I recently did some research for some clients who were looking for a good place to invest and wanted equity in the home once it was built.
One of my builders has some House and Land packages for $565,000 for a 4 bedroom design with a double garage and covered alfresco at Hamlyn Terrace.
Looking at the resales and rents in this area, I discovered it is an awesome place to invest!
The equity in the home once built would be around $50,000 and the rents in this area are around $530 a week with a very low vacancy rate.
The estate is near Wyong Hospital ,the M1 around 10 minutes drive away, Coles and Woolworths are 2 minutes down the road,there are several schools around and Warnervale Train station is only around 10 minutes away....and the beach is about 15 minutes away!!
The estate has alot of first home owners so it isn't all investment homes which is great and I can see why the vacancy rate is so low...it is a fantastic place for those working in Sydney ...who don't mind the commute so they can have their own home and their own turf!!
Definitely an area to consider!!

When the frame goes up it starts to look like a house!!
This is when it starts to get real and our house looks bigger than we thought!!
Next will be the scaffolding,if you have a double storey, the builder needs to put this in place so the fascia,gutter,roofing and any cladding can be installed.
When the roof is on the builder will start with the insulation wrap around the frame. Alot of insulation is needed nowadays for BASIX requirements.This is to do with the heating and cooling of the home and being energy efficient.
We are looking forward to the roof going on with the fascia and gutter and seeing our colour choices of greys and blues coming together!!

It is always super exciting for my clients when they see their slab of their house has been poured...and we experienced that excitement this week!!
We are building a two storey home...so the footprint isn't as long as the standard single storey home...but it is so exciting to see where the garage will be,the downstairs rooms and the alfresco!! We can also see where the pipes for the kitchen,laundry and powder room will be..as well as the drains for the guttering and downpipes.
We have had great weather for the pouring of concrete(not great for our farmers I know)...the concrete will cure in no time and the builder will hopefully start on the frames later this week.
With most homes we are having a termite mesh ,this is normally a green or blue material, placed around the edges of the slab as protection against termites...the termite protection has a lifetime warranty but this is based on our home being checked every year by a pest inspector to make sure no termites are munching away! 
Next stage Frame...this is where it starts to look like a house!!

Our plans have been approved and work has begun!!
Like everyone who decides to go on the building journey knows...one of the most frustrating parts of the build is actually waiting for the plans to be approved by Council or the Certifier.
But our wait is over!Our plans have been stamped and our builder G Developments has cut the block...yay!!
The next stage is the plumbing,the pipes need to go in before the slab and then after that the concreter will form up for the slab and pour it.
From when the block is cut to when the slab is down,this can take up to 2 weeks, depending on the weather conditions and if the builder needs to carry out any further work on the block, for example a retaining wall needing to be built prior to the slab being poured.
I will post another update when the slab has been poured...it is very exciting!!

Our plans are now with the certifier who guides the plans through the Council process...so this is the stage we need to have patience...it is a waiting game for plans to be approved...this could take 4 weeks or 12 weeks we just don't know!
If you are at this stage as well you may be starting to get to know your neighbours, you might see them out at your block of land or you might receive a phonecall from them,introducing themselves.
One of the main issues at this stage with neighbours is paying for the fencing on your boundaries.
If you are with a builder like us who offers a turn-key package then fencing is included in the build price and the builder reimburses the neighbour.
However there are generally a few rules with this,mainly that the neighbour cannot organise a fence without the builders approval or put the fence up and then demand payment.The builder generally requires a few quotes from the neighbours and the bill may not be paid until later on in the build of your home. The colour of the fence can also be an issue,with all parties having to agree.
It is best to explain the above to your neighbours as soon as possible if fencing is included in your build contract,otherwise things can get a bit heated!
If fencing is not included in your build contract and you have to pay for it yourself,your neighbours still have to abide by the fencing act and give you notice of the fence they are proposing with a few quotes.
​Hopefully it all works out and there are no tensions!!

One of the most exciting things when building a new home is that you get to pick all your own colours!! This can either be from prepared Colour Boards or totally from scratch.
We did a mixture of both with our builder G Developments.They have 10 external colours and 6 internal colours,so we mixed and matched some and picked tiles outside of the standard range at their supplier National Tiles.
The Colour Selection Stage can be the time when people get carried away and spend alot of money on extras,so having a budget is the key!Also with some builders it is the stage where you get a rude shock and find out simple inclusions like downlights, flyscreens,carpet or a dishwasher are not included in your build price.
Luckily for us our builder is fixed priced and turn-key-so that means everything is included and if we want something outside of the standard inclusions we pay extra,this is what we did with the tiles.
We have decided on a light grey tile for the main living areas that looks like timber ,which I am obsessed with!!,with pale grey walls and a white and grey kitchen... I plan to add touches of blues and Hampton Style furniture when we move in. Our main bathroom will be white and grey with the ensuite a more neutral sandy stone colour
Our plans are still with the architect...
We are still being patient...the drafting process does take 4-6 weeks...hopefully the next update will be about the plans being ready for Council!!

