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

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 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!!

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

It can a very exciting time when you start making plans to build your own home. A few keys steps to follow will help make the process a little smoother.

Government Grants - Great opportunities are still available for first homeowners in the form of government grants a great help with the financial aspect of building your dream home.

The First Home Owner Grant (New Homes) scheme is offered at $15,000 and is available to first homeowners building their home. From 1st January 2016 it will reduce to $10,000 (information correct as at July 2015). There is also a stamp duty concession for first homeowners buying land valued at under $300,000.

There is also a $5,000 grant available for those building their second or third home which in some circumstances can contribute to the payment of the stamp duty. Be sure to discuss these options with your mortgage broker or lender. Office of State Revenue http://www.osr.nsw.gov.au/grants/fhog .

Pricing of your final house package - When researching the price of your new home, it is important to be aware of all items that are included - or not included - in the final price.

More key steps can be found in our Top 10 Tips to consider when building your home.

Our home building specialist, Kerri-Ann Hooper, has a casual chat with us about the top things to consider when designing your new bathroom.

A few keys things to think about include:

• What style of showerhead you would like in your shower
• Vanity height and style
• Watch the video from Kerri-Ann below for more tips