Everyone is eagerly waiting to see if the $25,000 Homebuilders Grant will be extended beyond the 31st of December .
At the moment you have to sign a build contract before the 31st of December(it must be dated after the 4th of June) .The building groundworks(ie site cut and clear) need to have commenced within 3 months of the date of the signed build contract ,as well as the first progress payment paid. 
​With my fixed priced and turn-key builders, the first progress payment is the 5% deposit(this deposit is paid when the plans are Council approved). But is seems that the $25,000 is paid only after the slab is down and the slab invoice, receipt and proof of the slab(ie a photo) have been submitted. However the slab, from what I can understand ,doesn't have to be poured within the 3 month timeframe.
Getting towards the end of the year is going to be very tricky with meeting the 3 month requirement to have plans approved and the site cut. Builders, certifiers, the Council all wind down at the end of the year and the building industry generally has a shutdown of around 3 weeks.
So if you are thinking of taking advantage of the grant now is the time...but you will need to buy registered land so that the timeframe can be met. There is no time to wait for land to "be made" it needs to be ready now. 
There are a few estates left with land registered mainly in the Hunter and the Central Coast, with a few blocks here and there around Newcastle.
Fingers crossed the Government addresses the grant in the budget , to help the construction industry and potential home owners  well into 2021!!
For further information on House and Land packages with registered land , give me a call.
Kerri-Ann 0402 107 194
*advice is of a general nature

Let's face it..no matter how much we talk about equality and the sharing of household chores....us women always seem to spend a lot of time in the Laundry!! 
So when building a new home, you want to make sure that room is as functional as possible , even if it is a small space as pictured.
Cupboard space is paramount, you need to fit in as much cupboard space as you can, because all sorts of family stuff always ends up in the laundry!!
Whether you have a front loader or top loader machine will influence how many cupboards you have and whether you can have a bench going across the length of the room. Another thing to consider is if you want the dryer on the wall or side by side with the washing machine.
If you have a linen cupboard in the laundry, think of putting in a broom section, where you can store the broom, mop and ironing board as well as the vacuum cleaner...it is nice to pack all those items away.
Design wise ,Stone benchtops look amazing but remember stone can chip and if you are constantly dragging baskets and all sorts of things across the laundry bench,a laminate top that looks like marble or stone may be more practical.  Gooseneck taps are lovely and as well as being very on trend at the moment are great for handwashing in the tub. There are different sizes available for an inset tub, mostly are stainless steel, more expensive types are ceramic or the farmhouse style.
Popular cupboard colours are white, grey and woodgrain finishes with handle "less" doors. A tip with the door handles though, think of fingerprints on cupboard doors if you don't have handles...if this is going to drive you mad, maybe a brass handle(which is on trend) would work better.
The main thing with a laundry is practicality...will it work for your family with all the washing, soccer boots, ballet clothes, mud and pet blankets..the chaos of life!

I had a quick chat to The New Daily last month about what trends are popular at the moment and how you can spruce up your home on a tight budget . With everyone spending alot of time at home these past couple of months, DIY is the special BUZZ word!!

Alot of the big display builders are offering large cash discounts at the moment. But did you know you will be paying for the discount later on in the build?
Most of the bigger builders' contracts are not fixed priced. Meaning that the build contract price will most likely be added onto during the build, due to extra site costs and extra Basix or Council requirements that are not covered in the contract. 
A common example is rock, alot of blocks have rock that needs to be removed when the builder is cutting the block. The builder needs to dig it out, which is costly and time consuming, the rock has to be loaded onto trucks and the rock needs to be disposed of. Most of the big builders have a rock clause in their contracts stating that they are not responsible for this cost , this can mean an extra bill of around $20,000....and remember it is not only when they are digging for the slab that they can strike rock, but also when the plumber is digging to connect the drainage that they can encounter this problem.
Another example is fill, either the import or export of soil is needed to level the land for your slab. This is another clause in bigger builder contracts that can cost up to $3,000 extra
A further example is piering, the majority of builders will set the amount of piering allowance. Piering is drilling down to solid ground so the slab can be stabilised. The majority of times the piering allowance is not enough and it is not uncommon to see a bill for $1000 extra.
In regards to Turn-key-it means that the builder provides everything inside and out, the client does not need to organise any trades to pour the driveway ,or put up a retaining wall, it is all completed.
Again most of the big builders do not provide this service, at the end of the build the client is left with a lovely house but they have to move a big pile of dirt from the front yard and have sheets at the window because the builder did not provide blinds.
The price of Landscaping without retaining and a driveway is around $20,000 and retaining walls could be anywhere from $3000-$5000 depending on what is needed. A big cost if your block has over 1 metre of slope.
Just ask the question when you receive the build quote from the big builder who is offering a huge discount, what isn't included in the build price?...and if you have an extras bill of around $50,000 at the end of the build ,how will you pay for that? Are you on a strict budget?
You may be surprised at how affordable a fixed priced and turn-key builder is, they may not have the gorgeous display homes to look through but their pricing is honest and genuine with no hidden surprises..it's worth thinking about!

