Buying a Home – Who Can Help You

Buying a new home can be a lengthy and tricky process, but you don't have to tackle it alone. There are many professionals out there that can help you through this sometimes difficult and stressful time. For example using conveyancing services is important when going through the transfer of the title of the land into your name as this is not a simple process and although you can do it yourself you are better off paying the conveyancing fees and having it done properly. There are a number of people who can help you buy a home, so don't feel you are alone and have to make these important decisions on your own.

Real estate agent

When you first start looking at houses it is likely that you will enlist the help of a real estate agent. You might browse through newspapers, magazines or the internet and contact an agent who is selling a particular house that you like. You can also contact an agency and ask them to find a house for you or one that is perfect as an investment property Sydney. You might want a home within a certain location and price range, need a certain number of bedrooms, you might prefer a home without a garden or want a house with acreage. An agent will let you know when a property that suits your needs comes up. To increase your chances of finding something you are best to register with several real estate agents.

Mortgage broker

Once you have found the house you will need to apply to a bank or money lender for a home loan. A mortgage broker can make this whole process so much easier for you as they will approach the lenders for you and secure the best loan. You will need to meet with the mortgage broker and they will ask for pieces of information like personal details, tax returns, letters from employers and other information detailing your income. You do not pay a mortgage broker directly for their services. It is the lender who you end up borrowing through that pays the mortgage broker's fee.

Bank

The bank will help you by lending you the money to buy your home. You will discuss with them how much you need and they will let you know how much they are able to lend you based on your income. There is likely to be choices to make regarding what your home loan offers so make sure you spend time with the bank going through what each loan entails.

Conveyancer

When it comes to buying the property or an investment property in Sydney you should use a conveyancing service. A conveyancer handles transferring the title of the property from the current owner into your name. They can also assist you with other things, such as giving advice or bidding on your behalf at an auction. You can handle all the necessary paper work and transfer of titles yourself but it is a complicated process and it is recommended that you use a conveyancer.

Builder

When you find a home get some professional advice from a fully qualified builder. Have the builder go through the property and check to see whether it needs any work done, such as re-stumping or re-wiring. They will be able to tell you if there is termite damage or anything that will require you to spend more than what you would pay to buy the house.

Over-Priced Real Estate Market is Here – is the Reason of Home Mortgage?

According to reports, the Australian residential property sector has been functioning remarkably well in the last few years and has been able to show much better performance than what has been expected of it. But now with the current interest rates and the rising home prices you can’t say that all is well. Real estate is considered to be one of the investment options that can help you to pay off your unsecured debts through debt settlement. And now with the rising prices of the Australian residential property, the situation might turn out to be a bit awry. So, will the people will get sufficient mortgage loan for it. So, getting new home mortgage is all not an easy task.

Australian real estate property

Australian economy rode through the global financial crisis fairly well but 2010 have been a fairly difficult year for most of the people involved with the country's commercial real estate sector. And in case of real estate market in regards to residential property, Australia is reported to have been a front runner on the housing prices.

So, there can be a further slowing of the sales of home due to the appreciation in price in this year (2011). In addition to this, Australia's close trade ties along with Asia and the resource wealth may continue to go on underpinning a solid pace of the domestic activity, and the higher interest rates may even worsen the already strained affordability of the people.

This means that people will lower home buying and thus the real estate market may have to suffer. Moreover, the renowned economist Adrienne Warren has said back in 2010 that in 2011 the Reserve Bank would go on tightening the rules on spending, and so he had forecasted 75 basis point rise in the interest rates by the end of this year (2011). In addition to this she has also commented that the increase in the consecutive interest rate by the Reserve Bank of Australia will total to almost 175 basis points since the month of October of 2009. Moreover, the expiry of grant in regards to the first home owners has already cooled off most of Australia's red-hot property market.

So what is the state of Australia’s housing market? The housing bubble, the affordability crisis, the extremely over-inflated markets are some flattering descriptions for Australia's housing market and its associated growing in regards to the state of the country’s residential real estate sector.

Some however, suggest that the country’s real estate market is heading for a price crash which comparable to the one which was experienced in the US during GFC, or may be more recently in places like Ireland. In Ireland, the housing bubble actually caused a monumental collapse in the values of the local properties.