Our soil tests and contour plan are back from the surveyor and engineer.
Now we are in the line up for drafting!
This can be the most frustrating part of the process...waiting for your turn!
We had some concept plans drawn beforehand by the architect so we have an idea of how our home will look.To have concept plans drawn it is around $1000-$1500 this is normally an out of pocket expense but is a great idea if you have your own plan in mind,a tricky block of land or want to change a few things with the builders standard plans. Having a concise Concept plan of your home gives the builder an exact idea of what you are after and he can price it accordingly.
When our plans are in front of the architect he will draw the "Working Drawing" or       
"Pre Construction" plans.These plans are around 10-15 pages long and have exact details for example... they show cross sections of the bathrooms and the kitchen, have a landscaping plan showing the position of retaining walls and plants and an electrical plan that shows exactly where all the powerpoints and downlights will be.
The architect will also look at the heating and cooling of the home in relation to how the house is positioned on the block and will submit a Basix and Nathers thermal report.
All this takes time and normally the plans are ready to look at in 4-6 weeks.
So patience is the key for us at the moment!!
After we have signed off on the plans they will then be submitted to the certifier who guides the plans through Council....the next exciting stage!!
​

Our land has settled yay!! All documents were correct for the bank and the land settlement occurred without a hitch thanks to Fiona at Impero Conveyancing!
The next step is the building process!!
With the land settled the builder can order a Contour survey and soil tests.A contour survey accurately records the boundaries and the slope of the land.Soil tests are ordered to determine the class of the soil.The type of soil determines the thickness of the slab.This process takes around 2 weeks.
The next stage will be the drafting of the plans for Council.

And so my building journey begins! I thought it would be great to start a blog on the building of my own family home. Considering this is what my business is about...Building a new home!!
I will talk about all the steps that need to be taken from buying the land to selecting colours! 
Giving everyone an idea on what is involved in building.
This is our fifth build! My husband and I love building and we surprisingly agree on colour schemes! I think we would be really grumpy with each other if we had to renovate.. too much stress and too much mess!!
This picture is our block of land. We brought the land in April 2017-paid our $1000 deposit and then paid 5% of the land price on "exchange of contracts" 2 weeks later.
The block wasn't even "built" ,all we could see was a big giant pile of dirt up on the hill and knew it was around that area according to the estate plan. From this plan we could also tell the measurements of the block and the slope the land would probably have. For our block the slope is under half a metre.
This is the tricky bit with banks...they can't actually identify the block in these early stages,most people have a pre approval from the bank(the bank tells them how much they can borrow) at this stage and then it is a matter of taking a "leap of faith" with paying the deposit to exchange contracts because the formal loan approval cannot happen until closer to Registration.
Registration is where the land is registered with the LPI office (land and property information) and the boundaries are clearly marked and can be identified by Council.This is also the time that the builder can see the land clearly and the bank can send the valuer out to look at the land.
Buying a block of land off the plan happens all the time.The land sells so quickly in Newcastle that land developers release stages for sale with a registration date 6-12 months after the sale.
Around January this year we were given notice that our land would be registering very soon,so we needed to organise our Finance. Up to this point we had a pre-approval and so it was action stations when were given this notice and all our pay slips and other information were forwarded to the bank so a bank valuation could be ordered for the Formal approval to be given,
We had house plans drawn up by then as well, we are building with one of our Fixed Priced Turn-key builders.They have their own architect who, for a fee ,can draw up a concept plan with all the ideas you have in mind and present it to the builder for the fixed price. This is an awesome service because we were very clear on what we wanted and couldn't find that within their standard plans.
Our block registered mid February this year ,as soon as this happened we were given notice that we needed to Settle on the land within 2 weeks.
We are now waiting for Settlement and are checking that everything is okay with the bank and conveyancer for settlement day.
After settlement happens the builder can move forward with the building process!!
This will be the next exciting step!
​Kerri-Ann

The new year is well and truly underway and how are those new years resolutions going? Any new plans to change your habits around money? How you spend and how you save?

Our friends at Greater Bank share with us top financial strategies to help every personality.

From the easily tempted to the visionary,  defining your personality type may be the key to unlocking your savings potential. We’ve identified a number of common personas we see every day – see if you recognise yourself, and find out what you can do to save smarter.

If one of your goals for 2017 is to build your first home, then register for our free info session to be held Tuesday 21st February from 6pm at Greater Bank Waratah. In conjunction with Greater Bank, we will be sharing our knowledge on how to build your first home, what to ask your builder,  what a fixed price package is and the government grants still available for first home owners.