 Investing in a new property,with a House and Land Package, may be the best Investment option at the moment. 
Not only are interest rates so low, but builders are offering Promotional incentives to entice people to build.
Other pluses
*Stamp duty is only paid on the land value not the whole  package amount
*More items are claimable with Depreciation on new properties compared to older properties

Many do worry about the costs during the build and although building may take 10 -12 months from start to handover, if the loan is combined as one ie House and Land together, most banks offer interest only loans during construction ...and this interest , along with other service charges are claimable  for Tax purposes. 

​With genuinely fixed priced House and Land Packages starting at $429,000 , renting around $420 per week. Investing in a real estate this way is an attractive alternative.

**Please note the above is for general information only please speak to your Accountant for more detailed information.

One of the big colour trends at the moment is black with brass or gold accents.
Whether it is a white kitchen with black taps and brass lightfittings over the island bench or black cupboards as above with a crisp white top and gold and brass accessories....these are all on trend. 
Reece plumbing have some wonderful taps in black and brushed gold to help with this colour scheme. Beacon lighting have some amazing brass pendants ideal for the kitchen with some with a slightly industrial edge. Polytec have the gorgeous colours to achieve the dark rich look for kitchen cupboards matched with Silestone who have an array of stone benchtop colours to choose from,Ariel being similar to the above. All completed with National tiles subway tile in marble grey and their timber laminate flooring or a tile lookalike. With Lexicon quarter on the walls for the finishing touch!!..Perfect!!

In these awful times investing in Property may be the only sensible  investment option.
Some people still have money to invest and seeing as the share market has taken a real dive, the Property market may be the saving grace. With interest rates so low it is perfect and with building a home having more tax advantages then in buying an existing home, building an investment is the best option. People may be worried about finding tenants in these times, but there will always be people who need to move for some reason, be it from a marriage break up or having to find a new job.
Also the build timeframe is normally around 10-12 months so hopefully by the time the home is finished the world will be back to being safe and healthy!!
Above is a picture of a Dual Key design, this is a home that has 2 residences under the one roof. One side is normally 3 or 4 bedroom and the other is 2 bedrooms. 2 rental incomes under the one roof and these designs generally fit on a normal 450m2 block.
​The Dual Key design may also be the way people own property after this pandemic, pooling finances together with older relatives to get into the property market and keep loved ones close.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in our brand new home!! I am looking forward to helping more people achieve their dream of being in a brand new home for Christmas this year!! 

I am very excited about our Insulation!! We have had a lot of hold ups with the building of our house...things that I warn my clients may happen have happened to us!   
Anyway our building journey continues...we now have insulation in our walls..the internal and external walls and between the ground and top floor.
The standard insulation is normally a wall wrap with the external walls , sarking under the roof (if in a bushfire area) and batts in the roof cavity.
We paid extra for a thick blanket under the roof(it looks wool wrapped in foil), insulation in the walls(pink fluffy batts) and the floor and some extra acoustic insulation(pink compact batts with mesh) for the bathroom, ensuite and rumpus walls.
We will be toasty warm in Winter and Cool in Summer and our son and his friends won't bother us when they are in the rumpus playing video games!!
The gyprockers have started and the next step will be the carpenter finishing the trimmings around the doors and the skirting boards.
It 's definitely looking like a house now...yay!!