So, according to experts, only if the mining boom came to an end and if lots of people lose their jobs, the country may see a price crash in regards to the real estate market.

Image:clker.com

While Choosing Mortgage Loan for Your Dream Sweet Home

Own real estate is perhaps the biggest dream of many of you. However, if you want to purchase a home, many of you can not arrange the required money at one go. That is why, you often resort to home mortgage loans. Home mortgage loans are secured loan. The rate of interest on these loans is comparatively less than the rate of interest of unsecured loans. In case you are not able to pay off the mortgage loans, your mortgage is taken away by the lender. So, you need to ensure that you have taken out such a real estate mortgage loan, which you are able to repay. In other words, the home mortgage loan should be very much affordable to you. Before, taking out a home mortgage loan, it is important to find out your monthly mortgage payment amount.

Here, it is to be noted that various online mortgage calculator are available at the market place. You need to select an online mortgage calculator from an authentic website. Through a mortgage calculator, you will be able to know your monthly mortgage payment amount. This will help you find whether or not the mortgage loan is affordable to you. In other words, this will help you to find out the most suitable home mortgage loan. In order to find out your monthly mortgage payment amount you need to insert information on the total mortgage loan that you want to take, term of the mortgage loan and the mortgage rate.

The mortgage calculator will then calculate your monthly mortgage payment amount. If you are interested to pay more than or less than the minimum monthly mortgage payment amount, you also you can find out your mortgage loan paid off day. If you make more than the minimum monthly mortgage payment, you can pay off the entire loan much earlier and vice versa. Again, if you want to shorten the mortgage term, you can take the help of a mortgage calculator. The mortgage calculator will then calculate the monthly mortgage payment that you will be required to make. Obviously, this monthly mortgage payment amount will be more than the initial monthly mortgage payment amount.

image:clker.com

Dragon Mural

I saw this mural on a wall under the train bridge inside my city.

Click: 5 Reasons to Shop from Home

Christmas is just around the corner – as is Christmas shopping, and this year more than ever, you should stay home and away from the shops. It sounds like an ominous warning, doesn’t it? But it’s not, think of it more as a hint—though you shouldn’t need one, because the evidence is right in front of your face!

The Australian retail market is floundering – a global market of clothes, gift baskets, trinkets, vouchers and other great gifts and products has opened up, offering lower prices, ease of access and an amazing range. While this is a negative for the Aussie economy, it is great news for the discerning buyer, who wants to purchase high quality gifts, but doesn’t want to pay the earth for them.

Still not convinced? Well here are five reasons to shop from home this Christmas:

1. The crowds
Let’s face it, Christmas is a busy time – like the rest of the year – and most of us are left with no time to smell the roses, undertaking our shopping at the very last minute. This means hustle and bustle, big crowds, ruined displays and a sense of rushing and competing the whole time you’re trying to thoughtfully shop. Logging onto the net at home and doing your shopping that way saves you the hassle of big crowds, means you can browse for as long as you like without too much risk of someone coming up next to you and stealing your perfect gift.

2. Stock
Ever been in one of the situations when you’ve looked all day and come up with nothing, and then finally at the last minute, when you’ve all but given up, you set your eyes on the perfect gift. But the last one is broken and you’re going to have to traipse through all the shops to find another one. One of the great things about online shopping is all the shops are at your fingertips. So instead of walking through shop after shop, you simply search for the gift you’ve found to see if there are any other online stores that stock it.

3. Shop in advance
While it can be hard to find the time to shop, you can likely find five spare minutes to get online. This means you don’t have to leave your shopping to the last minute, you can do it little by little in the five minutes you have spare each night. Getting it done in advance will relieve the other stresses and pressures of Christmas, and leave you more time to deal with them.

4. Get anything you want
Almost anything you can dream of, you can get online. The range contained in the endless global stores online will not only mean you can cater for the gift requirements of every age, you can also cater for any passion, hobby, phase or sporting craze.

5. Get personal
If you’re looking to get something personal, or something a little naughty, you may find it difficult and embarrassing to walk into a shop and make the transaction in person. Online, you remain anonymous and safe behind a screen, so can purchase whatever you want!

Bamboo Raft

This bamboo raft ride was very memorable for me because it was our last trip with my late father.

The Weekend in Black and White