests have access to a bathroom, which could be a basic composting toilet or access to the bathroom in your home. Homeowners should check with their insurers to make sure they have the appropriate cover.

Use your driveway for paid parking – With parking prices skyrocketing in many inner-city areas and growing congestion, your driveway could be a goldmine. If you’re in a sought-after area, particularly near employment hubs, there could be an opportunity for you to make money from this space. Some homeowners advertise directly to locals, but another option is to market vacant parking space on Park Hound.